CPK: More than just
pizza
California
Pizza Kitchen, otherwise known as CPK, is an innovative restaurant that started
in 1985. It has quickly become popular in many places including Arizona. Its
western inspired food attracts all ages and really has that comfort feel that
keeps you wanting more; at least that’s what I’m told. Its popularity really
got my attention and I wanted to see what the rage was all about for myself. I
thought the quickest way to learn more about this place was to visit the
website (http://www.cpk.com )and sure enough I
found everything I needed to know. It was simple, easy to use and rich in
content. Not to mention the pictures of the food really left me wanting more.
When
visiting a website, the first thing you notice is the layout. It’s inevitable.
What I loved about CPK’s website was really how simple it was to find
everything. All the links were visible, the images drew you in and the color
scheme wasn’t too flashy. The brown and yellow may seem odd colors to use for a
restaurant, but it really does tie in to the whole California western feel that
they are trying to convey. The lightness of the tones also gives it an air of
class, or even elegance. It is important to set the tone of a restaurant and I
feel that this website has done just that. It is also important to let the
audience be aware of the product you are selling and what your brand is or else
the marketing strategy fails. It was great to see that CPK made their audience
know exactly who they are and what they represent by making their logo so
visible and not lost in the content. In the main page it is at the top left
corner in a sizable font that draws your eyes, and it even shows up in every
page that the links bring up. They want to make it clear that you are visiting
California Pizza Kitchen and nowhere else.
When on this page, the other thing
that really draws a viewer in is the visuals. As soon as you open the page your
eyes are drawn to the center where there is a slideshow of the different
featured entrees. This is, what I believe to be, the selling point of the
entire website. Not to mention that the movement of the slideshow gave the
webpage a more up to date feel and keeps it interesting. When
you go to a restaurant you go there to eat, and so by providing images of the
product of CPK you make sure that the viewer leaves craving the food that
you’ve just shown them. The quality of the pictures is fantastic, which adds to
their genius in market strategy. Even if the food was delightful in person, if
the visual presentation is not up to par then a lot a people would not even
bother to visit the restaurant to try the food. It is clear that the California
Pizza Kitchen PR team understood that by providing a visual, that stimulates
the senses to the point where your mouth begins to water, it would leave
viewers wanting more. This website does not only provide these images on the
home page, but throughout the entire menu. Not much left to the imagination,
but it certainly leaves your taste buds wondering.
To further emphasize the ease in
navigating this website, if you look at the top of the page, there is a bar
with links to the menu, locations, catering, events, gift cards, and even
information on the company. Also, there is a second bar with links to more
information such as careers, a FAQ, real estate, and contact information. On
the right side of the page there are offers for coupons and to sign up for membership.
While the CPK links to facebook, twitter, and tumblr are at the very top of the
page at the bottom you can also see a feed of what others are saying about the
restaurant on social media. This is very important because in an age where
people can’t begin their meal without first posting a picture of it on instagram, there is no way an establishment
can be successful without being linked to some sort of social media. While in
the past people would learn about “hip” places to go from ads on the newspaper,
we all now check our social media forum for this information without hesitation.
Because people really like to know the quality of the product before actually
taking a chance on it, social media has been a great way to stream the opinions
of others and their critique. It is a bonus that on this website there are also
videos at the bottom to see what chefs and executives are saying about it. It
reassures the customer that the product is of great quality and they may become
more willing to make a trip and try something new.
When going
somewhere new it is imperative to know the exact location of where it is you
are going, and what is great about the CPK website is that it will take you to
a map of the United States will give you information on locations nearest to
you after you type in either your zip code or city. What makes it even more
convenient is that after listing the locations, if you click on the link it
will redirect you to a another page that will give you step by step directions
on how to actually get to the location. The only downfall of this function is
the lack of pictures of the restaurants which can be useful when looking for
the location, but the steps are so detailed that it is not so much of a
problem. It does, however, offer the hours of operation based on the area that
you reside in. It also has a list of all the services they provide, such as
catering, curbside service, ordering online, delivery, and hosting fundraisers.
Each will vary depending on where you live of course. All the links at the top
are great because when merely clicking on one there will be different options
to choose from that still pertain to that link. Take the menu link for example,
it will take you to the category you’d like to visit such as; new items, small
plates, appetizers, soups, salads, desserts, and every kind of meal. Another great
aspect was that it showed pictures of every food item along with a description
of it. As I mentioned before, this is a great strategy to make the viewer want
more, as well as to make sure that the product is clear because a lot of the
time descriptions will not suffice. There is also a section where you can ask
them to cater special events with a mobile kitchen. People can get gift cards,
order food with the click of a button, buy real estate and even apply online,
which are all found at the top of the home page. There is also a section where
CPK talks about the history of the company and about the fundraisers they host.
This website has a lot of information that may be useful to the customer and
they make it so easy to find and to use as well. Nobody wants to go on a
webpage were you really have to dig to find the simples of information because
let’s face it, if that were the case then not many people would really use the
page. The internet is there to provide us with easily accessible information
and I do believe CPK has done just that.
I’d heard
about the California Pizza Kitchen many times before, but was always hesitant
to visit the restaurant because I never really knew what to expect. After
visiting the website I can really say that I will be paying this place a visit
in the near future and I have to say a lot of it has to do with their amazing
website. There has been plenty of times I’ve visited a restaurants website to
learn more about their product before a visit but was reluctant to go because
of the lack of information I was given, or simply because the information was
so difficult to find. The CPK website provided me with useful links, important
information, a detailed menu and visuals that got my taste buds exited. It was
easy to navigate and the colors were easy on the eyes, which is really always a
plus. The layout was easy to follow and everything had a purpose and was not
there without use. What I was most impressed with was the attention that was
given to social media forums. If people are talking about them and they are not
hesitant to share this with the public then it must mean that they are very
confident in their product, which makes me even more exited. I’m sure that
their key to their success is not only the delicious food, but their attention
to their customer’s needs, even if it is just making a website a little easier
to navigate.
By: Selene A. and Brenda D.
