Taco John's Annual Promotion Benefits Multiple Charities
Nachos Navidad ® returns for 11 th successful year of giving

CHEYENNE , WY (January 24, 2007) – For the 11 th consecutive year, Taco John's has donated a portion of Nachos Navidad ® sales to a number of national and local charities. Continually seeking ways to give back to the communities it serves, the West-Mex ® restaurant chain and its family of franchisees participate in this annual holiday promotion with the hope that their contributions will make a difference in the lives of many.

This charitable effort was spearheaded in the beginning by a North Dakota franchisee, Mike Sartwell, who tied in with the Cystic Fibrosis Association of North Dakota because of its help with the treatment of his daughter's illness. Taco John's implemented the program after Sartwell addressed the national Taco John's franchisee convention and shared his daughter's courageous story.

This past season, twenty five North Dakota locations once again selected the Cystic Fibrosis Association as their charity. ”Nachos Navidad continues to grow every year. I'm always amazed at the generosity of our customers and the support that we see from the media,” said Sartwell. “Because so many people and organizations get behind this cause, we've tripled our contributions over the lifespan of the program and give even greater exposure to the Cystic Fibrosis Association.”

For the past six years a number of other Taco John's locations have sent their donations to the American Diabetes Association, giving over $130,000 to the cause. Over half of Taco John's Iowa locations selected Children and Families of Iowa and the remaining locations across the Taco John's system donated proceeds to individual and local charities in their immediate community.

“It's a lot of fun to be involved in Nachos Navidad ® , “ says Mark Stubbs, Executive Director of the American Diabetes Association for Nebraska, South Dakota and Western Iowa. “A promotion like this creates good buzz about what the American Diabetes Association is and gives us the opportunity to raise awareness about diabetes and what our organization can do. The money that is raised goes to help fund research as we look to find a cure for diabetes and to educating the public about this disease.”

A portion of the sales of Taco John's seasonal version of Super Nachos – Nachos Navidad ® – benefited these charities under the “Eat Until It Helps” campaign banner.

Loyal customers anticipate the green and red colored chips every year, which are fried fresh daily at each location and then served with specially-seasoned beef and beans, nacho cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, tomatoes, black olives, guacamole, and sour cream.

“The spirit of the Nachos Navidad ® campaign began with one family,” said Paul Fisherkeller, president/CEO of Taco John's International, Inc. “It's inspiring to see how our customers and our franchise system come together year after year with that same spirit and motivation to support so many great causes. “

Donations are made at the local level and the Taco John's franchisees take a high degree of interest in this annual program. “It's a great way to raise funds because our customers love Nachos Navidad ® and look forward to ordering them each year,” according to Jennifer Shama, franchisee and owner of 10 Taco John's restaurants. “Every time someone orders this good meal we make a donation. Everybody wins in a deal like that.”

The Nachos Navidad ® promotion ran from November 13 through December 31 in 2006. In 2007, Taco John's will bring back the Nachos Navidad ® promotion for its 12 th year.

About Taco John's

Taco John's operates and franchises more than 400 quick-service restaurants in 26 states. Independently owned and operated, the business opened its first restaurant in 1969. Taco John's prides itself on serving generous portions, menu items prepared fresh to your order, high quality ingredients, and special West-Mex ® recipes, seasonings and sauces. Through the end of 2006, Taco John's has achieved 11 consecutive years of same store sales increases.