---
title: "California Pizza Kitchen Becomes First National Restaurant Brand to Offer Chickpea Crust Pizza"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/5920b3ff-1362-4589-9e8a-cf5f49e0ca95
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20210622_california_pizza_kitchen_becomes_first_national_restaurant_brand_to_offer_c.html
category: "Pizza"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Pizza"
published: 2021-06-22T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:13:01.899Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1504674900247-0877df9cc836?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# California Pizza Kitchen Becomes First National Restaurant Brand to Offer Chickpea Crust Pizza

**TL;DR:** California Pizza Kitchen has introduced a new Chickpea Pizza Crust, making it the first national restaurant brand to offer this option. The new crust is lower in carbs, high in protein and fiber, gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2021-06-22. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20210622_california_pizza_kitchen_becomes_first_national_restaurant_brand_to_offer_c.html).*

## Story

CPK’s new Chickpea Pizza Crust is lower in carbs than their Original Hand-Tossed, is high in protein and fiber, gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly, making it the perfect option for gluten sensitive guests or anyone looking for CPK pizza taste with added health benefits.

The new veggie-based crust will be available in select restaurants in the Southern California and Florida markets for guests to order as the base for any CPK pizza, making it an easy way to add protein and fiber to their meal, and cut down on carbs - or, simply, to enjoy an entirely new pizza experience. Made with premium chickpeas, chia seeds and a touch of honey, CPK’s Chickpea Pizza Crust is the latest creation from CPK that will satisfy not only the core guest, but also those that are more health and diet focused.

“Chickpea Crust represents the very best of CPK culinary - first to market, creative, and most importantly, the product brings new health benefits while maintaining the incredible California inspired pizza taste our guests love,” says CPK CEO Jim Hyatt. “We have incredible business momentum following a challenging pandemic year and Chickpea crust is another example of how we are moving CPK forward.”

As demand for veggie-based food and alternatives continues to rise, CPK has put an enhanced focus on expanding its creative, California-inspired roster of veggie-based options, including Cauliflower Pizza Crust, the recently launched Plant-Based BBQ Chicken Pizza and now, Chickpea Pizza Crust. With this introduction, guests can now choose from four crusts, including Original Hand-Tossed, Crispy Thin, Cauliflower, and Chickpea, satisfying any palette.

“At CPK, we’ve always been proud to answer the question ‘what’s next?’ for our guests, before they ask. We did it with gluten-free crust, then with cauliflower pizza crust, and now we’re thrilled to innovate once again with the introduction of chickpea pizza crust,” said SVP of Culinary Innovation, Brian Sullivan. “We’re excited to finally share what we’ve been working on, and to continue bringing bold and creative culinary ideas to our guests.”

CPK’s Chickpea Pizza Crust will be available in Southern California in the following locations: Huntington Beach, Lakewood, Long Beach Marketplace, Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Rainbow Harbor (Long Beach), Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, and Santa Monica. It will also be available throughout Florida, including: Boca Raton, Coconut Point, Fort Lauderdale, International Plaza (Tampa), Millenia Mall (Orlando), Naples, Palm Beach Gardens, Pembroke Lakes Mall, Sarasota, Sawgrass Mills, Waterford Lakes, and Wellington Green.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- menu pricing (topic)
- Florida (location)
- new menu item (topic)
- Southern California (location)
- California Pizza Kitchen (company)
- gluten-free options (topic)
- Brian Sullivan (person)
- veggie based food (topic)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20210622_california_pizza_kitchen_becomes_first_national_restaurant_brand_to_offer_c.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/5920b3ff-1362-4589-9e8a-cf5f49e0ca95).