Papa Gino's Rolls out Rustic Pizza Throughout All Restaurants; Rustic Pizza Provides Papa Gino's with a New Unexpected Pizza Offering.

DEDHAM, Mass. -- Papa Gino's, New England's leading quick-service pizza chain, today introduced the Rustic Pizza, a new bold, crispy pizza that provides guests with a more grown-up alternative to its signature thin crust pizza. The Rustic Pizza is the first new pizza line added since 1999 and has a completely different look from Papa Gino's traditional thin-crust pizza.

The Rustic Pizza is larger and thinner than Papa Gino's traditional slices and is cut into 12 square slices. The Rustic is a bold-tasting pizza with an extra thin crust, unique cheese blend that includes Asiago and a sprinkling of Romano on its edge. This European-inspired pizza is hand-stretched into a free-form shape, and baked longer than Papa Gino's traditional cheese pizza. The cheese bubbles are left intact throughout the cooking process. The Rustic Pizza comes in one size and the cheese version retails for $11.99. All Papa Gino's great toppings are available for an additional price. Papa Gino's will also unveil a new, larger pizza box to house the Rustic Pizza.

In a limited rollout last fall, the Rustic Pizza had overwhelming success, with more than 270,000 pizzas sold in a 12-week market test in the Providence area. In independent market research, the Rustic Pizza appealed to guests looking for exotic, unique, sophisticated tastes, and also satisfied the company's core family audience - creating a perfect balance for parents and children alike. In addition, the majority of taste-testers agreed that Rustic Pizza was better than their present favorite pizza.

"Our market research noted that the Rustic Pizza appealed to our current guests, families, and also attracted customers that prefer unique, bolder pizza options," said Michael McManama, VP of Marketing, Research & Development. "The Rustic Pizza is a high-quality pizza with a distinctive taste that will expand our current customer base and satisfy our guests that are looking for more exotic tastes."

Papa Gino's will host a free Rustic Pizza slice night on Wednesday, May 24 from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. at all Papa Gino's restaurants. In addition, Papa Gino's will also donate a portion of Rustic Pizza sales that day to Easter Seals and The Genesis Fund programs. Papa Gino's and D'Angelo also donate money each year to these charities through the company's coupon book program, which takes place each May. To date, Papa Gino's Holdings Corp. has donated more than $3 million to these charities.

Papa Gino's will offer a free small cheese pizza with every Rustic Pizza purchase through June 25, 2006.

About Papa Gino's

Papa Gino's was founded in 1961 as a single East Boston pizza shop that became known throughout Boston as the place to go for pizza of superior quality and unique flavor, authentic Italian dishes, and a friendly, family atmosphere. Today, you can get Papa's signature quality and unique flavor at nearly 170 Papa Gino's Restaurants throughout New England that offer a full line of subs, salads, and other Italian specialties to complement its classic pizza.

Papa Gino's Holdings Corporation, Inc. is committed to building upon the legacy of the principles and values of Papa Gino's founders, the Valerio family, by providing high-quality products, attentive service, clean, convenient, attractive restaurants, and a premium value experience for every guest. The company culture, which is characterized by its values, a strong work ethic and the fair treatment of people, includes a large number of people who have spent their entire working lives in these restaurants, keeping the passion for excellence alive.