Granite City Food & Brewery Now Open in Franklin, Tennessee

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Granite City Food & Brewery® GCFB is pleased to announce the opening of its first location in Franklin, Tennessee, marking the 28^th location overall in 13 states. The new restaurant & brewery (www.gcfb.com) is located at 1864 W. McEwen Drive (next to the new Drury Plaza Hotel) in Franklin.

As part of the Grand Opening Day Festivities, guests who visited the February 5^th opening received a Free Membership to the Mug Club (a $10 value), which entitles members to special benefits including 10% off food, including Sunday Brunch, special tap beer offerings and rewards points for special offers and parties at Granite City.

In addition, Granite City donated a portion of its first week of net profits to the local charity High Hopes (www.highhopesnash.org), a non-profit agency serving children with special needs or chronic diseases in an Inclusive Preschool and on-site Pediatric Therapy Clinic.

Rob Doran, Chief Executive Officer said, “This site in Franklin is ideal for Granite City Food & Brewery, which is a polished casual restaurant that cooks all menu items from scratch and prepares food fresh daily, along with brewing our own beers. We are honored to be part of the vibrant Franklin and Nashville-area restaurant scene and we are confident that folks will enjoy our unique and affordable offerings. We are also pleased to contribute to the High Hopes charity in our opening week and to create over 200 new jobs in the area.”

About The Franklin Troy Granite City Food & Brewery
The new Franklin Granite City Food & Brewery offers guests an exceptional dining experience, complete with an on-site micro-brewery, crafting five awarding winning beer varieties. From the beer to the food, everything on the Granite City menu is fresh. Each item on the menu is carefully prepared on site—each day, from scratch. This passion for creating and serving the best food and beer makes even the classic recipes explode with flavor. The sophisticated yet unpretentious restaurant, proprietary food and beverages, attractive price points and high service standards combine for a restaurant dining experience that is quickly making Granite City a favorite. Granite City opened its first restaurant in 1999 and is continuing its expansion nationwide, currently operating 28 restaurants in 13 states. Additional information about Granite City Food & Brewery can be found at www.gcfb.com.

The Menu
Granite City creates a distinctive dining experience anchored by it's made from scratch food and handcrafted micro brews made on-site. A broad menu of items are prepared fresh daily and are served in generous portions at guest-friendly prices. The menu features a variety of dishes including delicious flatbreads, steaks, salads and comfort classics like meatloaf topped with a bourbon onion sauce. In addition to more than 90 made-from-scratch menu items, there are also regional favorites and locally sourced ingredients. An award-winning brunch is offered on Sundays with made-to-order omelets, Carmel rolls and Granite City's popular Reggiano Hash browns. To-Go menus are also available.

The Restaurant
The new Franklin Granite City Food & Brewery is approximately 10,000 square feet and provides seating for 290 guests. This location features a beautifully designed interior showcasing a wrap-around bar which flows into an atrium, an open kitchen, a central wood-fired pizza oven and a private dining room. Call-ahead seating is available.

The Brewery
Granite City Food & Brewery serves signature beers, made on premise, including Duke of Wellington (India Pale Ale) and Broad Axe Stout (an Oatmeal Stout). The handcrafted beers are moderately priced and offer unique styles and flavors not typically produced by major breweries. A complete description of the brewing process can be found at gcfb.com. Beer lovers can also join the Mug Club and enjoy food discounts, special tap beer offerings and rewards points for special offers from Granite City.

Awards
Granite City Food & Brewery has won awards nationwide for Best Restaurant, Best Brunch, Best Patio, Best Beer, Best Martini, Best Burger, and more, including the prestigious Nation's Restaurant News Hot Concept Winner.

Location and Hours
Granite City Food & Brewery (Opening to the public on February 5^th, 2013)
1864 W. McEwen Drive/Franklin, TN 37067
Phone: 1-615-435-1949

HOURS:
Monday – Thursday:		Lunch:			11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
		Dinner:			4:00 p.m. to 11 p.m.
		Late Night Menu:			11:00 p.m. to Midnight
Friday - Saturday:		Lunch:			11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
		Dinner:			4:00 p.m. to 11 p.m.
		Late Night Menu:			11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Sunday:		Brunch:			9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
		Lunch:			11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
		Dinner:			4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Happy Hour Daily:					Mon – Fri 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
					Saturday & Sunday from Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Late Night Food Specials - Nightly					9:00 p.m. until Close.

For more information, visit www.gcfb.com

About High Hopes, Inc.
High Hopes Inc. is a non-profit agency serving typically-developing and children with special needs or chronic diseases in an Inclusive Preschool and on-site Pediatric Therapy Clinic. High Hopes is truly unique in the way children with and without special needs play, learn, and grow together every day. Experienced teachers love, nurture, and educate children from infancy through prekindergarten. High Hopes Pediatric Therapy Clinic serves children and youth from birth to 21 years and is the only non-profit clinic in Middle Tennessee that provides five different therapies in one location: occupational, speech, physical, feeding and listening therapies. With over 28 years of excellence in serving children and youth in Middle Tennessee, High Hopes offers a specialized environment for learning and therapeutic services, where ALL children have an equal opportunity for lifelong success! For more information: 615-522-5629 or www.highhopesnash.org.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this press release of a non-historical nature constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changes in economic conditions, changes in consumer preferences or discretionary consumer spending, a significant change in the performance of any existing restaurants, our ability to continue funding our operations and meet our debt service obligations, and the risks and uncertainties described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 23, 2012.