California Pizza Kitchen co-founder Rick Rosenfield says that if he had to start over, he wouldn’t necessarily pick California due to the state’s business environment. Instead, he would open in Florida, which he believes is more business-friendly.

Challenges in California

Rosenfield stated that California’s business climate changed dramatically following the COVID-19 pandemic, citing labor shortages, increased regulation, and rising costs. He noted that the minimum wage law, which requires eligible fast-food restaurant employees to be paid at least $20 per hour, has caused a ripple effect throughout the restaurant industry.

Rosenfield argued that California’s higher labor costs have made affordability a challenge, and businesses have little choice but to recover those costs through higher prices. He also mentioned that several major companies have moved their headquarters out of California in recent years, including Chevron, Oracle, and Tesla.

Florida’s Business-Friendly Environment

Rosenfield praised Florida’s business-friendly environment, citing the state’s lower bureaucracy and more favorable business climate. He noted that Florida has shown strong numbers in recent years, with entrepreneurs filing over 561,000 new domestic limited liability companies in 2025.

Rosenfield hopes that California becomes more welcoming to businesses again, arguing that government policy plays a significant role in creating a business climate that encourages entrepreneurship. He warned that failing to create a more business-friendly environment risks discouraging the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.