America's Favorite Food Now Well in Hand; Hot Stuff Foods Introduces Palm Pizza for People on the Go.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Today's active lifestyles can often mean making sacrifices when it comes to eating and enjoying what Americans eat. Not anymore. America's passion for their favorite food, pizza, has always been tethered to a table and two hands because the eatability quotient was always low.

Hot Stuff Foods(R) today introduces the launch of the Palm Pizza(TM) designed for people who love pizza and aren't willing to let time and ergonomics dictate their choice in foods. The announcement also gives non-traditional food retailers a bigger slice of the pizza market pie.

Hot Stuff Foods, the first convenience store concept food company to crack the fast food Top 50, used its innovative food engineering to create a fresh baked pizza that can be eaten on the run and still have pizzeria-style taste.

"The lifestyles of consumers today are requiring extra assistance with ease of eating on the go," said Des Hague, CEO and President of Hot Stuff Foods. "Our goal was to integrate the great taste of a pizzeria-style pizza in a smart portable shape, without the mess. Hot Stuff has pledged to move away from mundane c-store food and, instead, provide consumers with offerings that keep them coming back for more."

Given the fact that Americans consume 100 acres of pizza a day, or one slice of pizza every second, coupled with the fact that Americans lead very hectic lifestyles, the Hot Stuff Palm Pizza is a perfect match for a nation on the go. In fact, research conducted for Hot Stuff concluded that nearly 80% of those who ate a Palm Pizza for the first time ranked it as "very easy to handle."

For a nation on the go, what, where, when and how they eat is based largely on cost and convenience. According to the NPD Group, the number of meals eaten in a restaurant annually has decreased and the number of meals purchased at a restaurant and taken out has increased. Not surprisingly, stovetops are used 18% less today than in 1985.

"Considering that we are the fifth largest pizza franchise in the world and the only convenience store food concept to join McDonald's and Subway in the rankings of top fast food franchises, we were the logical company to have this type of breakthrough in matching America's love for pizza and fitting their busy lifestyles," said Hague.

Portability Equals Profitability

The Palm Pizza utilizes Hot Stuff's signature technologies and on-the-go food innovations to create the first fresh baked pizza created to be eaten on the run.

Palm Pizzas can be baked in a variety of ovens, including those that use rapid cook technology, as opposed to pizza products that are microwaved.

In addition to the cooking technology, the product formulation developed by Hot Stuff allows Palm Pizzas to hold longer without any affect on quality or taste, perfect for grab-n-go availability.

"The additional shelf life translates into extra cash for our franchisees because the pizzas will remain fresh for a longer period, eliminating wasted product," added Hague.

Hot Stuff has also used innovation to design a smaller footprint, or a more streamlined retail kiosk, giving retailers an opportunity to become a Hot Stuff franchisee for a smaller investment and providing more space for other sales.

"In store sales at c-stores, for example, are critical for owners and are increasing in large part because of fast foods," added Hague. "Last year, sales zoomed up 13.3% making it a record 15.2 billion dollar industry. In fact, the nation's top quartile of c-stores are experiencing three times the normal operating profit due largely, in part, to foodservice."

By focusing on quality, freshness and innovation, Hot Stuff has carved out a clear leadership position for their family of branded products across all dayparts. From the breakfast XXL Taquitos and Cinnobabies to the XXL Stufferz, Hot Stuff is keeping up with consumer lifestyles and meeting the demands for people on the go with great products.

To find the nearest Hot Stuff Foods store or to view a webcast from Hague about the Palm Pizza, go to the company's website, www.hotstufffoods.com.

About Hot Stuff Foods

Hot Stuff Foods, formerly Orion Food Systems, Inc. was founded in 1983 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA, with the goal of offering high-quality food products to the "time-conscious" consumer. Today, Hot Stuff Foods franchises and/or licenses its branded food concepts in more than 1,600 locations throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Hot Stuff Foods offers a number of individual and bundled brands in various categories, including Hot Stuff Pizza(R), Hot Stuff Food On the Go(R), Hot Stuff Food Xpress(R), Smash Hit Subs(R), Summit Subs(TM), C-Street Bakery(R), Mean Gene's Burgers(R), Mean Gene's Pizza, Stone Willy's Pizza(R), Eddie Pepper's(TM), Asian Creations(TM), Nap Hendrix's Southern Grill(TM) and Caffe Origins Coffee(TM).