T.G.I. Friday's(R) Restaurants Recognize 'Give Me More Stripes(R)' Members With Free Snack Bag of Potato Skins Chips During Lunc

Friday's(R) Restaurants Continue to Implement Only Nationwide In-Restaurant Guest Recognition Program of Its Kind; Membership now exceeds 450,000 


CARROLLTON, Texas, Oct. 6  /PRNewswire/ -- With membership in its Give Me More Stripes (http://www.givememorestripes.com/) guest recognition program nearing half a million, T.G.I. Friday's restaurants (http://www.fridays.com/) today added another free food component to the program at participating restaurants while supplies last: a free snack bag of Cheddar and Bacon Potato Skins chips during lunch. 

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"The response to the 'Give Me More Stripes' program continues to be overwhelming, with over 450,000 of our best guests now receiving special recognition at T.G.I. Friday's," said Andrew Jordan, senior vice president of marketing for T.G.I. Friday's USA. "We will now recognize those members with a special takeaway treat during lunch and we will continue to explore other ways to elevate the T.G.I. Friday's in-restaurant experience."

The free snack bag of potato skins chips will be given to Give Me More Stripes members between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The new perk for program members follows a members-only free food initiative this summer where members were surprised in-restaurant with complimentary chips and dip and hummus and chips.

According to a recent survey (1) conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of T.G.I. Friday's restaurants, nearly nine in ten (87%) of U.S. adults said they would find membership in a restaurant recognition or rewards program appealing. Of those adults, nearly eight in ten (79%) would find complimentary food/drink an appealing feature in a restaurant recognition and rewards program membership.

"Leaders listen," continued Jordan. "We'll continue to take the traditional loyalty program to another level through guest recognition. Give Me More Stripes will continue to evolve according to guest feedback and individuals' preferences."

  Current Give Me More Stripes benefits include:
  -- Personalized & customized membership card
  -- Free appetizer or dessert upon sign-up (up to $8 value)
  -- One-time use jump-the-line-pass
  -- $8 certificate for every $100 spent (excluding alcohol)
  -- Exclusive communication about specials and food/drink previews




T.G.I. Friday's Cheddar & Bacon Skins, the #1 selling product in the T.G.I. Friday's retail line of salty snacks, are manufactured by The Inventure Group (NASDAQ:SNAK). They feature tasty potatoes and real potato skins and can be found in the potato chip aisle of local grocery, convenience and drug stores in addition to vending machines.

Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., the parent company of T.G.I. Friday's Inc., is a privately held company owned by Minneapolis-based Carlson, a world leader in the hospitality, travel and marketing industries. As of October 2008, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide owns, operates, franchises or licenses more than 1,000 restaurants in 60 countries. For more information, visit http://www.fridays.com/.

The Inventure Group, based in Phoenix, Arizona, The Inventure Group is a marketer and manufacturer of Intensely Different(TM) consumer brands in indulgent and better-for-you food categories such as salted snacks and frozen fruit under a variety of company owned or licensed brand names, including T.G.I. Friday's(R), Rader Farms(R), Boulder Canyon Natural Foods(TM), Poore Brothers(R), Tato Skins(R) and Bob's Texas Style(R). The company has manufacturing locations in Arizona, Indiana and Washington.

(1) About the Survey

This Restaurant Loyalty Program study was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of T.G.I. Friday's between April 10 and April 14, 2008 among 2,511 U.S. adults ages 18+. For complete methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Derek Farley, DFPR, for T.G.I. Friday's. 

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http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060907/DATH025LOGO

http://photoarchive.ap.org/

DATASOURCE: T.G.I. Friday's Restaurants



CONTACT:  Derek Farley of DFPR, [phone], , for

T.G.I. Friday's Restaurants



Web site: http://www.fridays.com/ 

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