VILLAGE INN OPENS SECOND OF 12 FRANCHISES UNDER FLORIDA DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT

Village Inn, a chain of family-style restaurants known for their signature breakfast items, menu variety, extra-friendly service and inviting atmosphere, has opened a Franchise in St. Cloud, Fla.

The 4,411-square-foot Restaurant is the eighth Village Inn location in Florida operated by Tampa-based Dow Sherwood Corp. It is also the second restaurant to open under a development agreement that calls for Dow Sherwood to open 10 more Village Inn restaurants in the greater Orlando area over the next several years. The first restaurant under this agreement opened in Winter Park, Fla., last January.

"The opportunity for stable growth and solid returns is greater today than at any time in my 29 years of operating Village Inn restaurants," says Kirt Roberts, president and CEO of Dow Sherwood, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary as a Village Inn franchisee in March. "Our commitment in the Orlando area is testimony to our faith in the concept's potential."

Florida is one of several areas where Denver-based Village Inn will be expanding its presence in the years ahead. Multi-unit franchise opportunities are also available in Virginia, southern Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Interested investors can obtain detailed information on available markets, financial requirements and other qualifications by calling (800) 891-9978.

Village Inn follows a simple recipe for success: Provide "Good Food... Good Feelings^®" at a reasonable price in a relaxing atmosphere. Drawn by the restaurant's upscale exterior designs, customers find welcoming lobbies and tempting bakery displays waiting inside. The Village Inn menu perpetuates the restaurants' comfortable feel with a selection of delicious home-style fare, including popular breakfast foods such as three-egg omelets, made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes and specialty Skillets; traditional lunch and dinner selections; and a wide variety of award-winning pies.

According to Vice President of Development Frank Scherer, the Village Inn concept is made-to-order for markets like Orlando, which boast fast-growing, diverse populations of young, upwardly mobile individuals and families.

"Because we focus on satisfying life's simple pleasures, Village Inn is among the most appealing brands in the family-dining category today," he adds. "We live by our slogan, 'Good Food... Good Feelings^®'; and we sincerely believe that consistently delivering on that promise is exactly what keeps our customers coming back again and again."

Village Inn franchisees benefit from the company's proven business model, increasingly familiar brand name and consistently refined operating system, as well as an advanced level of business support services. franchise candidates should possess a minimum net worth of $750,000, with $250,000 of that in liquid capital, in addition to a proven track record in the restaurant and/or hospitality industries and other pertinent qualifications.

About Village Inn
Village Inn is a division of Denver-based VICORP Restaurants, Inc., operator and franchisor of 375 mid-sized family-dining restaurants under the Village Inn and Bakers Square names. The first Village Inn opened in Denver, in 1958. Today, there are 225 Village Inn restaurants (including 116 franchise locations) operating primarily in the Rocky Mountain region, the Midwest, the Southwest and Florida. Village Inn currently has franchise development agreements in place for 27 new restaurants in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Kansas and Texas and plans to add 10 restaurants this year and as many as 100 restaurants throughout the country over the next five to seven years. Prime markets are available for development.