Brinker International Expands Relationship With ERJ Dining

DALLAS, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brinker International, Inc. announced it reached an expanded franchise and development agreement with ERJ Dining. Under this agreement, ERJ Dining will acquire 15 existing Chili's Grill & Bar restaurants and develop 31 new Chili's locations in Wisconsin and the greater St. Louis market.

A Brinker franchisee since January 2005, ERJ currently operates eight Chili's restaurants in Kentucky and Illinois. As part of its original franchise agreement, ERJ has committed to develop an additional 15 Chili's restaurants in the region. Once terms of both agreements are met, ERJ will operate 69 Chili's restaurants across the Midwest U.S.

"Thanks to ERJ's commitment and operations expertise, we'll continue to accelerate Chili's growth throughout the Midwest," said Todd Diener, President of Chili's Grill & Bar.

This is the first franchise and development agreement to be signed in Brinker's 2007 fiscal year, which began June 29. During fiscal 2006, Brinker's domestic franchisees purchased 20 company-owned restaurants and signed agreements to develop an additional 56 over the next 10 years.

Brinker International, Inc. is one of the world's leading casual dining restaurant companies, serving more than 1 million guests daily. Founded in 1975 and based in Dallas, Brinker owns or franchises more than 1,600 restaurants in 24 countries and employs more than 100,000. Brinker restaurant brands include Chili's Grill & Bar, Romano's Macaroni Grill, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina and Maggiano's Little Italy. The company was named one of FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired Companies in 2006 and in 2005 was honored by the magazine as one of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities and the Top 50 Employers for Women. For more information visit http://www.brinker.com/ .