Spicy Pickle(R) Sandwich Company Announces Its Expansion to Canada

By: Spicy Pickle | 3 Shares 104 Reads

DENVER, CO--(Marketwire - Oct 25, 2011) - Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. (OTCQB: SPKL) (PINKSHEETS: SPKL), the Denver-based fast-casual franchising company, announced today that it is expanding its Spicy Pickle® brand to Canada. The company stated that it has entered into a franchise agreement for the development of the first Spicy Pickle restaurant in Canada. The restaurant, which is expected to open in the summer of 2012, will be located in Calgary, Alberta, representing the beginning of the brand's expansion plans to our northern neighbor.

Jeff Branton, who is the Vice President and General Manager for the company's Canadian operations, including its BG Urban(SM) cafés and grills, said, "Given Canada's strong economy, and in Calgary in particular, this is a great market in which to launch Spicy Pickle in Canada, and it will complement our BG Urban brand operations nicely. Being that we are a Canadian company with our BG Urban cafés & grills already in British Columbia, we have the infrastructure to support and grow both our brands here, so adding Spicy Pickle was a natural move." The company, which operates its separate BG Urban restaurant brand in western Canada, already has twelve BG Urban cafes and grills in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, but this new franchise will represent the company's first Canadian Spicy Pickle location.

Peter Wright, the company's Chief Development Officer, noted, "The interest and increasing demand we have received lately for Spicy Pickle, particularly in Canada, has been fantastic. That is one of the many reasons why this expansion fits so well. The Spicy Pickle brand is now ready and repositioned for expansion. We already have an experienced team in place in Vancouver so we're ready to go. Simply put, this is a great move, and it represents an exciting time for the company and the Spicy Pickle brand."

Mark Laramie, the company's Chief Executive Officer, added, "Our Canadian expansion, along with our recent expansion into the Middle East, is consistent with our overall strategy for the International expansion of both our brands. Last year we repositioned and refreshed both our Spicy Pickle and BG Urban brands by re-engineering everything from our store layouts to menu offerings and the supply chains. Both brands are now positioned for growth and the increased franchising interest we're experiencing is evidence that our efforts are paying off."

Ian Boyd, the new Calgary Franchisee for Spicy Pickle, said, "I expect the brand to be huge here, and I'm just excited to be the one to introduce it to Canada. I have no doubt that the people of Calgary are going to fall in love with Spicy Pickle!" Mr. Branton, who has worked closely with Mr. Boyd through his application process, concluded, "We selected Ian because we think he'll be a terrific partner with us. He is from Calgary, knows the area well, and we are confident that he will be a great addition to the Spicy Pickle family." The parties are presently pursuing a site for the new restaurant and hope to announce its upcoming Calgary location soon.

For information about franchise and development opportunities and for other additional information about the Spicy Pickle or BG Urban brands, please visit www.spicypickle.com and www.bgurbancafe.com or contact Peter Wright, Chief Development Officer, at 303-951-2533.

About Spicy Pickle(R) & BG Urban(SM) Brands:

Founded in 1999, Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. (OTCQB: SPKL) (PINKSHEETS: SPKL) franchises and operates both the Spicy Pickle® Sandwich Company and BG Urban(SM) brands. Spicy Pickle Sandwich Company restaurants serve high quality meats and fine artisan breads baked fresh daily, along with a wide choice of eight cheeses, 22 toppings, and 14 proprietary spreads to create healthy, delicious panini and sub sandwiches with flavors from around the world. As a leading "fast-casual" concept, Spicy Pickle restaurants offer menu items that are far beyond traditional fast food without the price points of casual dining. The hallmark of a Spicy Pickle restaurant is great food and quality service in an enjoyable atmosphere. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with restaurants in 10 states. A Spicy Pickle Franchising subsidiary owns and operates, as franchisor, the BG Urban brand in British Columbia, Canada. BG Urban locations serve coffee, pastries, breakfast items, lunch, dinner and a wide variety of desserts. For more information visit: http://www.spicypickle.com.

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.

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