LONG BEACH, Calif. — Amir Sabetian saw a diamond in the rough the first time he visited zpizza. A general manager with California Pizza Kitchen, Sabetian knew the essential characteristics for a great concept, and he recognized several in the Newport Beach, Calif., chain. The products were fresh and flavorful, not to mention healthful.
“I could see what was working and I thought, ‘This is going to be phenomenal when they get the other legs of the stool,’? said Sabetian. “They went out of their way to buy expensive high-value ingredients like organic pizza sauce and additive-free pepperoni. What it didn’t have at the time was the décor and the ambiance, the look it needed.?
After 16 years with CPK, Sabetian became zpizza’s director of operations in 2004. zpizza president, Chris Bright, knew of “California Pizza Kitchen’s tremendous training culture? and convinced Sabetian he was the guy to implement it in the burgeoning chain.
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