Cosi opening new restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey; unit scheduled to open in May

Nevin Barich

DEERFIELD, Illinois , February 28, 2012 (press release) – Così, Inc. (NASDAQ: COSI), the fast casual restaurant company, today announced that its franchisee, CRM Partners Inc., has entered into a lease to open a Così restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey. The restaurant which is expected to open in May will be the fourth Così location in New Jersey for CRM Partners. "I am pleased to be able to announce the opening of a new Cosi restaurant with such a strong franchise partner like CRM," said Carin Stutz, Cosi President and Chief Executive Officer. "I look forward to working together with CRM and all of our franchise partners as we move this great concept forward." Robert Sutton, Principal at CRM Partners stated, "I am thrilled to be able to bring the Cosi brand to the Hackensack community where they can experience our freshly baked signature flatbread and Squagels along with the rest of our innovative menu offerings."

About Così, Inc.

Così® (http://www.getcosi.com) is a national fast casual restaurant chain that has developed featured foods built around a secret, generations-old recipe for crackly crust flatbread. This artisan bread is freshly baked in front of customers throughout the day in open-flame stone-hearth ovens prominently located in each of the restaurants. Così's warm and urbane atmosphere is geared towards its sophisticated, upscale, urban and suburban guests. There are currently 80 Company-owned and 56 franchise restaurants operating in seventeen states, the District of Columbia and the United Arab Emirates. The Così® vision is to become America's favorite fast casual restaurant by providing customers authentic, innovative, savory food while remaining an affordable luxury.

The Così® menu features Così® sandwiches, freshly-tossed salads, breakfast wraps, melts, soups, Così® Squagels®, flatbread pizzas, S'mores, snacks and other desserts, and a wide range of coffee and coffee-based drinks and other specialty beverages. Così® restaurants are designed to be welcoming and comfortable with an eclectic environment. Così's sights, sounds, and spaces create a tasteful, relaxed ambience that provides a fresh and new dining experience.

"Così," "(Sun & Moon Design)" and related marks are registered trademarks of Così, Inc. in the U.S.A. and certain other countries. Copyright © 2012 Così, Inc. All rights reserved.

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