Spicy Pickle Opens Second Michigan Restaurant

Purveyor of Culinary-Inspired Panini, Salads and Subs Offers “150,000 Combinations, Made One At A Time” in Restaurants with Casual, Neighborhood Feel

PORTAGE, MI — Jan. 5, 2009 — Spicy Pickle™ fast casual restaurants announced today that it will be opening its second location in Kalamazoo, MI on Jan. 12, 2009. Spicy Pickle is nationally recognized for its signature panini and subs, served on handcrafted artisan breads , fresh salads and Neapolitan-style, thin crust pizzetti pizzas, all featuring natural ingredients.

Spicy Pickle restaurants are at the forefront of today’s fast casual dining trend, combining unique and innovative lunch and dinner items with prices that are below that of typical casual restaurants. Enter a Spicy Pickle restaurant and you’ll feel immediately at home. Warm colors, a modern décor, and a contemporary “deli shop” atmosphere only add to the appeal of the chain’s main event – its excitingly different, chef-inspired menu.

“Spicy Pickle is all about uncompromising quality and service, plus healthy, premium ingredients,” said Spicy Pickle co-founder and head “foodie” Kevin Morrison. “We start with fine artisan focaccia and ciabatta breads baked fresh daily, then add meats like our roast beef, capocolla, mortadella, or Sausalito turkey, just to name a few. And of course, each entrée is served with our signature spicy pickle, aged in a homemade brine of chilies and our secret blend of spices to give it just the right kick.”

Guests can choose from an array of culinary sandwich creations developed by Spicy Pickle chefs, or they can elect to build their own masterpiece from twelve different meats, eight cheeses, twenty-two toppings and fourteen exclusive spreads prepared fresh daily. As it states on Spicy Pickle t-shirts, “Go for it. Our kitchen is your culinary playground.”

Another signature item on the Spicy Pickle menu is its pizzetti (pizz-ET-ee)—individual 11-inch Neapolitan thin-crust pizzas. Available in eight varieties, pizzetti are topped with enticing and unusual ingredients like Sopressata sausage, capocolla, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and chipotle pesto as well as traditional favorites like pepperoni, mozzarella and green peppers.

Fresh salads round out the restaurant’s entrée selection. Try the spinach salad—a mouth-watering mix of spinach, fresh apples, walnuts and crumbled bleu cheese served with apple cider vinaigrette—or the Spicy Pickle tuna, featuring romaine lettuce and tuna mixed with chipotle mayo, spicy pickle relish, tomatoes and kalamata olives, dressed in a lemon-olive oil vinaigrette. Four other creative salads, as well as soups and the world’s best spicy pickle, complete the lineup.

“A Spicy Pickle is unlike any sandwich shop you’ve been to before,” noted Tiffany Cornelius, owner of the two restaurants. “You’ll find lunch and dinner offerings you could never make at home, at prices that are a great value. Spicy Pickle is a great way to treat yourself, quickly and at a price that will keep you coming back.”
The Spicy Pickle restaurant chain is currently comprised of 41 restaurants in 14 states, from California to Texas and Virginia. The chain, which opened in 1999, is the product of a partnership between Kevin Morrison and Tony Walker; both were chefs at the renowned Barolo Grill in Denver.

“The Spicy Pickle concept began when were talking about the appeal of a sandwich shop that stayed true to great food, but with a friendly neighborhood feel,” Walker recalled. “Since we’re both food guys, quality is number one to us. The day we opened our first location in Denver, people began lining up to try our wide variety of menu choices and they’ve been coming ever since.”
In addition to their in-store selections, Spicy Pickle restaurants offer a complete catering menu. .

For more information about Spicy Pickle, log on to HYPERLINK "http://www.spicypickle.com" www.spicypickle.com.

About Spicy Pickle:
Founded in 1999, Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc serves high quality meats and fine artisan breads, baked fresh daily, along with a wide choice of eight different cheeses, twenty-two different toppings, and fourteen proprietary spreads to create healthy and delicious panini