Spicy Pickle and Bread Garden Urban Cafes Continue Growth With 5 New Restaurants

By: Spicy Pickle | 1 Shares 186 Reads

Denver, CO, (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. (OTCBB: SPKL), fast casual restaurants serving all natural premium meat and poultry and other fresh products, provides this update on current business activity at its Spicy Pickle and Bread Garden Urban Cafe chain.

On April 19, Spicy Pickle opened its first Houston, Texas location at 11611 Katy Freeway, Suite B. The restaurant hours are Monday to Saturday from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm and Sunday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. The telephone number is (281) 679-9300 and the fax for catering is 281 679-9301. The family that owns the franchise and development rights for the greater Houston area is excited to open the first restaurant out of 10 in their development agreement. A second location is already under lease negotiation.

Spicy Pickle is also pleased to announce two new franchise agreements for locations in Temecula, California and Owensboro, Kentucky. Site selection for those locations will begin shortly. The Naperville, Illinois and Las Vegas, Nevada locations of existing franchisees are also well under way and should be open between the spring and summer of 2009.

In Vancouver we have signed letters of intent on three new locations for our Bread Garden Urban Cafe concept, two of which are set to open this year. The first is with a new franchisee that will open at the busy intersection of Granville and Georgia streets in downtown Vancouver. The location was formerly a retail jewelry store and is at a very high traffic location and recently received landlord approval for the conversion. The second Bread Garden Urban Cafe will be located in the heart of Whistler Village, the preeminent ski area north of Vancouver, and will be opened by an existing franchisee. The location will be taken over in early May and will be fully operational in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics coming to Vancouver and Whistler. The new cafe is centrally located with a large patio seating area and sits next to the large gazebo that provides live music year around. The third location is in Burnaby, a busy part of greater Metropolitan Vancouver. The area is also where the existing Metrotown Bread Garden Cafe is located which is the second highest gross volume restaurant in the chain.

Marc Geman, CEO of Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc., which is the franchisor of the Bread Garden Urban Cafe chain, said, "The expansion of our Bread Garden Urban Cafes throughout greater Vancouver including the airport, and now Whistler Village as well as additional downtown and surrounding area cafes, means that almost everyone coming to the Winter Olympics will be near a Bread Garden Urban Cafe. We will recognize our share of the consumer spending that this event typically brings to the host city. Our team is working hard on finishing building the necessary infrastructure of operations, marketing and culinary to bring Bread Garden Urban Cafes up to their full potential by the end of the year, which will result in significant positive cash flow for the entire organization. Spicy Pickle is known for its premium and flavorful food and we are bringing that through new menu items to the Bread Garden Urban Cafes as well."

Mr. Geman continued, "It has been awhile since we started up with new franchisees in new markets so we are particularly pleased to be working on these new Spicy Pickle Restaurants. The two restaurants in Houston, Texas, the restaurant in Naperville, Illinois and Las Vegas, Nevada demonstrate that we are resuming the expansion of the Spicy Pickle chain. These new Spicy Pickle restaurants in the United States and the explosive growth of the Bread Garden Urban Cafes in British Columbia, Canada, along with other planed openings which have already been announced, will push us very close to cash flow positive by the end of the year and really set us up for better economic times around the corner."

About Spicy Pickle(TM):

Founded in 1999, Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. (OTCBB: SPKL) serves high quality meats and fine artisan breads, baked fresh daily, along with a wide choice of eight different cheeses, twenty-two different toppings, and fourteen proprietary spreads to create healthy and delicious panini and sub sandwiches with flavors from around the world. As a leading "fast-casual" concept, Spicy Pickle offers menu items that are far beyond traditional fast food but without the price point of casual dining. The hallmark of a Spicy Pickle restaurant is quality, service and an enjoyable atmosphere. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with restaurants open across 12 states and more in development nationwide. Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. also operates as franchisor for Bread Garden Urban Cafes, a concept with restaurants in the metropolitan Vancouver, Canada area. Bread Garden Urban Cafes serve coffee, pastries and breakfast items as well as lunch and dinner along with a wide variety of desserts.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the number of restaurants we intend to open, are forward-looking statements. We use words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "should," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "predict," "project," "target," and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions, to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date any such statements are made and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: factors that could affect our ability to achieve and manage our planned expansion, such as the availability of a sufficient number of suitable new restaurant sites and the availability of qualified franchisees and employees; risks relating to our expansion into new markets; the risk of food-borne illnesses and other health concerns about our food products; changes in the availability and costs of food; changes in consumer preferences, general economic conditions or consumer discretionary spending; the impact of federal, state or local government regulations relating to our franchisees and employees, and the sale of food or alcoholic beverages; the impact of litigation; our ability to protect our name and logo and other proprietary information; the potential effects of inclement weather; the effect of competition in the restaurant industry; and other risk factors described from time to time in our SEC reports.

SOURCE: Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc.

###