la Frontera In the News

Houston Chronicle

November 30, 2001

Schlotzsky`s Deli to Open Restaurant at Round Rock`s La Frontera;

Coffees, Pastries, Front-Door Ordering Kiosk and Landscaping Make It Special

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 29, 2001--Schlotzsky's Inc. (Nasdaq:BUNZ)

When the award-winning Schlotzsky's(R) Deli opens its newest restaurant at 7 a.m. Friday morning, Nov. 30, at the La Frontera development in Round Rock, Texas, diners will find a restaurant that has it all.

Named by loyal customers in the most recent Austin Chronicle readers' poll as "Best Lunch Hour Spot" for its swift service and good group accommodations, and "Best Restaurant for Kids" for its nutritious food and "cyber deli" computer game activities, Schlotzsky's will bring to Round Rock what makes the Austin-based institution so special.

"We wanted to create an upscale dining experience that is the opposite of what people think of when they think of quick service," said John C. Wooley, president and CEO of Schlotzsky's Inc. Nasdaq:BUNZ). "So at La Frontera you'll find gorgeous landscaping, computers with Internet access, and a decor that invites customers to linger and savor Schlotzsky's great sandwiches and pizzas."

Diners driving up to the La Frontera Schlotzsky's(R) Deli will first notice the landscaping, thoughtfully designed by Bud Twilly Landscape Architects.

"Ours is the only drive-thru allowed in La Frontera, and it's because we've placed vines, wisteria, arbors and berms all along the way," said Wooley. "When the landscape matures it is going to be the most beautiful drive-thru in Texas."

Inside, customers will find a 3,700-square-foot restaurant with a new decor of darker woods and a Tuscany-inspired color palette.

Customers can cruise the "cyber deli" counter, where they can surf the colorful iMacs and flat-screen PCs with Internet access, and their children can play computer games for free while they sip coffee in the morning or munch on pizzas after work. Customers can e-mail friends or hop onto homepage links to the nation's top newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Mercury News of California's Silicon Valley and major Texas dailies.

Kids and their parents love having access to the computer games. "We think this is the restaurant playground of the future," said Wooley.

By next month, a new electronic kiosk -- a first for Schlotzsky's, developed with IBM -- will greet customers at the door, allowing them to place and charge their own orders in just seconds.

"It's perfect for La Frontera, given the high-tech quotient in Round Rock," said Robin Hanna, chief information officer of Schlotzsky's Inc. "Engineers and software people like us love to go where the new technologies are. It's a draw, especially a stone's throw from Dell. We're bringing `cooldeli.com' to life in Round Rock."

Most importantly, Round Rock customers can satisfy their cravings for the Schlotzsky's Original sandwich, more than a dozen other sandwiches (on bread baked from scratch daily), salads and pizzas as well as the gourmet coffees, pastries and desserts that customers have come to love.

Schlotzsky's(R) Deli, with its famous sourdough buns, has been a Texas favorite since the first Schlotzsky's opened on Austin's South Congress Avenue 30 years go.

The newest deli will join the chain's almost 700 restaurants. It is one of 32 company-operated restaurants. Located in La Frontera on FM 1325 at Parker Road, the deli (with store hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) will employ 55 full-time and part-time staff. Altogether, the company employs approximately 930 people at 32 restaurants and its corporate headquarters in Austin. This year marks the 30th anniversary since the first tiny Schlotzsky's storefront opened in south Austin, with customers lined up around the block for a taste of the Original.

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    Schlotzsky's Inc., founded in Austin, Texas, in 1971, is a franchisor and operator of quick-service restaurants featuring made-to-order hot sandwiches served on distinctive sourdough bread, along with sourdough crust pizzas, salads and soups. As of Sept. 30, 2001, there were 692 Schlotzsky's(R) Deli restaurants open and operating in 38 states, the District of Columbia and 10 foreign countries. Visit www.cooldeli.com or www.schlotzskys