Briazz, Inc. To Open Two New Cafes in California; Company on Target with Store Openings.

Business Editors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2002

Briazz, Inc. (Nasdaq:BRZZ) today announced that it plans to open two new cafes in California over the next few weeks.

The new cafes will be located at 301 Howard in San Francisco and at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, and will bring the total number of Briazz cafes to 45 across four major metropolitan markets. The additional cafes will bring to total three out of five cafes scheduled to open during the first half of 2002. Both new locations will feature an ambient display of hot food items and the new Piadina sandwich-- a delicious, toasted flatbread sandwich stuffed with meats, cheeses, vegetables and fresh salad.

"The next two cafes that we are scheduled to open bring us closer to our goal of introducing five new Briazz cafes during the first half of 2002. In addition, these new cafes will feature our new, savory, hot sandwiches and expanded hot food offerings, which have proven to be extremely popular with our customers," said Victor Alhadeff, CEO and chairman of Briazz. "All the new locations we will open this year meet our strategic real estate strategy of serving as an amenity within a highly populated office building or complex. We remain optimistic as we continue to prudently open new cafes, serve more customers, and move the company closer to profitability."

Briazz recently announced the opening of a new cafe in Southern California, a 1,525 square foot cafe in the Wells Fargo Building at 2030 Main in Orange County. The cafe is the only food amenity in two large buildings and serves several nearby office buildings, representing a total of approximately 5,000 office workers.

Briazz currently operates 43 cafes in major metropolitan centers and downtown retail corridors in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. Briazz offers busy office workers a wide variety of exciting menu options from salads and traditional sandwiches to hot soups, handmade panini sandwiches and hot subs. Prices are affordable to fit a variety of budgets, and the menu is updated seasonally.

About Briazz

With its first cafe opened in Seattle in 1995, Briazz now operates 43 cafes near heavy concentrations of office buildings in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Providing gourmet foods to on-the-go consumers through company-operated cafes, box lunch delivery, corporate accounts and selected wholesale accounts, Briazz features high quality, high taste sandwiches, soups and salads as well as bagels, fruit and coffee.

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include comments regarding the ability and anticipated timing for the company to achieve positive cash flow and projections regarding future sales, store openings, office occupancy, results or success of particular segments or undertakings and the future rate of growth of Briazz. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Important factors currently known to management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, without limitation, fluctuation of the company's operating results, the ability to compete successfully, office occupancy, the ability of the company to maintain current cafe locations and secure new ones, food and labor costs, operation in only four geographic areas and reliance upon distributors and wholesale customers. For additional factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements, please see the "Risk Factors" described in Exhibit 99.1 to the company's year-end Report on Form 10-K, filed on April 1, 2002, and in other filings on file with the SEC, which Risk Factors are incorporated herein as though fully set forth. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results.