Checkers Orders From Abacus’ Support Menu

(Tampa, FL—December 1, 2002) Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. and Abacus Business Solutions announced today the selection of Abacus from a wide field of vendors to provide consolidated support services for the more than 550 nationwide Checkers® and Rally’s®  restaurant franchisees.

Under the agreement, Abacus consolidates the support services for Checkers’ franchisees previously provided by separate vendors. Support systems include a Customer Care Call Center for Aloha point of sale software and point of sale data management and back office systems support. In addition, Abacus will offer franchisees several alternatives in hardware procurement and support options previously unavailable.

“Checkers has standardized its point of sale operations on the Aloha platform,” said Checkers CFO David Koehler. “Since Abacus is the most successful reseller and support organization for Aloha in the world, it was a natural fit. We were delighted to have found a vendor with such a complete menu of services in our own backyard.”

President and CEO of Abacus Richard Peterson agreed. “Abacus has been providing total software, hardware, and support solutions for the restaurant industry for more than twenty-five years,” he said. “We can scale services to any level, whether a franchisee is operating one store or one hundred. We call it one-stop shopping.”

The Customer Care Call Center will provide mission-critical telephone support, maintaining restaurant operations from routine trouble calls to emergency situations. Hardware support options range from traditional depot maintenance to innovative plans that will allow franchisees to control their own assets or enjoy totally managed care. Similarly, Abacus will offer a range of hardware options, allowing the franchisee’s investment to fit any store’s budget.