Exhibit 99.1

       BJ's Restaurants Inc. Co-Chairmen Adopt Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans

     HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2006--BJ's Restaurants
Inc. (Nasdaq:BJRI) today announced that Co-Chairmen Paul Motenko and Jerry
Hennessy have each established personal stock trading plans pursuant to, and
intended to comply with, Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
     Under the terms of their plans, Motenko and Hennessy may each sell up to
80,000 shares during the period from March 14, 2006 through Dec. 31, 2006. The
shares to be sold will be acquired through the exercise of employee stock
options. If Motenko and Hennessy complete all the planned sales of shares under
their Rule 10b5-1 plans, they would together continue to own approximately 1.3
million shares and vested options, representing approximately 5.8 percent of the
company's outstanding stock (based on the most recently reported number of
outstanding shares of the company).
     "Our optimism for the company's future growth prospects has never been
stronger," commented Motenko. "Having said that, both Jerry Hennessy and I have
the vast majority of our personal assets invested in company stock and our
10b5-1 plans are being adopted as part of a long-term strategy to diversify a
portion of our personal assets."
     Rule 10b5-1 allows persons who may be considered company insiders to
establish written pre-arranged stock trading plans when they do not have
material, non-public information. The plans establish predetermined trading
parameters that do not permit the person adopting the plan to exercise any
subsequent influence over how, when or whether to affect trades. Implementation
of these plans seeks to avoid concerns about executing stock transactions while
in possession of material, non-public information and to minimize the market
impact of stock trades by spreading them over an extended period of time.
Transactions under these plans will be disclosed publicly through Form 144 and
Form 4 filings as required by the SEC.

     BJ's Restaurants Inc. currently owns and operates 46 casual dining
restaurants under the BJ's Restaurant and Brewery, BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse
or BJ's Pizza & Grill brand names. BJ's restaurants offer an innovative and
broad menu featuring award-winning, signature deep-dish pizza complemented with
generously portioned salads, sandwiches, soups, pastas, entrees and desserts.
Quality, flavor, value, moderate prices and sincere service remain distinct
attributes of the BJ's experience. The company operates 11 microbreweries which
produce and distribute BJ's critically acclaimed handcrafted beers throughout
the majority of the chain. The company's restaurants are located in California
(31), Texas (6), Arizona (4), Oregon (3), Colorado (1) and Nevada (1). The
company also has a licensing interest in a BJ's restaurant in Lahaina, Maui.
Visit BJ's Restaurants Inc. on the Web at http://www.bjsrestaurants.com.

     Certain statements in the preceding paragraphs and all other statements
that are not purely historical constitute "forward-looking statements" for
purposes of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities and Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created
thereby. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results to be materially
different from those projected or anticipated. Factors that might cause such
differences include, but are not limited to: (i) our ability to manage an
increasing number of new restaurant openings, (ii) construction delays, (iii)
labor shortages, (iv) minimum wage increases (v) food quality and health
concerns, (vi) factors that impact California, where 31 of our current 46
restaurants are located, (vii) restaurant and brewery industry competition,
(viii) impact of certain brewery business considerations, including without
limitation, dependence upon suppliers and related hazards, (ix) consumer trends,
(x) potential uninsured losses and liabilities, (xi) fluctuating commodity costs
including food and energy, (xii) trademark and servicemark risks, (xiii)
government regulations, (xiv) licensing costs (xv) beer and liquor regulations,
(xvi) loss of key personnel, (xvii) inability to secure acceptable sites,
(xviii) limitations on insurance coverage, (xix) legal proceedings, (xx) other
general economic and regulatory conditions and requirements, (xxi) and numerous
other matters discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. BJ's Restaurants Inc. undertakes no obligation to update or
alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.

     For further information, please contact Greg Levin of BJ's Restaurants
Inc., 714-848-3747, ext. 240.


     CONTACT: BJ's Restaurants Inc.
              Greg Levin, 714-848-3747, ext. 240