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Mr. Kaufman�s responsibilities include menu development, the hiring of chef, onsite management and staff, establishing vendor relationships, and cost controls. He is an operations specialist who has worked with some of today�s most successful restaurants to maximize their operational effectiveness and significantly increase the return on their investment. Mr. Kaufman�s extensive restaurant experience began in Mammoth Lakes, California, where he built and opened three restaurants. In 1986 he joined California Pizza Kitchen, which at the time consisted of a single restaurant, and helped the owners build CPK into one of the country�s leading restaurant chains with more than 68 locations. He eventually supervised more than 3,000 employees including 250 managers, 12 area supervisors and two regional vice-presidents of operations. In 1995 after completing a four-month consulting project for Rosti, Mr. Kaufman was brought in as COO. He worked closely to develop a very young management team and created an operating system, company structure and culture that achieved profitability. In 1996 he was recruited by Koo Koo Roo and brought in as President and Chief Operating Officer. In less than two years the team turned the company from cash negative to cash positive by focusing resources on the core brand, increasing performance, controlling costs, and improving customer service. In the process, Mr. Kaufman also designed and built new prototype restaurants that reduced capital requirements by 40 percent and substantially increased operational efficiency. | 