ATLANTA, Sept. 4, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits, a division of AFC Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFCE), announces that it has recently expanded into Mexico with its first restaurant in Monterrey. The new Popeyes restaurant is franchised by Grupo Proalimex, S.A. de C.V. who has signed an agreement with Popeyes to develop 19 more restaurants in the northeast region of Mexico. With the addition of the Monterrey restaurant, Popeyes now has 296 international restaurants.
"Popeyes has performed extremely well in other Central American countries, and we believe it will be very successful in Mexico," said Tony Pavese, Chief Operating Officer of Popeyes International. "We are very excited to have Grupo Proalimex as part of the Popeyes family. They bring a wealth of restaurant experience to the table, and we look forward to a strong and prosperous relationship with them."
Grupo Proalimex currently operates Applebee's restaurants in the northeast region of Mexico. "We were looking for additional opportunities to expand in the restaurant business and are excited about this new opportunity with Popeyes," said Ricardo Garza, the principal franchisee of Grupo Proalimex.
The new restaurant in Monterrey was designed in the Popeyes heritage image that features unique French Quarter architecture evoking Popeyes' Louisiana heritage. Gooseneck lighting, balconies and colorful murals all help to generate thoughts and images of food, music and fun that represent the personality of New Orleans. In addition, Popeyes Radio educates customers about Popeyes' Louisiana-inspired culture and menu and entertains them with great music from jazz to zydeco.
The restaurant serves Popeyes' delicious Louisiana-influenced menu designed to appeal to flavor-seeking people. The menu features Popeyes' signature New Orleans-style spicy and mild chicken, delicious Louisiana-style seafood such as Cajun Popcorn shrimp and fish, as well as a line of side items that include Cajun rice, mashed potatoes with Cajun gravy and the brand's world-famous red beans & rice.
"Popeyes will be looking to expand in Mexico through additional exclusive territory franchise developers," said Russ Sumrall, Vice President of International Development for Popeyes. "We are seeking quality franchisees, like Ricardo Garza of Grupo Proalimex, to develop our restaurants in multi-state territories throughout Mexico. We hope that in the next few years the great tastes of Popeyes will be found in restaurants across all of Mexico."
For information on franchising with Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits please visit www.popeyesfranchising.com.
Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits is a leader in the Cajun segment of the foodservice industry and is the world's second-largest quick-service chicken concept. Founded in 1972 in New Orleans, Popeyes has more than 1,650 locations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 21 other countries, and achieved 2001 worldwide sales of approximately $1.3 billion. Visit Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits' website at www.popeyes.com.
AFC Enterprises, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of 3,911 restaurants, bakeries and cafes in the United States, Puerto Rico and 28 foreign countries under the brand names Church's Chicken(tm), Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits, Cinnabon(r), Seattle's Best Coffee(r) and Torrefazione Italia(r) Coffee. AFC's primary objective is to be the world's Franchisor of Choice(r) by offering investment opportunities in highly recognizable brands and exceptional franchisee support systems and services. AFC Enterprises had system-wide sales of approximately $2.6 billion in 2001 and can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.afce.com.
Forward-Looking Statements. Certain statements in this release, and other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of AFC or its brands, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements regarding future events and developments and our future performance, as well as management's expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates or projections relating to the future, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of these laws. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are the cost and availability of our principal food products, increased energy costs, labor shortages or increased labor costs, our ability to franchise new units and expand our brands, our and our franchisees' ability to successfully operate existing units and open new units, changes in consumer preferences and demographic trends, competition, general economic, political and regulatory conditions and the risk factors detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2001 and the other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, since those statements speak only as of the date they are made.