Mar 22, 2005 13:53 America/Denver
Checkers(R)/Rally's(R) Adds Franchisee Award to Its Growing List of
Wins
Double Drive-Thru Chain's Franchisee Named NRN's Franchisee
Entrepreneur of the Year
TAMPA, Fla., March 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Checkers Drive-In
Restaurants, Inc., NASDAQ:CHKR) , the nation's largest double
drive-thru chain and winner of Nation's restaurant News' 2005 Hot!
Again award, today announced that it has won another NRN award --
this time on the franchise side of the business.
Checkers(R)/Rally's(R) Franchisee, National Restaurant Development,
Inc., has been named NRN's Franchisee Entrepreneur of the Year in
recognition of its development activities and operational excellence
across multiple franchise brands. The award was presented yesterday
to Aziz Hashim, CEO of National Restaurant Development, at the
Restaurant Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"I have been extremely pleased with the performance of both our
Checkers and Rally's locations across all of our markets, and I see
tremendous potential for the brands. Our sales performance and
traffic counts prove that Checkers/Rally's double drive-thru concept
is uniquely suited for today's 'on- the-go' consumer," said Mr.
Hashim. "I am proud to be recognized by NRN for our entrepreneurial
accomplishments, and I'm excited about the opportunity to own and
operate additional Checkers/Rally's locations to further penetrate
our markets."
In 2003, National Restaurant Development, Inc. joined the
Checkers/Rally's team by acquiring more than 20 locations across the
country. Today, Mr. Hashim has quickly expanded his company by
acquiring an additional 12 locations in 2004 and has plans to build
another 20 new stores over the next five years in such markets as
Atlanta, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; and
Nashville, Tennessee.
In addition to his rapid growth, Mr. Hashim's Checkers/Rally's
locations are thriving due to his commitment to excellence in
recruiting, staff training, implementation of new business-building
technologies, and utilization of both regional and local marketing.
"I am pleased to congratulate Mr. Hashim for his successes as a
Checkers/Rally's franchisee and for receiving this well deserved
honor," said Keith E. Sirois, President and CEO of Checkers Drive-In
Restaurants, Inc. "Mr. Hashim has been a great contributor to Checkers/Rally's in the short time that he has been a franchisee,
and in recognition of his efforts, we have recently appointed him to
our Franchise Advisory Council. I look forward to working with him
to develop the future of our brand together."
The Nation's Restaurant News' Franchise Excellence Awards are
sponsored by PepsiCo Foodservice and in partnership with the
Restaurant Leadership Conference.
About Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. ( http://www.checkers.com/ ) is
the largest double drive-thru restaurant chain in the United States.
The Company develops, produces, owns, operates and franchises quick
service "double drive- thru" restaurants.
About National Restaurant Development, Inc.
National Restaurant Development, Inc. and its affiliated companies
presently develop, own and operate several quick-service restaurant
brands, including Checkers/Rally's, Subway, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza
Hut Express and Long John Silvers.
Except for historical information, this announcement contains "forward- looking" and "Safe Harbor" statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section
21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
CONTACT: Kim Francis
MARC Public Relations
412-562-1186
Source: Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.
CONTACT: Kim Francis, MARC Public Relations, +1-412-562-1186, for
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.
Web site: http://www.checkers.com/
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