April 22, 2008 16:22 ET

Spicy Pickle™ Announces First Two Michigan Leases

First Two of Ten Locations Scheduled to Open This Summer in Kalamazoo and Portage

DENVER, CO--(Marketwire - April 22, 2008) - Spicy Pickle™ fast casual restaurants (OTCBB: SPKL) announced today its Michigan franchisee has signed leases for the first two Spicy Pickle™ restaurants of a ten restaurant commitment in their area.

The first restaurant will be located in Portage, MI in the Woodbridge Shopping Center at 3774 W. Centre Ave. The second restaurant will be located at 4500 W. Main St., Kalamazoo, MI in a space formerly occupied by a pizza concept.

Marc Geman, CEO of Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc., commented: "We knew that our developer in Michigan had the infrastructure in place to move forward quickly. They have been in the area for a long time and successfully operated other concepts. Therefore, they know the real estate market and already have the operations and marketing to expand quickly.

"The two restaurants should open this summer. One was formally occupied by another restaurant concept and will have some of the tenant improvement in place that is needed. The other will be a typical build-out. Terry Henderson and Tiffany Cornelius are very experienced franchisees and we have every confidence that these first two of ten restaurants will be very successful.

"We continue to be able to find good locations and open restaurants even in this tough economy. Our current slate of experienced multi-unit developers will continue to pursue their business interests in good times and bad. We will be able to continue to open restaurants which will help promote the brand and attract new multi-unit developers."

About Spicy Pickle™:

Founded in 1999, Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. (OTCBB: SPKL) 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 and sub sandwiches with flavors from around the world. As a leading "fast-casual" concept, Spicy Pickle™ offers menu items that are far beyond traditional fast food -- but without the price point of casual dining. The hallmark of a Spicy Pickle™ restaurant is quality, service and an enjoyable atmosphere. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with restaurants open or under construction across 16 states and many more in development nationwide. To find out more about Spicy Pickle (OTCBB: SPKL), visit our website at www.spicypickle.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the number of restaurants we intend to open, are forward-looking statements. We use words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "should," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "predict," "project," "target," and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions, to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date any such statements are made and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: factors that could affect our ability to achieve and manage our planned expansion, such as the availability of a sufficient number of suitable new restaurant sites and the availability of qualified franchisees and employees; risks relating to our expansion into new markets; the risk of food-borne illnesses and other health concerns about our food products; changes in the availability and costs of food; changes in consumer preferences, general economic conditions or consumer discretionary spending; the impact of federal, state or local government regulations relating to our franchisees and employees, and the sale of food or alcoholic beverages; the impact of litigation; our ability to protect our name and logo and other proprietary information; the potential effects of inclement weather; the effect of competition in the restaurant industry; and other risk factors described from time to time in our SEC reports.