SAN JOSE, Aug. 25, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Church's Chicken(tm), a division of AFC Enterprises, Inc. (Ticker: AFCE), employed Costa Rican on-air talent, support crew and an assistant director to film its new ad campaign in various locations across the country. The Food Mall concept and the local talent were key factors in the decision to film in Costa Rica.
"Costa Rica was first to market the successful food mall concept," said Claudia Penuela, Director of Global Marketing for Church's Chicken. Corporacion Alimentos del Rey, S.A., a Church's franchisee, hosted corporate executives from Atlanta and a local production crew. The corporacion operates Church's Chicken locations in Centro Comercial Real Cariari where filming occurred, Food Mall Palace (Old Palace Movie theater), Food Mall Curridabat (in front of the National Register building), Food Mall San Francisco (main entrance for El Bosque Residential), Food Mall Liberia, and Centro de Comidas Rofas
"The efforts of Corporacion Alimentos del Rey began weeks before the filming and paved the way for a smooth and successful filming operation," stated Melinda Ennis-Roughton, Chief Marketing Officer for Church's Chicken. "This exemplifies the benefits of true collaboration between the corporate office and our franchise partners," she added. The company provided product samples, navigated customs requirements and opened a local restaurant several hours early to accommodate filming.
The ad campaign had a very tight shooting schedule, making the need for well trained personnel who are capable of meeting tight deadlines a priority. Ennis-Roughton said, "Costa Rica was the ideal choice for us because of the level of education and ethnic diversity of its population as well as the quality of its film production support infrastructure."
About Corporacion Alimentos del Rey, S.A.
Corporacion Alimentos del Rey, S.A. is a franchisee of Church's Chicken that operates six restaurants in Costa Rica.
About Church's Chicken
Church's Chicken, one of the world's largest quick-service chicken restaurant concepts, focuses on high quality food served at a value price. Menu specialties include Southern-style chicken and side items such as corn on the cob, fried okra, mashed potatoes and gravy, and signature Honey-Butter Biscuits. Church's Chicken has more than 1,500 locations worldwide, driving system-wide sales of approximately $900 million in 2003. Visit Church's Chicken on the World Wide Web at www.churchs.com.
About AFC Enterprises
AFC Enterprises, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of 4,080 restaurants, bakeries and cafes as of June 13, 2004, in the United States, Puerto Rico and 38 foreign countries under the brand names Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits, Church's Chicken(tm) and Cinnabon(r), and the franchisor of Seattle's Best Coffee(r) in Hawaii, on military bases and internationally. AFC's primary objective is to be the world's Franchisor of Choice(r) by offering investment opportunities in highly recognizable brands and exceptional franchisee support systems and services. AFC Enterprises can be found on the World Wide Web at www.afce.com.