FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PALMYRA, Va., Jan. 29, 2007 – Budding restaurateurs, sharpen your pencils: Sweet Peas Neighborhood Bistro & Pour House (http://www.sweetpeasbistro.com) is up for grabs, and it may be the most affordable full-service restaurant ever sold.

But prospective owners won’t find Sweet Peas on the Fluvanna County real estate market. Instead, Sweet Peas founder Joanna Yoakam, who will be relocating to Florida this summer to be closer to family, wants to give one lucky person the break of a lifetime.

So Yoakam has launched an essay contest. Through May 31, 2007, anyone with a dream of owning a restaurant can tell their story in 500 words or less and submit it to Sweet Peas with a $199 entry fee. After the minimum required number of entries is received, Yoakam and her team will select the best essay based on specific criteria, and the winner will receive the two-year-old Sweet Peas Neighborhood Bistro & Pour House, a 75-seat restaurant at Lake Monticello in Palmyra, free and clear--including all equipment, furnishings, inventory, lease assignments and clientele. Entry fees will be used to pay off the restaurant’s remaining debt.

“I want to be able to share the dream with someone who will take as much pride in ownership as I do,” explained Yoakam, for whom Sweet Peas is the culmination of 25 years in the food industry. “An opportunity like this will allow someone, who might not otherwise be able, to take over a successful business, have an excellent staff in place and with almost 100% certainty be successful in continuing the business.”

And that’s what makes the Sweet Peas contest so unusual. Unlike many other businesses sold through essay contests, Sweet Peas is a clean, popular, modern, fully equipped, operating restaurant and bar with a loyal staff and annual sales of approximately $650,000.

Originally expecting to operate Sweet Peas until retirement, Yoakam built her business without cutting corners. The dining room was completely remodeled, the POS system is brand-new, and the kitchen includes extras like an immersion blender, a full-size meat slicer and an outdoor walk-in cooler-freezer. The restaurant features a 30-seat patio, catering and buffet equipment, and a full bar with seating. In short, everything needed to keep the restaurant running is included, down to an extendable light bulb changer and holiday decorations.

“Sweet Peas is a living, breathing business that supports several families,” said Yoakam. “The winner will have to know his or her way around a kitchen, or at least know how to run a business and be willing to work hard alongside the employees. It’s a dream come true for anyone who has ever wanted to own their own restaurant.”

Contest entries will be accepted through May, and a winner will be announced in June. To view photos and a detailed list of everything included with the restaurant, or to enter the contest, visit http://www.sweetpeasbistro.com.

Contact:

Joanna Yoakam

Sweet Peas Neighborhood Bistro

434-589-6590

sweetpeasbistro@earthlink.net

http://www.sweetpeasbistro.com

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