ATLANTA, April 29, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Cinnabon(r), a division of AFC Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFCEE), today announced that it has been chosen to offer Makara(r) Cinnamon Coffee Cakes on Song(tm) as the carrier's new signature breakfast item. The breakfast coffee cake will be sold on all morning flights for $3.00 as part of Song's branded menu offering strategy. This is the first Cinnabon product to be sold for immediate consumption outside of the brand's traditional bakery venues.
Sprinkled with a rich streusel topping, this extraordinary coffee cake is a perfect blend of the finest ingredients including the Cinnabon brand's proprietary Makara cinnamon, brown sugar, and nonfat sour cream. The product launch on Song helps meet the most common Cinnabon guest request, which is increased availability of Cinnabon products.
"Strategically speaking, Song is a perfect fit for our brand by offering a premium experience with emphasis on fun and choice," said Chris Elliott, Cinnabon president. "In our transformation from a single product to multiple premium bakery items, we are excited about partnering with dynamic companies like Song because it's a great and unique way to provide more access to the Cinnabon brand."
In addition to the breakfast offering, Cinnabon is demonstrating enthusiasm for the Song partnership by awarding a year's supply of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls to each of Song's "Song in the City" talent competition winners. Song is conducting talent competitions in five East coast cities, conducting casting calls and selecting winners to compete in June in New York City for a grand prize of $25,000. Winners will also win the honor of performing on inaugural flights in each East coast city. The first "Song in the City" competition was held April 2nd, 2003 at New York's Studio 54 nightclub.
Song is an innovative low-fare service, which will provide non-stop service between the Northeast and key Florida leisure destinations, Atlanta and Las Vegas, with 144 daily flights on 36 Boeing 757 aircraft. Song took its inaugural flights on April 15th, 2003. All Song flights are operated by Delta Air Lines.
About Cinnabon
Cinnabon is the worldwide leader in the cinnamon roll bakery category. As of November 3, 2002, the company operated and franchised 603 bakeries worldwide. The bakeries are located in 43 states, Puerto Rico and 17 other countries. Founded in Seattle, Wash., in 1985, Cinnabon bakeries are traditionally located in high-traffic venues such as shopping malls, airports, train stations and travel plazas. The bakeries typically are located in 500- to 1,500-square-foot areas. Cinnabon bakeries have built a reputation for serving fresh, aromatic, oven-hot cinnamon rolls made with premium Indonesian cinnamon and topped with sweet, rich, cream cheese-based frosting. Cinnabon had system-wide sales of approximately $205.5 million in 2001 and can be found on the World Wide Web at www.cinnabon.com.
About AFC Enterprises
AFC Enterprises, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of 4,071 restaurants, bakeries and cafes in the United States, Puerto Rico and 33 foreign countries under the brand names Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits, Church's Chicken(tm), 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 $2.7 billion in 2002 and can be found on the World Wide Web at www.afce.com.