Brinker International Comparable Restaurant Sales Down 2%

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) today estimates earnings per diluted share from continuing operations, before special items, of $0.30 to $0.31 for the company's second quarter ended Dec. 26, 2007 as compared to earnings per diluted share from continuing operations, before special items, of $0.33 for the second quarter of fiscal 2007. For the second quarter of fiscal 2008, special items of approximately $0.13 per diluted share consist primarily of a gain on the sale of restaurants to a franchisee, partially offset by charges for the impairment of long-lived assets. For the second quarter of fiscal 2007, special items of ($0.01) were related to impairment charges for restaurant closures. As a result, the company estimates earnings per diluted share from continuing operations on a GAAP basis to be $0.43 to $0.44 for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 compared to $0.32 for the second quarter of the prior year.

For the second quarter of fiscal 2008, earnings before special items were primarily impacted by a decrease in Brinker comparable restaurant sales of approximately 2 percent (see Table 1) and the associated impact of sales deleverage on fixed costs. "It is obviously a very challenging time for our business, and we are not at all satisfied with our results. While we are confident we are focused on the right fundamentals to deliver what our guests are looking for, we will continue to look for additional opportunities to meet our guests' current needs and capitalize on future consumer trends," said Doug Brooks, Chairman and CEO of Brinker International.

Q2 preliminary comparable restaurant sales

  Q2 08 and Q2 07, company and three reported brands, percentage



                           Q2 08        Q2 07        Q2 08

                         Comparable   Comparable    Pricing          Q2 08

                           Sales        Sales       Impact         Mix-Shift

  Brinker

   International(1)        (2.1)        (1.4)         2.8            0.3

    Chili's                (2.4)        (1.2)         2.8            0.9

    On The

     Border                (4.3)        (3.6)         2.2            0.1

    Maggiano's              1.7         (1.3)         3.1           (2.7)



   (1) Brinker International preliminary comparable restaurant sales exclude

       the impact of Macaroni Grill

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