Cheers

Cheers Jan/Feb 2017

Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.

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www.cheersonline.com 16 • January/February 2017 • January/February 2017 How important is the day in bars and restaurants? A study conducted a few years ago by the National Restaurant Association found that more than a quarter of the adult population plan to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in a restaurant or bar each year. What's more, over 40% of those surveyed considered holiday promotions or traditional Irish menu items as the biggest factor in choosing an establishment. According to the National Retail Federation survey on consumer behavior around the holiday, Americans were expected to spend $4.4 billion on all things green during March 2016, with about 40% of the key demographic of ages 25 to 34 planning to attend an event at a bar or restaurant. What's the best way to take advantage of such open pocketbooks? Nearly every beer brand—and all the Irish spirit brands— provide multiple opportunities for creative promotions and advertising. But as the competition for the green during the wearing-of-the-green occasion has become fi erce, hanging up shamrocks and discounting green beer is no longer enough to make a mark. Here are a few ideas to boost the success of your St. Patrick's Day promotions. 1. OFFER A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE. The Greene Turtle, with more than 45 units in Maryland and surrounding states, may not be Irish, but the sports bar and grill chain enacts some serious Irish programming. It holds the "Festival of Greene" the Saturday before March 17. All locations offer a special food and drink menu for the month, while a few units add entertainment and special events, according to director of beverage and innovation Nick Kegg. "With 'Greene' being in our name, it's a natural sort of promotion for us," Kegg says. "All units sell Irish-themed merchandise, and some will go all out, with bagpipers and special event programming, adapting to their local community." For those ambitious units, the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day starts with a one-price (including beer) breakfast, followed by all-day drink specials, beer-pong and fl ip- cup tournaments, and Lucky Charms- and wings-eating competitions. Family-friendly options include face painting and Irish dancers and some costumed attractions and live music, depending on the location. At Ri Ra Irish Pub, with nine units nationally, each pub makes its own plans during the St. Patrick's Day period, says owner/founder David Kelly. "We have a program in Atlanta that raises funds for charity, for example, and then there's our location on the docks in Portland, Maine. They do the 'Penguin Plunge'—a bunch of people dive into the water in the dark at 5:30 in the morning." The Penguin Plunge raises money for the Portland Firefi ghters Children's Burn unit, while the Atlanta pre- Patrick's Day St. Baldrick's head-shaving event raises more than $100,000 for a child cancer foundation. On St. Patrick's Day itself in Atlanta, the streets outside the pub are blocked for the annual midtown Paddy's Day festival with live bands. In Las Vegas, Ri Ra hosts a week of live Irish entertainment, and in Charlotte there's a full calendar of events, including a March 11 pub crawl. Casual dining chain Bennigan's offers a month-long "Blarney Blast" promotion. This includes Irish-themed food and drinks, scratch-off sweepstakes cards for iPad Minis, free meals, appetizers and desserts, plus an online contest to win a trip for two to Ireland. 2. MAKE IT MORE THAN ONE DAY. Many operations create weekend celebrations when the calendar cooperates, while others build awareness of the day itself through multiple events during the week or even weeks before. Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery, a Celtic-themed sports bar franchise chain with about 90 units, marks the

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