GOLD STAR CHILI's CONEY CRATE WINS WOW!!! AWARD

CINCINNATI, Ohio - (October 21, 2004) - Gold Star Chili’s Coney Crate was awarded the 1st Place 2004 Foodservice Packaging Award in "The Wow!!! Factor" category during a special ceremony on October 20, 2004 in Atlanta, GA. This national award was presented by QSR Magazine and the Foodservice & Packaging Institute.

The Wow!!! Factor award category recognized foodservice packaging that is unique, creative and specifically designed to get consumers’ attention. Packaging that increases sales because it makes consumers say, "WOW!" The judges looked for packaging that married good physical design, great graphics, and/or technical enhancements. In a word, consumers look at the package and say, "Cool."

"This is an eye-catcher. It’s a great presentation for bulk orders and delivers a customer ‘wow’ with the ability to carry a larger order in one hand," wrote the panel of judges. "It’s also impressive that the packaging helped turn an annual promotion into a permanent menu item. The Coney Crate picture on the Gold Star Chili menu has some wow-factor itself, likely sparking impulse purchases."

Starting in 2002, Gold Star Chili began developing and testing unique packaging for its 10-Pack Coney promotion that would allow customers to easily carry-out 10 Cheese Coneys using only one hand. The Coney Crate was introduced in January 2003 to rave customer reviews. The long, suitcase style container was custom designed to fit 10 Cheese Coneys side-by-side and uses a handle for convenient carrying. The container was tested to ensure it maintained product quality and temperature in transit. Striking graphics were added to the container to promote Gold Star’s brand identity and create an attention getting promotional tool.

Gold Star Chili CEO, John Sullivan and Operations Director, Mike Mason accepted the award at a special ceremony in Atlanta, GA.

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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.