Raving Brands! Tour Days Dishes Out the "Ultimate Meal Ticket"

Franchisor Powerhouse Takes Its Recruitment Program on the Road, Granting up to a $25,000 “Jump-Start” to Hungriest Franchisee Prospects in Seven U.S. Markets

Franchising powerhouse Raving Brands announces its 2005 Tour Days program, a strategic initiative designed to introduce and entice potential partners to its portfolio of fun, entertaining and multi-faceted concepts, spanning the food, beverage and family-entertainment Franchise categories. After successfully completing its inaugural Tour Days event in south Florida in May, Raving Brands is extending its singular and successful franchise experience among the hungriest franchisees in six additional U.S. markets, July-October, 2005, including: Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix and Houston.

Interested entrepreneurial parties in each locale can experience an in-depth look at each of Raving Brands’ eight franchise concepts, and learn what it takes to be part of one of the nation’s hottest and fastest-growing Franchising enterprises. And, as an added – and unprecedented – incentive, Raving Brands will waive the franchise fee of up to $25,000 USD to the first, qualified franchisee applicant in each of the seven Tour Days markets.**

During Tour Days’ one- to two-day stops in each market, senior executives from Raving Brands’ management team will share the company’s specific plans for each market, along with how the company exercises its commitment to franchisee success – from its passion for product excellence to its innovative real estate and operations models. As such, Raving Brands’ generous waived-fee component is designed not only to be a motivating gesture, but also a testament to its unconventional and refreshingly equitable franchise-centric approach.

“Our business model is very different than most in the marketplace,” explains Raving Brands Chief Operating Officer Steve LaMastra. “We own one corporate unit per concept and office out of them as well. This keeps us very intimate with each brand each and every day and allows us to focus 100 percent of our energy into making our franchisees more successful.”

Interested entrepreneurs are invited to attend both Tour Days group presentations as well as set up one-on-one meetings where they can address and discuss specific topics, including franchising guidelines and considerations, associated financial investments and agreements, and marketing, training and other supporting, system-wide business operations.

“Our corporate structure operates on the principle to make each concept an engaging and unique experience for its customers,” explains Raving Brands Vice President of Marketing Brian Curin. “While each of these seven markets boasts a highly competitive playing field, they also afford huge growth potential for all our concepts. It is imperative that we enter each with franchisee partners who not only have a passion for foodservice, but who also truly share our dedication to creating ‘raving fans’ – whether their goal is to own one store or one-hundred stores.”

Just off the heels of the Tour Days event in Chicago on Friday, July 29, and Saturday, July 30, Raving Brands will head to the following markets, which round-out its 2005 program:

· San Diego – August 16

· Orange County – August 17

· Los Angeles – August 18

· Phoenix – September 23

· Houston – October 14

About Raving Brands

Founded in 2000, Atlanta-based Raving Brands currently consists of eight concepts: five fast-casual restaurants, two beverage-focused establishments, and one family-entertainment concept. The company’s fast-casual concepts include: Moe's Southwest Grill, a winner of Nation’s Restaurant News 2004 Hot Concepts! Award, Mama Fu's Asian House, a 2004 Nation's Restaurant News “Fast 50” brand, Doc Green's Gourmet Salads, Boneheads Grilled Fish and Piri Piri Chicken and Shane's Rib Shack. PJ's Coffee/PJ’s Coffee and Wine Bar, Planet Smoothie and Planet Smoothie Cafe represent the portfolio’s beverage concepts. Raving Brands’ family-entertainment concept, Monkey Joe’s, represents the most recent addition to the brand portfolio as well as the company’s first offering in the family-entertainment franchise category. Collectively, the Raving Brands portfolio expects to open more than 1,000 locations nationwide by 2008.

**Potential applicant for whom the franchise fee of up to $25,000.00 USD will be waived must meet Raving Brands financial qualifications and is responsible for all other funding of the signed units, including the opening and ongoing operation costs.