GOLD STAR CHILI EARNS OHIO RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION GOOD NEIGHBOR AWARD

CINCINNATI, Ohio - (September 29, 2004) - Gold Star Chili has been selected by the Ohio Restaurant Association to represent Ohio as a finalist for the National Restaurant Association’s 2004 Restaurant Good Neighbor Award. Gold Star Chili’s long-standing commitment to tri-state firefighters was commended as Ohio’s top restaurant-sponsored community service program.

According to the National Restaurant Association, the award was developed to give recognition to restaurants that give willingly to their communities.  Many restaurants give money, certificates, donations of food, and donate their employee’s time to philanthropic causes and the selection process was difficult,  stated Geoff Hetrick President and CEO of the Ohio Restaurant Association.  The Ohio Restaurant Association is proud to announce that Gold Star Chili’s application has been submitted as an Ohio finalist,  continued Hetrick.

Gold Star Chili won the Ohio award for their support of fire safety initiatives in the category for multi-chain operations in a state with a large number of potential contenders.

 For more than a decade Gold Star Chili has been generously supporting the firefighters," said Bobby Smith, Cincinnati Fire Division Fire Specialist.  With Gold Star's support, we've been able to educate thousands of tri-state families on fire safety and have certainly prevented many injuries and deaths that might have otherwise occurred. 

Highlights of the Gold Star Chili Fire Fighter Partnership
Cumulatively, local Gold Star Chili restaurants work with their area fire departments on more than one-hundred of projects each year. In addition, the corporate office organizes larger regional efforts, including the following:

• Fire House of the Year, an awards program honoring the tri-state fire houses that are exceptionally dedicated to fire safety education, is sponsored and coordinated by Gold Star Chili. The annual award is presented every year in October to coincide with national fire safety month.
• Safety Fair has provided almost 25,000 school-age children with memorable lessons in fire safety and other precautions to take against other types of hazards during its nine year history. Gold Star Chili is the primary sponsor.
• Safe Summer Nights is a long-time partnership with the Cincinnati Fire Division and the American Red Cross. The object is to ensure that the city’s low income residents have operating smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Gold Star Chili contributes more than 1,500 batteries each year.
• Fire Fighter Education Night is held once a year on Kid’s Night at Gold Star Chili restaurant locations. Fire fighters from more than 60 fire houses visit 80 Gold Star Chili tri-state locations to share fire safety tips and materials with the youngest patrons.
• The Gold Star Chili ChiliFest is an annual festival benefiting the Cincinnati Fire Museum. Free admission to the Fire Museum during the weekend festival is underwritten by a financial contribution from Gold Star Chili.
• The Kentucky Fire Fighters Association counted on Gold Star Chili to provide food for its recent state conference held in Northern Kentucky.

"Gold Star Chili is a long-time supporter of fire houses throughout the tri-state, sponsoring fire safety initiatives throughout the year," stated John Sullivan, Gold Star Chili CEO and former President of the Cincinnati Fire Museum. "We’re very pleased to be recognized by the Ohio Restaurant Association for our fire safety programs," Continued Sullivan.

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Established in 1965, Gold Star Chili has more than 100 restaurants located throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana and has supported fire safety prevention and education as corporate-wide philanthropy since 1995. For more information about Gold Star Chili and its fire safety initiatives visit www.goldstarchili.com.