KFC and Doris Roberts Herald A New Family Dinner Tradition; Encourage Americans to Pledge to Come Together for the Evening Meal

LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Doris Roberts, known to audiences as "Marie" from Everybody Loves Raymond, joins forces with Kentucky Fried Chicken in an effort to bring families together at dinnertime. The importance of the family meal has been well documented; but the challenge of gathering everyone around the table at the end of the day is also well-known. Thirty to forty percent of American families fail to eat dinner together five or more nights a week; families with older teenagers tend to gather even less often than that.(1) KFC is working to help families create their own new dinner traditions with the Bring Back Family Dinner Pledge and Sweepstakes. Roberts, a grandmother of three, knows first hand the importance of family mealtime gatherings, and was the first to take the Pledge.

"As Marie on Everybody Loves Raymond, I was always trying to get the family around the dinner table and it played for a lot of laughs." said Doris Roberts. "It's not easy for many families today; with schedules and commitments, it can be tough to have everyone come to the dinner table. So don't worry about the table; sure, you can all eat in the kitchen or the dining room. It can be a card table in the driveway to shake things up. Or it doesn't even have to be in the home. Create that important family dinnertime on the blanket at the soccer game or have a moving picnic in the car on the way to play practice. What's important is sharing food and sharing time."

"We are seeing clear evidence of our Cocooning and Anchoring Trends as of late as people are more and more feeling the need for security and safety in today's chaotic world, and are returning to the comforts of home. This migration back to the home is playing out in many areas, perhaps most notably in its impact on an activity like family dinner," said Faith Popcorn, founder and CEO of Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve, a strategic marketing consultancy that helps lead businesses to where consumers are and will be. "Amidst these changes, we are witnessing a cultural shift that involves an overwhelming sense of community. As a result, American families are no longer questioning the value of family mealtime, but rather are trying to answer the question of how to adapt this valuable family activity to the needs and demands of modern family life. How can they start a new family dinner tradition today, whatever that might be? The companies who will succeed in this environment are those who best harness today's cultural currents to provide consumers different options that enable American families to embrace and redefine the family dinner experience."

Studies have shown that having dinner together helps a family be healthier and feel more connected. A 2004 University of Minnesota study of kids 11 to 18 years old found that teens that have dinner with their parents are less likely to be depressed or try illegal substances and often achieve better grades.(2)

The KFC Bring Back Family Dinner Sweepstakes encourages families to commit to more dinnertimes together, and offers the chance to win free family dinners from KFC. Families are invited to log on to http://www.kfcfamilydinner.com/ to take the Pledge and be automatically entered to win one of 2,500 KFC family dinners. One lucky Grand Prize-winning family will receive a weekly KFC dinner for an entire year.

"Our goal is to make it easy for all kinds of families to bring dinnertime back to their daily routine. More than 50 years ago, Colonel Harland Sanders was one of the first entrepreneurs to offer consumers fully prepared "home- cooked" meals without the fuss. Today, KFC's world famous chicken is still the savory centerpiece of the family dinner. By pledging to engage in family mealtimes together, families can create new dinner traditions that will continue for generations," said Gregg Dedrick, KFC president.

Families can also find family dinner tips, conversation starters and ideas for family dinner fun at http://www.kfcfamilydinner.com/.

About the Bring Back Family Dinner Sweepstakes

Participants can take the Pledge and enter to win family dinners for four by visiting http://www.kfcfamilydinner.com/. You must be 18 or older to take the pledge and participate in the contest. All entries must be received or postmarked by September 8, 2005. For more details on terms and conditions of the sweepstakes, please visit http://www.kfcfamilydinner.com/.

About KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe(R), Extra Crispy(TM) and Colonel's Crispy Strips(R) with home-style sides, Honey BBQ Wings, and freshly made chicken sandwiches. Since its founding by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, KFC has been serving customers delicious, already-prepared complete family meals at affordable prices. There are over 13,000 KFC outlets in more than 80 countries and territories around the world serving some eight million customers each day. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky.

1. Benefits of the Dinner Table Ritual by Laurie Tarkan, The New York Times, May 3, 2005 2. 2004 University of Minnesota study as published in The Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine and reported in The New York Times, May 3, 2005 Contacts: Bonnie Warschauer 502-874-2855 bonnie.warschauer@kfc.com Laura Springer 212-445-8174 lspringer@webershandwick.com