Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip and Planet Smoothie Enter Co-Branding Agreement; Ice Cream to the Left, Smoothies to the Right

Business Wire, Jan 19, 2006

ATLANTA -- Planet Smoothie, one of the country's most sought after smoothie concepts and an Entrepreneur Magazine top-ranked franchise, has signed an agreement with Crest Foods Inc. dba Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip, a recently ranked Entrepreneur Magazine franchise, to begin co-branding the Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip and Planet Smoothie brands. The deal offers existing and new franchisees an opportunity to offer a more dynamic array of products, an increased revenue potential with minimal additional financial costs, in more varied real estate environments.

Rich in brand history, the Toll House idea was started in 1930 when Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield purchased a Toll House in Massachusetts. Mrs. Wakefield became recognized throughout New England for her baked goods and one day experimented with Nestle(R) Semi-Sweet Chocolate to create the Toll House Cookie which became one of the many delectable chocolate desserts made by Nestle, the world's largest food company.

"This co-branding agreement is good for the consumer and good for the franchisee," explains Doyle Liesenfelt, President, Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip. "Each of our brands has always focused on the importance of taste and delivering the very best products and consumer experience. The brand loyalty we each share with our customer bases should prove beneficial to our new franchisees."

The co-branded concept will be operated by one franchisee with two integrated, but distinctly branded areas. Planet Smoothie will feature a full menu of smoothies and healthy snacks, while Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip will feature 20-30 ice cream flavors and full baked goods.

"We are looking forward to spirited growth as a result of aligning with a household brand," explains Chris Morocco, Executive Partner, Raving Brands/Planet Smoothie. "We have successfully retrofitted an existing concept in one of Atlanta's premier malls, Phipps Plaza, and we anticipate having four more deals in Q1 with existing Planet Smoothie franchisees. We are predicting a lift no less than 50 percent in revenue potential with a one-time initial build-out increase of 25 percent. It's a very dynamic proposition that places our smoothie concept in an emerging leadership position."

About Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip

Crest Foods Inc., dba Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip based in Plano, Texas, is a premiere dessert cafe restaurant company. The company currently has 64 cafes open in the United States. Bringing classic and familiar desserts and coffee to consumers, the Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip concept offers Nestle Toll House cookies, brownies, muffins, Nescafe gourmet coffee drinks, and Edy's/Dreyer's brand ice cream. The versatile concept has kiosk, in-line mall and street cafe locations. The company opened the first Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip in 2000. Aggressive and continued growth is scheduled for 2006 including expansion in the United States and Puerto Rico. Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip has been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the top 500 franchises. For more information please visit www.nestlecafe.com

About Planet Smoothie

Founded in 1995 in Atlanta by highly successful quick casual entrepreneur Martin Sprock, Planet Smoothie operates 138 units in 20 states. Planet Smoothie is the original smoothie concept featuring fresh fruit smoothies infused with vitamins and nutrients in five categories: Booster Blast, Fat Burner Blast, Wellness, Workout and Cool Blends. Planet Smoothie is part of Atlanta-based Raving Brands franchise portfolio, which includes Moe's Southwest Grill, Mama Fu's Asian House, PJ's Coffee/PJ's Coffee and Wine Bar, Shane's Rib Shack and Doc Green's Gourmet Salads. For more information on Planet Smoothie, visit www.planetsmoothie.com.