Boston Pizza opens its doors in Banff

March 13, 2009 - Boston Pizza International Inc. announces the grand opening of its first restaurant and sports bar in Banff, Alberta at 225 Banff Ave. Opening its doors on Monday, March 16, the new restaurant creates 60 new jobs and will play an active role in the community.

Boston Pizza Banff is owned by Creedence Doi and partners Dave McLennan and Mike Tomkins. Doi will also oversee the daily operations as the store's general manager. With 14 years of restaurant experience and one other Boston Pizza under his operation, Doi is excited for the new opportunity in Banff.

"We're excited to serve local residents and the many visitors to Banff year-round," says Doi. "Boston Pizza's excellent Guest service, wide menu variety and unique dining atmosphere is sure to be a favourite."

The new restaurant will carry on the Boston Pizza tradition of giving back to the community before its doors even open to the public. At the grand opening celebration on Saturday March 14th, the staff of Boston Pizza Banff will pool their tips collected from dress rehearsals and donate them to Banff Life, a charitable organization that provides healthy lifestyle activities for young adults.

The restaurant will be an active member of the community year-round, as it will actively support minor sports teams, schools and charities within the area. Boston Pizza Banff will also raise funds for Kids Help Phone, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada through the Boston Pizza Foundation, which has raised more than $9 million for various Canadian charities since its inception in 1990.

The new restaurant will feature Boston Pizza's new contemporary interior and exterior design. With seating for 188 people in the dining room and sports bar, Boston Pizza can accommodate a party of any size. The family-friendly dining room features a picture collage of the breathtaking Banff scenery, while the sports bar is fully equipped with big screen HD plasma televisions and surround-sound that is sure to please avid sports fans. Boston Pizza also offers take-out and delivery service and is open late seven days a week.

About Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza International Inc. is Canada's No. 1 casual dining brand with more than 325 restaurants in Canada and system-wide sales of $831 million in 2008. Annually, Boston Pizza serves more than 40 million guests. The company has been recognized as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies every year since 1993 and was named one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures by Waterstone Human Capital for 2007 and 2008. Boston Pizza International Inc. is headquartered in Richmond, B.C. and has regional offices in Mississauga, Ontario and Laval, Quebec. For more information, visit www.bostonpizza.com.