KRYSTAL TOUR DATES

Chattanooga, Tenn., August 8, 2005 – Fast food icon Krystal, along with the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), announced today the 11 host cities and dates for the official qualifying circuit of the 2005 Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship. The winner of each regional qualifier will earn one of the coveted seats at the world championship final table on Nov. 19, 2005 in Chattanooga, Tenn., where they will compete for a share of the $22,500 cash purse. As last year’s champion with 69 Krystal Hamburgers in eight minutes, Takeru Kobayashi, the world’s number-one-ranked eater, has received an automatic seat at the main event.

One of the majors in the sport of competitive eating and the only world hamburger-eating championship officially sanctioned by the IFOCE, the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship will kick off once again with its first regional qualifier on Labor Day, Sept. 5, in Chattanooga, and will then crisscross six states, from Texas to Florida, pitting the world’s best competitive eaters against the lifelong Krystal lovers who took the sensational sport by storm last fall.

The schedule for the 2005 Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship is as follows:

September 5 Chattanooga, TN BellSouth Park/Lookouts Baseball Game (Preliminary rounds: Sept. 2 @ Univ. of Tenn. at Chattanooga; Sept. 3 @ Tenn. Aquarium Plaza; and Sept. 4 at Lookouts Baseball Game)

September 11 Nashville, TN Tennessee State Fair (Preliminary rounds: Sept. 9-10 @ Tenn. State Fair)

September 18 Atlanta, GA Gwinnett County Fair (Preliminary rounds: Sept. 16-17 @ Gwinnett County Fair)

September 25 Memphis, TN Mid-South Fair (Preliminary rounds: Sept. 23-24 @ Mid-South Fair)

October 2 Dallas-Forth Worth, TX Texas State Fair (Preliminary rounds: Oct. 1 @ Carrolton Krystal Location)

October 9 Macon, GA Georgia National Fair
(Preliminary rounds: Oct. 7-8 @ Georgia National Fair)

October 16 Jackson, MS Mississippi State Fair (Preliminary rounds: Oct. 14-15 @ Mississippi Fair)

October 23 Birmingham, AL Greater Alabama Fall Fair (Preliminary rounds: Oct. 21-22 @ Greater Ala. Fall Fair)

October 30 Savannah, GA Coastal Empire Fair (Preliminary rounds: Oct. 28-29 @ Coastal Empire Fair)

November 6 Jacksonville, FL Greater Jacksonville Fair (Preliminary rounds: Nov. 4-5 @ Greater Jacksonville Fair)

November 13 Knoxville, TN West Town Mall (Preliminary rounds: Nov. 11-12 @ Cumberland Ave. Krystal location)

November 19 Chattanooga, TN World Championship Finals at the First Tennessee Pavilion

Individuals interested in competing in the 2005 Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship can find the most up-to-date information at www.krystal.com. As an officially sanctioned IFOCE event, all registration for the qualifying contests will be handled by the IFOCE through the Krystal website. Participants must be 18 years or over.

Founded in 1932, Krystal restaurants have become more than sparkling-clean eateries where friendly employees serve up fresh, indulgently delicious food. Krystal has become a cultural icon and an experience that virtually every man, woman and child in the South has shared. Nearly everyone in the region has a Krystal memory. The Krystal brand and the great food, service, value and setting that it represents has taken a prominent place in the South’s cultural landscape. The Krystal Company is the oldest quick service restaurant chain in the South and the second oldest in the United States. The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company currently has more than 420 restaurants in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. For more information, visit www.krystal.com.

The IFOCE, the governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducts more than 70 events annually, including the Nathan's Famous International Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, NY. The competitive eating community, which numbers more than 3,000 veteran and rookie athletes, travels the nation in search of top titles such as the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger-Eating Champion