Carolinas Noodling to Get More Mama Fu's; Restaurant Veterans Hungry to Bring the Pan Asian Concept to North Carolina and South Carolina.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 2004

Mama Fu's Noodle House, a Raving Brands concept that is quickly becoming the fastest growing fast casual noodle concept in the country, has signed a few restaurant pros to open 10 Mama Fu's in North Carolina and three in South Carolina, specifically Charleston, Charlotte and Raleigh.

"The Carolinas have been good to our Moe's brand. We anticipate Mama Fu's to be a big hit," explains Darin Kraetsch, EVP, Mama Fu's. "We believe Pan-Asian will play very well in these communities where food is a local passion. Our concept is particularly appealing because it goes well beyond the `typical' noodle house concept by incorporating five distinct, but complementary ethnicities."

Mama Fu's made its debut in Charleston in mid-December and drew the interest of several other franchisees in neighboring cities. Cary Chastain, who put a stake in the ground first, plans to open an additional two Mama Fu's in Charleston. To the north of his restaurants will be four additional Mama Fu's led by restaurant pro, Hugh Bigham, President of Golden B Enterprises which operates 13 Burger Kings. Bob Peterson, an 18-year veteran of the restaurant industry and owner of Desmar Management Services Corporation, plans to expand their growing restaurant portfolio by adding three Mama Fu's locations in Raleigh. Nick Smith opened one in Charlotte in mid-January and plans to bring two additional locations to the Charlotte market. John White, a Moe's Southwest Grill franchisee, will add three Mama Fu's restaurants in North Carolina.

Since opening in Atlanta in June, Mama Fu's has signed approximately 175 franchises, more than any reported in the category. It anticipates having 50 opened in 2004. Mama Fu's offerings are comprised of Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Menu items include the Chicken Lettuce Wrap, a flavorful chicken wrap with shitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, scallions and garlic served with crisp lettuce cups, and the Ahi Tuna Salad, a spinach salad with seared Ahi Tuna, red onions, cucumbers, red bell peppers and ginger in raspberry vinaigrette with ponzu dipping sauce. Additional popular menu items include, Pad Thai Noodle Bowl, Spicy General Fu, and Red Thai Curry.

The eclectic, high-energy atmosphere of Mama Fu's is family- friendly, with an average entree price of $6.99. Mama Fu's also offers a $3.49 kids menu including Noodle Bob, a Teriyaki chicken entree with egg noodles and a treat. Authentic Wok-cooking is a standard and none of the menu items contain MSG. Mama Fu's also features a variety of red and white wines and a mix of Asian and American beers.

About Mama Fu's Noodle House

Mama Fu's is a Pan-Asian restaurant that offers innovative Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Chinese and Japanese food selections. It is part of the Atlanta-based Raving Brands restaurant portfolio of fun, healthy, fresh and affordable restaurant concepts, which includes the successful Moe's Southwest Grill, Planet Smoothie and New Orleans-based PJ's Coffee. Martin Sprock, founder of Planet Smoothie and Moe's Southwest Grill, launched the Mama Fu's concept in June 2003. Mama Fu's currently has commitments for 175 restaurants throughout the United States.