Costa Mesa, Calif., and Coral Gables, Fla. — California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) has teamed up with T-ROC Global, a leading provider of technology-enabled retail solutions, to dramatically expand access to CPK through a new generation of automated retail experiences.
Through the partnership, T-ROC will implement and operate up to 1,000 CPK automated retail machines nationwide over the next 3 years, bringing the brand to high-traffic locations where a traditional restaurant may be impractical, but consumers are often underserved with elevated food options.
From airports and universities to hospitals, hotels, office complexes, residential communities, EV charging stations, sports venues and other destinations, CPK’s strategy is simple: bring a taste of the restaurant experience to more consumers, wherever they are.
“For decades, CPK has been dedicated to meeting consumers wherever they are, whether through our global restaurant network, airport and non-traditional locations, off-site events or the local grocery store where we’ve been a leading premium pizza brand for 25 years,” says Michael Beacham, president of California Pizza Kitchen Global. “Our automated retail strategy, now accelerated through a partnership with T-ROC, introduces CPK to entirely new occasions and venues where consumers desire quality food on the go.”
The CPK and T-ROC automated retail experience goes well beyond conventional food vending, leveraging Turbo-chef powered cooking, data-driven intelligence and touchscreen technology that can deliver a CPK pizza in as little as 90 seconds, creating an on-demand restaurant-quality experience wherever consumers live, work, travel, study and gather.
“CPK is exactly the kind of iconic consumer brand that can redefine what automated retail can be,” says Brett Beveridge, CEO and founder of T-ROC Global. “Consumers increasingly expect their favorite brands to meet them where they are, and technology is making that possible in entirely new ways. By combining CPK’s brand, food and loyal following with T-ROC’s nationwide infrastructure and technology capabilities, we have an opportunity to build a new national distribution channel at a meaningful scale.”
T-ROC will leverage its nationwide infrastructure — including 32 warehouses, a dedicated van fleet and thousands of technicians — to deploy, replenish, maintain and support CPK automated retail machines across the country. The rollout will initially focus on clusters of at least 20 units across 30 major U.S. markets.
Partnering with T-ROC significantly expands and accelerates a strategy that CPK has been testing since last year. CPK currently has automated retail machines operating at airports such as Boston Logan and Atlanta, Dallas Love Field and Dayton, with another 15 activated by later this year at several universities.
Under the new agreement, T-ROC — in addition to scaling its own network of machines — will also serve as the nationwide service provider for CPK’s other automated retail operating partners, providing capabilities that include replenishment, break/fix service, warehousing and logistics, execution training, kiosk management technologies and venue identification.
Founded in 1985, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) revolutionized casual dining with its first restaurant in Beverly Hills, Calif., introducing the world to innovative, California-inspired pizza at scale. Recently celebrating its 40th anniversary year, CPK serves creative California cuisine in restaurants spanning 25 U.S. states along with nine countries and U.S. territories. Additionally, the CPK brand has been a premium leader in the U.S. frozen pizza grocery aisle for more than 25 years. For more information, visit http://www.cpk.com.
T-ROC Global is a leading retail growth and technology company that helps brands and retailers maximize sales, expand market share and reach consumers wherever they shop. Combining people, technology and operational expertise, T-ROC delivers end-to-end solutions across traditional and automated retail, from assisted selling, brand representation and managed retail programs to smart vending and other technology-enabled retail experiences. For more information, visit www.trocglobal.com.
SOURCE: California Pizza Kitchen