Barry E. Krantz

Gardenburger, Inc. is a producer and marketer of meat alternative products and branded veggie burgers. The Gardenburger product line is a national brand in the retail grocery, food service, club store and natural foods channels of distribution and features core burger offerings such as the original Gardenburger veggie burger, meatless soy burgers such as Gardenburger Flame Grilled and innovative meatless specialty items and new Gardenburger Meals. The company was organized in 1985 as an Oregon corporation under the name Wholesome & Hearty Foods, Inc. and completed its initial public offering in 1992. In October 1997 they changed their name to Gardenburger, Inc; and began doing business in 2002 as Gardenburger Authentic Foods Co. The company is headquartered in Irvine, CA.

Worldwide Restaurant Concepts, Inc. operated, developed, and franchised restaurants throughout the world. The company was founded on March 6, 1991 and was headquartered in Missin Viejo, CA.

When the Fresh Choice chain of self-service restaurants launched in 1986, there were a few fundamental goals that they set out to achieve. Since the very beginning it has wanted to provide diners with a wide selection of tasty, fresh, high-quality food at an economical price. It succeeded in its goals and has blossomed from a single location opened in 1986 to 29 restaurants under the company brand name and 1 under the Zoopa brand name. The restaurants are located in California (28), the state of Washington (1) and Texas (1). In addition, the company operates one Fresh Choice Express restaurant, one dual-branded Fresh Choice Express and licensed Starbucks retail stores and one stand-alone licensed Starbucks retail store in Texas. It combines the comfort and quality of a casual full-service restaurant with the economy and convenience of self-service or traditional buffet restaurants. It offers a selection of food stations, serving freshly prepared Pastas, Soups, Pizza and Baked Goods along with 'the best salad bar in the business' and fresh fruit. Diners are invited to visit these stations and the salad bar as many times as they wish, for one low price. It focuses on tasty, satisfying fare, and is also the most economical, convenient option for those who want to get five to nine daily servings of fruits and vegetables, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. All of this makes the company an ideal spot for most every type of diner, from students to families to seniors.