FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Belz Enterprises slates Big River Brewers as newest addition to Peabody Place

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (July 13, 1999) -- Belz Enterprises has announced that Big River Breweries, Inc., a multi-concept restaurant and brewing company, will open their third unit in Tennessee at the downtown Peabody Place location formerly occupied by Breckenridge Brewery, Inc.

Scheduled to open this fall, the restaurant will offer an exciting casual dining experience featuring high-quality, moderately priced innovative cuisine, championship billiard tables and outdoor seating. The restaurant also will offer a distinctive selection of handcrafted ales and lagers brewed on premises, including Big River’s award-winning Brown Ale and stout.

One of Big River’s goals through each of its restaurant and brewery concepts is to offer an eclectic menu concentrating on value and quality, while also reviving the true art of microbrewing once popular in neighborhoods across the country.

Menu items will include a wide variety of interesting selections such as Seared Tenderloin with Fire-Roasted Corn Sauce, Blue Crab Stuffed Chicken, Low Country Shrimp ’n Grits and Grilled Chicken and Portabella Marinara, just to name a few.

"Big River’s key to success has been its ability to balance the need to grow a brand with the importance of being a neighborhood restaurant/brewer that is not at all ‘chainlike’ in appearance or atmosphere," said Andrew J. Groveman, senior vice president, Belz Enterprises.

The company is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It operates under the Big River trade name in Chattanooga, Nashville, Disney’s Boardwalk, and Greenville, South Carolina. Charlotte and Atlanta locations operate as Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. The company also owns Ragtime Tavern in Jacksonville, Florida, and A1A Ale Works in historic St. Augustine. Big River’s most recent concept opened in Southside Jacksonville (Atlantic Beach) and utilizes a local theme under the name "Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery."

Developed by Memphis-based Belz Enterprises, Peabody Place is an urban mixed-use development located in downtown Memphis. When complete, the project will contain approximately two million square feet of space with 762 hotel rooms, 201 apartments, 565,000 square feet of office space, 420,000 square feet of retail space and 3,600 parking spaces. Peabody Place consists of new construction as well as the reconstruction of structures listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

Belz Enterprises is a leading innovator in real estate development with interests throughout the South and much of the country. Belz develops, owns, and manages over 25 million square feet of industrial/warehouse/distribution centers, shopping centers, office buildings, mixed-use centers, and corporate campuses. The company also owns a group of premier hotels including the Peabody Hotels in Memphis and Orlando.

 
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