December 7, 2009, Centennial, Colorado — Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza® will celebrate five years in business in Grand Junction, Colorado by offering customers free pizza slices and entertainment, plus a chance to support the Community Food Bank during this especially needy time. The anniversary celebration will take place on Wednesday, December 16th from 11:00 am – 9:00 pm at the Nick-N-Willy’s located at 683 Horizon Drive in Grand Junction, Colorado.

“We’re so excited to celebrate our success with our loyal customers who have supported us all these years,” said Janie Van Winkle, Nick-N-Willy’s Franchise Owner. “We hope that residents of Grand Junction will join us on December 16th to share in our passion for quality pizza, exceptional service and support those in our community who need it most.”

Van Winkle will be putting the finishing touches on the new look of the interior of her restaurant just in time for the celebration. She is also planning to open another Nick-N-Willy’s restaurant in the Grand Junction area next year. As a local business owner, Van Winkle has been actively involved in fundraising in Grand Junction for the past five years, and has helped to raise more than $50,000 for local programs through pizza sales at her restaurant.

On December 16th, Van Winkle is encouraging people to bring in canned food items and donations for the community food bank. In addition, part proceeds of all sales on the event day will be donated to the charitable organization. Food bank representatives will be available during the lunch time and dinner hour to share information about their mission in the Grand Valley. Local radio station 99.9 KEKB FM will be broadcasting live and Nick-N-Willy’s President and COO, Richard Weil will be on site to assist with the festivities.

From 3:30-6:00 pm, the Fruita Monument High School Band will be performing in several small ensembles outside the restaurant. The performances will have an extra special meaning to Van Winkle whose very first employee is now the band’s leader and a graduate of Mesa State College. Van Winkle hires many local college students and even offers a college tuition reimbursement program to her staff.

Visit Nick-N-Willy’s in Grand Junction located at 683 Horizon Drive. Open daily Sunday to Thursday 11 am – 9 pm; and Friday and Saturday 11 am – midnight. Customers can also call for pick up or delivery. Tel: 970-245-6425.

About Nick-N-Willy’s

The Nick-N-Willy’s concept was developed in 1988 in Boulder, Colorado. The franchise company now has 40 locations in 14 states. In addition to its fast casual restaurant model where our products are baked in our gas-fired brick oven, the Nick-N-Willy’s franchise also offers outlet models, where consumers can purchase high quality gourmet pizzas that are ordered fresh and baked at home in their own home. The Nick-N-Willy’s concept is based on quality, freshness, convenience, and value. The Nick-N-Willy’s franchise system is committed to customer service, and its success is based on its proprietary dough that is made daily from scratch with pure Italian olive oil, and is cut, kneaded and tossed by hand.

The company’s award-winning pizzas feature the highest quality ingredients and toppings, many of which are not commonly found in most pizza restaurants; such as fontina and feta cheeses, fresh garlic, basil and cilantro, as well as fresh pesto sauce. Prepared to order in each store and baked fresh in our gas-fired brick oven or baked at home, Nick-N-Willy’s pizza sets a standard for freshness and taste that is unsurpassed.

Nick-N-Willy’s offers a complete line of signature recipe pizzas, including the Fresh Jalapeno Burn, the Aegean™, the Earthborn and the Outback, along with traditional pizza favorites like the Nick-N-Willy’s Classic, the Wild Willy Combo and the Big Kahuna. A variety of fresh salads as well as freshly made focaccia sandwiches, wings and focaccia “sticks” and giant chocolate chip take-N-bake cookies complete every delicious “homemade” meal.

For more information on Nick-N-Willy’s, including menu and locations, visit www.nicknwillys.com. For franchise information, call 1-888-642-6945 or send an email to: franchiseinfo@nicknwillyspizza.com.