LOS ANGELES, May 9, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Grill Concepts, Inc. (Nasdaq:GRIL) today announced plans to enter the Memphis market with the scheduled opening of a Daily Grill restaurant during the first half of 2007 in The Westin Beale Street Hotel adjacent to the city's premier entertainment venue.
The nationally acclaimed Daily Grill restaurant will be one of a number of unique offerings for the guests of The Westin Beale Street, a $40 million Starwood Hotels & Resorts project currently under construction directly across the street from the FedExForum, home to the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, and within the Beale Street entertainment district, Tennessee's top tourist attraction. The restaurant will occupy 6,500 square feet of the hotel, with a separate entrance from the street and combined seating for more than 200 guests. In addition to serving up breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service for guests of the 203-room property, the Memphis Daily Grill is expected to attract large crowds of sports and entertainment visitors, as well as the locals, to its full-service bar featuring classic cocktails and hand-picked selections from boutique wineries. Grill Concepts signed a 10-year management agreement on the property, with additional two five-year options.
"The concept of our branded restaurants was cooked up in Beverly Hills more than 20 years ago serving freshly-prepared, made-from-scratch, classic American grill fare," said Gay, who currently serves as executive vice president and chief financial officer and has been named to succeed Spivak as chief executive officer following the annual shareholders' meeting in June 2006. "This new restaurant will extend our legacy as a dining destination for the stars to now include professional sports players. We are confident that our menu will please all appetites and look forward to opening our doors in a dynamic city where great music and sports dovetail with quality dining."
About Grill Concepts, Inc.
Grill Concepts owns and manages upscale casual and fine dining, full service restaurants under two core brand names: The Grill on the Alley and Daily Grill. The company operates 24 restaurants including four The Grill on the Alley-branded restaurants in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, San Jose, California, and Chicago, as well as 20 Daily Grill restaurants in Southern and Northern California, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, Houston, Texas, Portland, Oregon and Skokie, Illinois.
This news release contains forward-looking statements, which are based on current operations, plans and expectations. Such statements include, but are not limited to, the opening of the Memphis Daily Grill in the first half of 2007. Actual results may differ materially from these statements due to risks and uncertainties beyond the company's control, which are detailed from time to time in its filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.