California Pizza Kitchen is bringing its pizzas to U.S. military installations through a phased deployment of automated pizza kiosks, in partnership with Ranger Group and its CEO, U.S. Army Ranger veteran Mark “Ranger” Jones.
CPK plans to roll out hundreds of automated pizza machines at installations serving the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The machines use Turbochef-powered cooking and touch-screen technology to deliver a freshly baked CPK pizza in as little as 90 seconds, offering service members a hot meal option on base or at sea.
“As a veteran myself, I’m personally proud to bring our restaurant-quality pizzas directly to the places where our service members work and train,” said Michael Beacham, president of California Pizza Kitchen Global. “This initiative is both an expression of our gratitude and a meaningful step forward in our mission to make the California Pizza Kitchen experience more accessible wherever people are.”
Phased rollout, starting at home
Ranger Group will work with CPK and military stakeholders to coordinate the deployment, including installation logistics and ongoing operational support. The rollout begins with domestic installations and could expand to additional military locations, including overseas facilities.
“As a former U.S. Army Ranger, I know how much a great meal made with quality ingredients can mean to service members and their families after a long day of training or duty,” Jones said. “This partnership with California Pizza Kitchen is personal to me. We are bringing an iconic American brand to the places where military personnel and their families work, live and serve, giving them convenient access to quality food and showing our appreciation for their sacrifice.”
The military initiative builds on CPK’s broader automated retail strategy to operate up to 1,000 machines nationwide over the next three years in airports, universities, hospitals and other high-traffic locations, extending the brand beyond its restaurants and grocery store shelves.
Founded in 1985, Costa Mesa, California-based CPK operates restaurants in 25 U.S. states and nine countries and territories, and has been a premium brand in the frozen pizza grocery aisle for more than 25 years, with branded salad dressings and noodle sauces.
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