Calgary, AB — Since Joey's Only Seafood Restaurants Canada partnered with David Kristal, founder and CEO of Embers America Restaurants and investor Michael Paparella in 2002, the number of Joey's restaurants in the United States has grown to 12. Joey's has also received commitments for another 61 units throughout the US Midwest, South and East.

"We wanted to expand into the US market with the right people," explains Joe Klassen, Senior Executive and founder of Joey's. "To do that we needed to partner with an organization that had a similar corporate culture to ours and that had the depth of business and restaurant industry experience needed to be successful. We found that in Embers America that already owned a successful chain of family restaurants in the US."

Klassen added: "When our new partners took over the US Franchising Rights, several changes were made to match the Joey's concept to the US market. This included a new style of menu, changes to the décor, and increasing the size of our restaurants. Joey's recognition by Franchise Times Magazine as one of three 'Up and coming' 2005 restaurant concepts at the annual Restaurant and Finance Conference that the magazine sponsors, tells me that we are on the right path to success."

"The biggest and most recent update is the switch in our brand name which changed from Joey's Only to Joey's Seafood & Grill. We simplified the branding by dropping 'Only' and adding 'Seafood & Grill' to give it a more upscale feel. However, while the name has changed, the same core values that make up a Joey's, including fresh seafood cooked your way with fast and friendly service is still at the heart of our concept."

Joey's Only Canada has also adopted some of the innovative ideas introduced by Joey's Seafood & Grill including décor changes and adding a "Fish Made Fresh" awning to give its restaurants a fresh fish market motif.

In related news, Joey's Canada continues to expand, most recently opening a restaurant in London, Ontario. Joey's also continues to grow its concept in terms of décor upgrades and testing new menu items. A completely new menu is slated to be unveiled in January 2006.

About Joey's
Calgary-based Joey's is a pioneer and leader in the fast casual seafood restaurant category in Canada. Its signature "Joey's Famous Fish and Chips" has gained the company a North American reputation for preparing generous portions of high quality seafood at affordable prices. Each Joey's franchise embodies the vision of its founder Joe Klassen — to eat great seafood in a cozy neighbourhood seafood restaurant. Annually, Joey's serves more than 6.5 million guests system wide through its 106 restaurants in Canada and the United States. Throughout 2005, the company is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Andy Taylor, VP Operations, Joey's Only
(403) 243-4584 andy@joeysonly.ca

Mr. Neil Bousquet, PR, Joey's Only
(403) 256-8834 neil.bousquet@shaw.ca