HATBORO, Pa., Sept. 20, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Paul Esposito, President of Toppers Brick Oven Pizza, Inc. (Other OTC:TBOP) announces that "Toppers" has entered into a long-term consulting agreement with International Lounge and Restaurant Operators, Inc. and its president Ronald L. McDonald. The agreement provides that Mr. McDonald will consult Toppers on all aspects of the recently acquired Famous Uncle Al's Restaurant Franchise business.
International Lounge and Restaurant Operators, Inc. was founded by Mr. McDonald in 1967 and has been consistently involved in numerous food and beverage business projects. Mr. McDonald is a respected food and franchise expert and has authored several books including "The Complete Hamburger: The History of Americas Favorite Sandwich" and "Ronald McDonalds Franchise Buyer and Supply Guide". Mr. McDonald is a consultant to the franchise and restaurant industry.
Director of Franchise Operations for Topper, Mr. Richard Michael stated: "McDonald has analyzed the existing operations and is suggesting improvements in every area. His years of expertise in the food industry and his understanding of successful franchising are now focused on building Famous Uncle Al's hot dogs into a world-class franchiser. Like other members of his famous family, Ronald loves a good hot dog and he is committed to making Famous Uncle Al's the best fast food hot dog franchise in America. I am very pleased that Ronald has agreed to bring his expertise to this project. I will be working closely with Mr. McDonald to develop a superior restaurant franchise opportunity. We will be working with area developers and individual franchise operators to prepare an orderly roll out of the restaurants."
Mr. McDonald added: "The McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, the original founders of the McDonald's Hamburger chain started out in the fast food industry operating a hot dog and orange juice stand. The California hot dog stand developed into a fast food operation and they used that experience to later design and develop McDonald's Hamburgers, what is now the world's largest restaurant chain."
McDonald continued "I am very pleased to be part of this project. Famous Uncle Al's is a quality concept that can be America's foremost hot dog franchise. We are working to standardize the design and operations of the restaurants to assure they are affordable and profitable for franchisee's. Consistency and quality is the key to building Famous Uncle Al's Hot Dogs into a national restaurant chain."
Famous Uncle Al's Franchise, Inc. is a subsidiary of Toppers Brick Oven Pizza, Inc. and markets Famous Uncle Al's Hot Dog franchised restaurants. Toppers owns the exclusive worldwide franchise rights for Famous Uncle Al's Restaurants, Inc.
A number of statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the timely development, and market acceptance of products and technologies, competitive market conditions, successful integration of acquisitions and the ability to secure additional sources of financing. The actual results that may be achieved could differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. Any investment should be considered to be highly speculative and should not be considered unless a person can afford a complete loss of investment. Contact the company for further details concerning these risks and uncertainties.