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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
John Kaufman - Former VP of Operations at CPK, and Former COO at Koo Koo Roo and Rosti - Joins Forces with Restaurant & Entertainment Icon Nolan Bushnell to Help Build uWink Media Bistro LOS ANGELES – July 27, 2005 – uWink, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: UWNK - News), a digital entertainment company, announced today that it has engaged John Kaufman of JSK Management on a consulting basis to develop and oversee restaurant operations for uWink Media Bistro. Mr. Kaufman is an operations specialist who has worked with many successful restaurants, including California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), Koo Koo Roo, and Rosti, helping to maximize their operational effectiveness and significantly increase the return on investment. Mr. Kaufman’s responsibilities at uWink include menu development, establishing vendor relationships and restaurant cost controls systems and procedures, as well as working with the uWink software team to integrate these systems with uWink Entertainment Network software. “John has had an immediate and positive impact on the execution of the uWink Media Bistro,” said Nolan Bushnell, CEO of uWink. “The menu and food quality are critical to our target demographic and with Kaufman’s expertise there is no question that what we serve will be delicious and consistent. Kaufman brings a very deep level of restaurant knowledge that will undoubtedly assist in the delivery of our new entertainment dining experience.” “Nolan Bushnell created one of the most profitable restaurant chains with Chuck E. Cheese’s,” said John Kaufman. “His model for creating strong bottom lines for entertainment restaurants has tremendous potential for the 21-34 year old female target market. My operations background coupled with Nolan’s vision and expertise makes for a strong combination. I am honored to work with him as we build uWink Media Bistro for I’ve always wanted to streamline the ordering process and provide a higher degree of food customization. “ Mr. Kaufman’s past experience includes California Pizza Kitchen. He joined in 1986 when there was only a single restaurant, and helped the owners build CPK into one of the country’s leading restaurant chains with more than 68 locations. He became VP of operations and went on to supervise more than 3,000 employees including 250 managers, 12 area supervisors and two regional vice-presidents of operations. In 1995 after completing a four-month consulting project for Rosti, Mr. Kaufman was brought in as COO. He worked closely to develop a very young management team and created an operating system, company structure and culture that achieved profitability. In 1996 he was recruited by Koo Koo Roo and was brought in as President and Chief Operating Officer. As Chief Operations Officer Kaufman worked diligently focusing resources on the core brand, increasing performance, controlling costs, and improving customer service. Overseeing restaurant operations of uWink Media Bistro, Kaufman will initially be responsible for purchasing, distribution, culinary activities, QA and training. Kaufman will augment Bushnell’s technology vision, allowing Bushnell to focus on vision, game content development and company strategy. About uWink: uWink, Inc. is a digital entertainment company based in Los Angeles, California that develops interactive entertainment for restaurants, bars, and mobile devices. Led by entertainment and restaurant visionary Nolan Bushnell, founder and former CEO of Atari (NasdaqNM: ATAR) and Chuck E. Cheese’s (NYSE: CEC), uWink is currently building a new entertainment dining experience called uWink Media Bistro that leverages uWink’s proprietary network and entertainment software. For more information visit: www.uwink.com. # # # Media Contacts: Alissa Tappan VP,Marketing and Public Relations uWink, Inc. Cell-415-235-9532 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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