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New Ownership Group to Expand Five Guys in Tampa, Houston and Columbus

TAMPA, Fla.-(Business Wire)-June 18, 2008 - TCH Restaurant Group, Inc. will take its Five Guys Burgers and Fries from its current count of five stores in Tampa to a total of 86 stores in Tampa, Houston and Columbus, Ohio over the next several years.

The new franchisee parent company was formed when Bob Gries, through Gries Investment Fund, purchased a 40 percent ownership stake from Tampa franchisee Bob Dorfman, who is now chairman, president and CEO of TCH Restaurant Group.

"Five Guys has been recognized as one of the fastest growing food franchises in the country," says Dorfman. "It's extremely difficult to get franchises, much less the rights to 86 stores in three major markets, so we're pleased to be taking the lead in these markets." Dorfman, a former Marriott executive who has invested in and consulted with a number of restaurant chains, opened his first Tampa Five Guys in 2006 and will be opening the sixth on June 21, 2008.

Gries, the former owner of the Tampa Bay Storm arena football team, has a minority ownership share of the Orlando Predators. His family was a minority owner of the Cleveland Browns. Most recently he has been active in Gries Investment Fund, a collateralized lender with investments across a variety of industry sectors.

"Five Guys is one of the truly great emerging restaurant franchises in the United States," says Gries. "We saw this as a unique opportunity to invest in something that fits our criteria and offers great growth potential."

TCH will open an additional 10 Five Guys in Hillsborough County, as well as 50 in Houston and 20 in Columbus. Several stores are planned for opening in both Houston and Columbus by yearend 2008.

Dorfman also announced the first of the TCH board members, who will include former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco and Chris Lewis, former CFO and VP, Global Business Units, Jabil Circuit; as well as Gries and Dorfman.

"Five Guys is a great concept with even greater execution," says Dorfman. "Their combination of quality and service has gained them an extraordinarily loyal client base, not to mention inclusion in the Zagat Guides."

About Five Guys: Founded in Arlington, Va. in 1986, Five Guys Burgers and Fries (http://www.fiveguys.com) has sold franchises for more than 2,000 locations throughout the US. The company is known for the freshness, quality and flavor of its menu items, allowing it to attract a growing and extremely enthusiastic customer base.

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