Blimpie Franchise Ranks #221 In Entrepreneur Magazine's 2011 Franchise 500

(Wednesday, February 09, 2011) - 'We are very pleased with our growth this year both in franchise development and consumer sales, as evidenced by our higher franchise ranking for 2011,' said Jillian K. Henry, director of franchise development & product licensing for Kahala. 'Blimpie was also ranked #173 among America's Top Global Franchises.'

The first Blimpie restaurant opened in 1964 in Hoboken, NJ., with a simple idea: stack freshly sliced meats and cheeses custom prepared on fresh-baked breads right in front of the customer. Blimpie continues that idea, still freshly slicing meats and cheeses and offering quality and fresh ingredients.

Companies ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 are judged on several different criteria, including financial strength, stability, growth rate, system size, number of years the company has been operating, length in time the company's been franchising, startup costs and more.

'We support our Blimpie franchisees through training, national and local marketing efforts, operations, development, and more. Blimpie has everything a businessperson looks for: a proven business model, a quality product, experienced support, and loyal customers,' added Henry, 'And we are continuing to grow the brand both from existing multi-unit franchise owners and new franchisees.'

Blimpie's commitment to the success and growth of the franchise community contributed to the brand's inclusion in several different industry accolades throughout the years. Blimpie also plans to expand not only in new locations across the country, but also through co-branding opportunities. Blimpie is part of the Kahala portfolio of brands, which allows the sub shop to co-brand with other Kahala concepts, including Great Steak and Cold Stone Creamery.

About Blimpie:

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Blimpie serves freshly-sliced, deli style sandwiches made with quality ingredients along with delicious soups and salads. Founded in 1964, Blimpie has grown to close to 1,000 franchised restaurants across the U.S and Kuwait. In 2006, Blimpie became part of Kahala, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world with a portfolio of 12 quick-service restaurant brands. For more information about Blimpie visit blimpie.com.