CONTACT: Alisha dos Santos
Communications Manager
Front Burner Brands
813-849-2110
adossantos@frontburnerbrands.com

Front Burner Brands Keeps Community Commitment at the Forefront
Restaurant management company gives back through multiple initiatives

TAMPA, Fla. – (Sept. 6, 2012) – Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company affiliated with The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., Burger 21 and GrillSmith and headquartered in Tampa, Fla., is making ongoing support of the community a priority.

“Family and belonging is a vital company principle at Front Burner Brands,” said Bob Johnston, CEO of Front Burner Brands. “This principle guides us not just to care for our team members but for our community as well.”

Team members at the Front Burner Brands Restaurant Support Center recently donated more than 1,000 school supplies to Tampa’s Metropolitan Ministries, which serves homeless and at-risk individuals in Tampa Bay. The company has also worked with Metropolitan Ministries to provide jobs for residents who have graduated from the organization’s culinary training program.

This summer, Front Burner Brands also supported U.S. military troops, shipping supplies to members of the 82^nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army serving in Afghanistan alongside the brother of a Front Burner Brands team member. Company-owned restaurants of Front Burner Brands affiliate concept The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. in the Tampa Bay area also supported this initiative, holding a summer supply drive that collected more than 250 quart-sized bags of items ranging from personal hygiene products to ramen noodles and candy to ship to the troops serving in Afghanistan.

Through its extensive family of restaurants, Front Burner Brands’ commitment to the community makes a significant impact across the country. The Melting Pot, Front Burner Brands’ flagship concept and the world’s largest fondue restaurant franchise, supports St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as its national charity partner and has raised more than $6 million for the hospital since the partnership began in 2003.

The Melting Pot is currently seeking sponsors and players for the third annual Melting Pot Golf Classic to benefit St. Jude to be held on Nov. 5 at Emerald Greens Golf Resort & Country Club in Tampa. The 2011 golf tournament raised close to $45,000 for St. Jude. The Melting Pot’s goal is to raise $100,000 for St. Jude through sponsorships and players in the 2012 event.

A strong commitment to the community is engrained in the culture of Front Burner Brands newest concept, Burger 21. Each location of the “beyond the better burger” franchise donates 10 percent of store proceeds to a local charity on the 21st of each month. The charitable recipient changes every month and helps to create a connection between the community and its local Burger 21 restaurant and team members.

Additionally, Front Burner Brands affiliate concept GrillSmith, a refined-casual, chef-inspired restaurant concept that specializes in innovative and creative interpretations of classic American dishes with six locations in the Tampa Bay area, is committed to providing genuine hospitality to guests and giving back to the local community. Key charitable initiatives include sponsorship of the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in the Tampa Bay area each spring and an annual scholarship drive for the Calyx and Beau Schenecker Memorial Fund.

For more information about Front Burner Brands or its affiliated concepts, please visit http://www.frontburnerbrands.com.

About Front Burner Brands

Front Burner Brands (formerly known as TGS Restaurant Management) is a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla. It is affiliated with the corporate owners of and its management services extended to The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., founded in 1975 with more than 140 locations in North America and more than 15 locations currently in development, Burger 21 with three locations open in Tampa Bay and seven in development in Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta and Voorhees, N.J., GrillSmith with six locations in the Tampa Bay area and other new franchise concepts in development. For more information, visit http://www.frontburnerbrands.com.

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CONTACT: Sandy D’Elosua
National Director of Communications
Front Burner Brands
813-425-6217
sdelosua@frontburnerbrands.com

The Melting Pot Restaurants’ Executives Launch Front Burner Brands

New restaurant management company houses The Melting Pot, Burger 21 and GrillSmith

TAMPA, Fla. – (Sept. 12, 2011) – Top executives for The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., Burger 21 and GrillSmith announce the official launch of Front Burner Brands (http://www.frontburnerbrands.com), a restaurant management company (formerly known as TGS Restaurant Management) headquartered in Tampa, Fla.

“Front Burner Brands allows us to provide structure and streamline a lot of our efforts across brands,” said Front Burner Brands CEO Bob Johnston.  “By establishing this management organization, we can now create efficiencies with operations, purchasing and distribution, marketing, communications, training and other disciplines that ultimately provide better support for the field.”

The development of Front Burner Brands also represents a restructuring of the organization:

• Bob Johnston, former president and COO of The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., has transitioned into the role of CEO of Front Burner Brands.
• Mark Johnston, former CEO of The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., has been named chief concept officer of Front Burner Brands and CEO and president of Burger 21.
• Mike Lester, former senior vice president of operations for The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., has been promoted to president of The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc.
• Billy Grimm, former vice president of emerging brands, has been named president of GrillSmith.
• Cindy Haynes has transitioned from senior vice president of marketing for The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. to senior vice president of marketing for Front Burner Brands.
• Scott Pierce has transitioned from senior vice president of finance for The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. to senior vice president of finance for Front Burner Brands.
• Terri Furr Hoskins has joined Front Burner Brands as vice president of People.
• Dan Stone, former director of franchise development for The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. has been promoted to vice president of franchise development for Front Burner Brands.
• Jim Sullivan has joined Front Burner Brands as vice president of real estate.
• Shane Schaibly, former director of food and beverage for The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. has been named Front Burner Brands corporate chef.

Surpassing its 35th anniversary milestone, The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., (http://www.meltingpot.com) is a fondue restaurant franchise with more than 140 restaurants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and more than 15 locations in development. The first international location opened in Edmonton, Canada, in 2010 as well as the first Mexico location in Mexico City.  Along with seven-unit deals in Canada and Mexico, the company is also looking into the Middle East, Indonesia, Australia, India, China, Japan, Brazil and European markets for expansion opportunities.

With six units in the Tampa Bay area, GrillSmith (http://www.grillsmith.com), established in 2004, is a refined-casual, chef-inspired restaurant concept that specializes in innovative and creative interpretations of classic American dishes that surprise the palate, engage the mind and excite the senses.

Burger 21 (http://www.burger21.com) is a chef-inspired concept with offerings including 21 unique burger creations ranging from hand-crafted, freshly ground beef to chicken, turkey, shrimp and tuna burgers, made-to-order salads, Hebrew National all-beef hot dogs and an extensive shake bar including hand-dipped floats, malts, shakes and sundaes. Burger 21 opened its first location in November 2010 at 9664 W. Linebaugh Ave., in Tampa, Fla., and a second location is expected to open in October 2011 at 11777 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. The Burger 21 franchise program launched in September 2011.

Front Burner Brands employs approximately 700 team members across all concepts.  Franchised concepts contain more than 5,000 employees total.

For more information about Front Burner Brands or its affiliated concepts, please contact Sandy D’Elosua at the Restaurant Support Center, 813-425-6217, or email her at sdelosua@frontburnerbrands.com.

About Front Burner Brands
Front Burner Brands (formerly known as TGS Restaurant Management) is a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla. It is affiliated with the corporate owners of and its management services extended to The Melting Pot Restaurants, founded in 1975 with more than 140 locations in North America and more than 15 locations currently in development, Burger 21 with two locations and expected rapid growth, GrillSmith with six locations in the Tampa Bay area and other new franchise concepts in development.