FRIDAY'S ANNOUNCES SIX NEW INTERNATIONAL OPENINGS IN FIVE NEW COUNTRIES; T.G.I. FRIDAY'S EXPANDS TO 28 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE DALLAS, June 18/PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Dallas-based Friday's(R) Hospitality Worldwide Inc., the global leader of the casual dining industry, today announced the opening of six new international T.G.I. Friday's(R) restaurants. BANGKOK, THAILAND T.G.I. Friday's expanded to 24 countries with the opening of the T.G.I. Friday's restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 30. The Bangkok T.G.I. Friday's restaurant is designed to accommodate 342 guests in a 774 square-meter building and employs 120 local residents. The Bangkok T.G.I. Friday's restaurant, which is located in Ploenchit Center on Sukhumvit Road, is very near Bangkok's central business district, and is also the home of Bangkok's major hotels. "We are very pleased to bring one of the first American casual dining restaurants to Thailand," said Tunku Iskandar, chairman and managing director of Bistro Americana Holdings PTE LTD. "The residents of Bangkok will enjoy T.G.I. Friday's." ISTANBUL, TURKEY May 27 was the opening date of the first T.G.I. Friday's in Istanbul, Turkey. The Istanbul T.G.I. Friday's restaurant will cover 650 square meters, with seating for 265 guests and 95 jobs for local residents. The Etiler area is one of the most popular areas in Istanbul, and is also the location of the Istanbul T.G.I. Friday's restaurant. "We are so proud to introduce the first T.G.I. Friday's to Istanbul," said Murat Unal, operator for Cuma Gida Isletmeleri A.S. "Etiler is a terrific location for our first T.G.I. Friday's and we are overwhelmed with the welcome we've received from the community." SAN PEDRO SULA, HONDURAS San Pedro Sula, Honduras, was the place to be on June 10 when the first T.G.I. Friday's in Honduras opened to rave reviews. The San Pedro Sula T.G.I. Friday's restaurant is 800 square-meters, includes 260 seats and employs more than 140 local residents. The San Pedro Sula T.G.I. Friday's is the first casual dining restaurant in the city. "San Pedro Sula is a very fast growing city, with a lot of foreign investment and tourism," said Nicolas Chahin, managing director. "Friday's is going to be a welcome change to the community, and I expect the restaurant to be a huge success." The San Pedro Sula T.G.I. Friday's is located on Boulevard Los Proceres in San Pedro Sula. STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN The first T.G.I. Friday's in Sweden opened on June 17. The new T.G.I. Friday's restaurant, which is located in Stockholm, near the Stureplan, is 1,100 square-meters, with a seating capacity of 300 and employs 100 local residents. "We are very excited about this opening," said Nils Lemming, managing director of American Bistro Scandanavia AS. "With T.G.I. Friday's reputation around the world, we know this is going to be a very successful restaurant." Curt Carlson, the founder of Carlson Companies, Friday's parent company, is a native of Sweden. "I am very proud of American Bistro Scandanavia for bringing the first T.G.I. Friday's to Sweden," added Mr. Carlson. DUBAI, UAE Dubai will become the 28th country in which a T.G.I. Friday's restaurant will open. The new T.G.I. Friday's restaurant, which is located opposite the Dubai Exhibition Grounds, will open on July 10. The Dubai T.G.I. Friday's will be 530 square-meters, accommodate 265 guests and employ over 65 local residents. "Dubai, which is also known as the Hong Kong of the East, will be an outstanding location for a T.G.I. Friday's," said Hani Kafafi, area manager of Kuwait Food Company (Americana) S.A.K. "The T.G.I. Friday's restaurant is located near the Jumeriah area, a part of Dubai that includes a high income bracket and many expatriates, mainly westerners." HIGH WYCOMBE, UNITED KINGDOM Whitbread PLC will open their 21st T.G.I. Friday's restaurant on July 15. The new T.G.I. Friday's restaurant will be located in High Wycombe, home of the United Kingdom's modern day furniture industry. The T.G.I. Friday's restaurant will seat 150 guests and employ 65 local residents. "Our location is fantastic," said Mike Johnson, managing director of Whitbread PLC. "The Friday's restaurant is located in a retail park that includes a multiplex cinema." "We are pleased to offer the great food and fun dining atmosphere found at T.G.I. Friday's to our new friends in these countries," said Wallace B. Doolin, president and chief executive officer of Friday's Hospitality Worldwide Inc. "We're always excited to open a new restaurant, especially in a country where the residents have not yet experienced our unique brand of casual dining." The new openings will bring the total number of international T.G.I. Friday's to 65 restaurants in 28 countries. Friday's Hospitality Worldwide Inc., the parent company of T.G.I. Friday's Inc., is a privately held company owned by Carlson Companies, Inc., a world leader in the hospitality, travel and marketing industries. Friday's currently operates, franchises and licenses more than 385 T.G.I. Friday's(R), Italianni's(SM) and Front Row(R) Sports Grill restaurants in 280 cities and 26 countries. CONTACT: Amy Heiny, public relations manager of Friday's Hospitality Worldwide Inc., 214-450-5549