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Friday's is the Largest National Casual Dining Restaurant
PR Newswire
With Americans increasingly craving high quality beef, T.G.I. Friday's
timely introduction of an all-natural Angus burger resonates with today's
burger connoisseur and consumers who want the assurance of source-verified,
all-natural hamburger. These new 100 percent natural Angus beef burgers are
made from Meyer Natural Angus cattle, raised on a strict diet of wholesome
forages and grains. The cattle are never administered hormones, antibiotics
or animal byproducts. In addition, a single source of origin helps ensure
the quality of the hamburger from supplier to restaurant locations.
"The introduction of this innovative product is a direct response to our
guests' desire for great tasting food made with the finest ingredients,"
said John Gilbert, senior vice president of marketing for Carlson
Restaurants Worldwide, parent company of T.G.I. Friday's restaurants.
"When you think of innovation, words like high-tech and futuristic often
come to mind. But sometimes, innovation means looking back instead of
ahead -- back to a time when ranchers raised their animals without
antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. Turning to nature, instead of
technology, put us on the path to our latest innovation, Friday's 100
percent natural Angus burger."
In addition to its remarkable taste, Friday's selected Meyer Natural
Angus beef for its hamburgers for several additional reasons:
* Meyer's 2001 Gold Medal from the American Tasting Institute for
all-natural Angus is proof positive that this is the best tasting burger
available.
* Meyer Natural Angus completely rejects growth-stimulating antibiotics
and added hormones. In the livestock industry, it is common practice to
administer antibiotics in the feed of conventionally raised animals to
stimulate their appetite to make them grow faster. In addition, the
American Medical Association recently published concern about the use of
antibiotics in livestock citing alarm about antibiotic resistance in humans.
T.G.I. Friday's use of all-natural hamburger is a step in the right
direction regarding this issue.
* Meyer Natural Angus is certified by the American Humane Association.
* Meyer Natural Angus supplies source-verified hamburger.
This means that burgers served in Friday's restaurants can be traced back to the Meyer
Natural Angus ranch from which they came -- guests can rest assured that
Friday's burgers are made from cattle carefully raised on an open range,
free from stress, antibiotics, and hormones.
"With just under one million burgers served each month, Friday's
all-natural burgers will be a real crowd pleaser for our guests, especially
during lunch time when our burgers are most popular. Now our guests will
have the opportunity to enjoy hamburgers made of beef carefully raised to
ensure the best tasting burger available," said Gilbert. "We're so
confident that America will love our new Meyer Natural Angus burgers that
we're already looking at adding Meyer Natural Angus steaks to our menu."
"The introduction of Meyer Natural Angus burgers by T.G.I. Friday's is a
bold step forward in the restaurant industry," said Ray Killian, president
of Meyer Natural Angus. "Once again Friday's has demonstrated its
commitment to the consumer by researching the market, locating and demanding
the safest, highest quality food products available. The introduction of
the Meyer Natural Angus all-natural beef burger will strengthen Friday's(R)
position as the industry trendsetter in the eyes of the consumer."
Available in all domestic T.G.I. Friday's restaurant locations, guests
will be able to order six different burgers made from all-natural Angus
beef. Burgers available include: hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon
cheeseburger, peppercorn burger, barbecue burger, and the mushroom onion
Swiss burger. Each burger will be served with a side of Friday's fries.
Since the first T.G.I. Friday's restaurant opened its doors in New York
City in 1965, Friday's restaurants have embodied the spirit of a
quintessential American bistro for millions of guests. Now operating in 53
countries, Friday's restaurants feature trend-setting American appetizers,
entrees and beverages, and red-and-white stripes. The restaurant has
popularized many American favorites, including the "potato skins" appetizer
and a wide array of frozen and ice cream drinks. Friday's menu features
nearly 100 menu items including entree salads, pasta dishes and chargrilled
entrees like the popular and innovative Jack Daniel's(R) Grill.
About Meyer Natural Angus (TM) Hamburger
Headquartered in Missoula, Montana, Meyer Natural Angus produces the
highest quality beef available today without the use of antibiotics or added
hormones. With specifications for "natural" stricter than those of the
USDA, there are several points of difference between Meyer Natural Angus(TM)
hamburger and conventional hamburger. The USDA is focused only on the end
product and not the process. No antibiotics for the life of the animal, no
added hormone use, no animal byproducts, and humane treatment are all a part
of the Meyer Natural Angus program and not required by the USDA.
Meyer Natural Angus goes above the USDA requirement for "natural" beef by:
* Surpassing the industry standard by prohibiting animal byproducts in
feed. Meyer beef cattle are complete vegetarians as nature intended.
* Not only does Meyer Natural Angus(TM) not feed antibiotics, if they have
to use antibiotics to treat an animal, it's separated from the
natural-raised herd and sold as a conventional product.
* Every single batch of raw material is tested for e.coli 0157:H7 before
it is made into ground beef patties.
Visit the Meyer Natural Angus(TM) web site at http://www.meyerbeef.com
About T.G.I. Friday's
Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., the parent company of TGI Friday's
Inc., is a privately held company owned by Minneapolis-based Carlson
Companies, Inc., a world leader in the hospitality, travel and marketing
industries. As of May 21, 2001 Carlson Restaurants operates, franchises and
licenses 706 restaurants in 53 countries, including T.G.I. Friday's.
Carlson Restaurants Worldwide is included in the Carlson Hospitality
Worldwide division of Carlson Companies, Inc.
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