The Human Resources team at Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., parent company of T.G.I. Friday's® and Pick Up Stix® restaurants, was named Best Human Resources Organization at The 2007 American Business Awards ceremony in New York City earlier this week.

"It is an honor to have our Human Resources team recognized with this prestigious award," said Anne Varano, senior vice president of human resources and communication for Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, who accepted the award. "This award reflects our goal of making Carlson Restaurants Worldwide a great place for great people to do great work, and is a testament to the outstanding team of HR professionals we have at Carlson Restaurants Worldwide."

Carlson Restaurants Worldwide was a finalist in three other categories for the American Business Awards, dubbed the Stevie® Awards: Best Overall Company -- More than 2,500 Employees; Best Communications Team and Best Corporate Communicator -- Amy Freshwater, Vice President, Communication and Public Relations. Hailed as "the business world's own Oscars," The American Business Awards is the only national, all-encompassing awards program honoring great performances in business. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of Finalists and Stevie Award winners are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba.