11 Locations Participating in Sept. 21-28 Event Presented by American Express DENVER, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc., a chain of fast-casual sandwich restaurants, is doing its part to ensure that no child in America grows up hungry. Eleven Spicy Pickle restaurants in three states are joining Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out(TM) presented by American Express, a new annual event designed to combat childhood hunger by rallying the restaurant community to raise money for the cause during a weeklong campaign from September 21-28. Participating restaurants can contribute in a variety of ways, including donating a percentage of sales during the week, promoting a new menu item, collecting donations from guests and/or employees and more. Spicy Pickle is donating 5% of the week's sales to the program. "One in every six children in America suffers from uncertain access to the healthy, nutritious foods they need to avoid the lifelong and devastating consequences of hunger," said Billy Shore, founder of Share Our Strength. "We are in striking distance of ending childhood hunger by institutionalizing what we know has worked, and by joining forces together we can make this vision a reality." "We knew we wanted to participate in this campaign as soon as we heard about it. It's an important cause, and the collective power of the restaurant industry can make a real difference in turning the tide," said Marilyn Davenport, Spicy Pickle Vice President of Marketing. "This is a creative and productive way to address a critical social problem, and we encourage every restaurant in the country to rally behind it." Eight corporate and three franchised Spicy Pickle restaurants are participating, including eight in Colorado (two in Denver, two in Fort Collins, and one each in Aurora, Centennial, Federal Heights and Greenwood Village), two in Nevada (Reno and Sparks) and one in Illinois (Chicago). Thousands of additional restaurants are also participating, and the Great American Dine Out is endorsed by many of the country's top chefs including Chefs Thomas Keller, Mary Sue Milliken and Tom Collichio and industry executives Danny Meyer, Phil Friedman, Sally Smith and Wally Doolin. Food Network Star and host of the hit TV series Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy Fieri, has stepped up to serve as the national spokesperson. The Great American Dine Out is presented by American Express. Founding national sponsors are SYSCO Corporation, San Pellegrino, Acqua Panna, and Ecolab. Founding national partners are Food Network, etools, National Restaurant Association, Nation's Restaurant News and OpenTable. Founding promotional partners are Fishbowl Marketing, The People Report and the Elliot Group. For more information about Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out, please visit http://www.greatamericandineout.org/ or contact Jessie Sherrer at or 202.478.6505. About Spicy Pickle Founded in 1999, Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. (OTC:SPKL) (BULLETIN BOARD: SPKL) serves panini and sub sandwiches made from high quality meats and fresh-baked-daily artisan breads, along with a choice of eight cheeses, 22 toppings, and 14 proprietary spreads featuring flavors from around the world. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with restaurants open of under construction in 16 states and many more in development nationwide. To find out more about Spicy Pickle, visit the company website at http://www.spicypickle.com/ About Share Our Strength Share Our Strength(R) is a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. The organization weaves together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger, and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn and play. The organization works with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation(R), Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale(R), Share Our Strength's A Tasteful Pursuit(R), Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out(TM), and Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline(R). For more information, please visit http://www.strength.org/. DATASOURCE: Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. CONTACT: Rob Weiss of S&S Public Relations, +1-847-415-9300, , for Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. Web site: http://www.spicypickle.com/ http://www.strength.org/

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