Press Release

Cafe in New York City Bringing Concept to Bear- Lovers of All Ages

St. Louis, MO, (September 6, 2005)—Build-A-Bear Workshop® brings a new taste to their entertainment retail vision with the launch of a premiere food experience at their recently opened flagship store in the heart of New York City. Partnering with award winning Levy Restaurants to open the Eat with Your Bear Hands Cafe within the new 21,500 square foot retail destination, Guests from 3 to 103 will now see and “taste” the difference for lunch, dinner and birthday party celebrations, Build-A-Bear Workshop style. The restaurant grand opening is on September 16.

“Build-A-Bear Workshop is thrilled to be working with Levy Restaurants to open this fun, interactive dining experience located in our Biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop in the world. Eat with Your Bear Hands Cafe offers Guests the same level of personalized and hands-on experience they are accustomed to having at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores.” said Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Recognized as one of the fastest growing restaurant companies in the country, Levy Restaurants is a natural partner for Build-A-Bear Workshop Eat with Your Bear Hands Café. Both Build-A-Bear Workshop and Levy Restaurants are both dedicated to providing Guests with an interactive entertainment experience that the entire family can enjoy. This 100 seat casual dining area will invite Guests and their stuffed animals to eat with their “bear” hands and will offer Guests a kid-friendly dining experience featuring foods that Guests of all ages love!,” said Clark.

“We are excited to share this opportunity to partner with Build-A-Bear Workshop® to take guests of all ages on a delicious journey, said Andy Lansing, president and chief executive officer of Levy Restaurants. “It's exciting for us to bring our guests a spectacular food experience that complements an already unforgettable entertainment retail experience.”

Levy Restaurants has worked with the Build-A-Bear Workshop team to create an “eat with your bear hands” experience, where the food is inspiration to do just that, dig in, pick your meal up and enjoy with your “paws.” Kids will delight in a sampling of mini-hot dogs with fries, tender chicken nuggets, pizza cut into strips, perfect for hand-held enjoyment. Kids at heart will indulge in everything from Asian and Cobb salads to gourmet sandwiches in the premiere cafe located on the lower level of the new Build-A-Bear Workshop store. Just like the retail experience, the dining is interactive as well. Kids can create and design their very own bear shaped sugar cookies with icing that comes in a variety of rainbow-colored tubes a top an engaging placemat that says, Dress Me!, Paint Me!, and Ice Me!. A beary sweet experience from top to bottom!

In addition to the Eat with Your Bear Hands Cafe, three private party rooms have been created to celebrate birthdays, group events or any gathering of 20 or more bear lovers. Party Guests can reserve a private party room where they can make their bears, enjoy birthday cake and receive a special visit from Bearemy®, Build-A-Bear Workshop huggable mascot.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW), with fiscal 2004 total revenue of $302 million, is the only national company that offers Guests an interactive make-your-own-stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. The first store opened in St. Louis in 1997; the company currently operates over 190 stores in the United States and Canada. With the opening of its store in Sheffield, England, in the fall of 2003 and the addition of international stores in Japan, Denmark, Australia, South Korea and France, Build-A-Bear Workshop has become the global leader in the teddy bear business. In November 2004, the company opened two friends 2B made® stores, the newest concept based on the doll-making experience. For more information about the company and its products, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning web site at www.buildabear.com.

About Levy Restaurants
Chicago-based Levy Restaurants is recognized as one of the country's fastest growing and most critically acclaimed restaurant companies and is the market leader in premium sports and entertainment dining. The company owns, manages or operates 95 locations, including 24 restaurants and 71 sports and entertainment venues, in 41 markets across North America and Canada. Levy's portfolio includes award-winning restaurants such as Spiaggia and Bistro 110 in Chicago and Fulton's Crab House in Walt Disney World® Resort. The sports and entertainment division manages convention facilities, music/performance venues, stadiums and arenas for all major sports leagues including STAPLES Center and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, American Airlines Arena in Miami, Wrigley Field in Chicago, and Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Levy's scorecard of events includes numerous Super Bowls, Grammy Awards, major league All-star and championship games, World Series, Kentucky Derbys and NASCAR racing. Levy also operates retail locations including the Hershey's store in Chicago, and retail stores at both Wrigley Field and Arlington Park. For further details on Levy Restaurants, visit the company website at www.levyrestaurants.com.

TRADEMARKS
We would like to thank you for your interest in covering our business. As you write your story we would like to ask that you use our full Name: Build-A-Bear Workshop® and that when referencing the process of making stuffed animals you use the word “make” not “build.”

Build-A-Bear Workshop® is our well-known trade name and our registered trademark of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. Build-A-Bear Workshop® should only be used in capital letters to refer to our products and services and should not be used as a verb.

Build-A-Bear Workshop® Contacts:
Kris Brill
314-780-1332
krbrill@swbell.net

Jennifer Mansell
314.423.8000 ext 5402
414.801.1146 cell
jenniferm@buildabear.com

Levy Restaurants Contact:
Natasha Bergeron
312.335.5108
nbergeron@levyrestaurants.com

SOURCE: Build-A-Bear Workshop(R)