Free food makes a tasty compelling marketing strategy
Anyone who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch these days isn’t looking hard enough.
Scores of popular restaurant chains are increasingly offering up not only free food, but a variety of free menu items, such as desserts and drinks, to get customers in the door with hopes of making them into repeat customers.
Just in the past several weeks, McDonald’s provided free samples of its iced coffee and free breakfast burritos. Starbucks, whose stock price has faltered in recent months, gave out free cups of its new Pike Place Roast brand of coffee and Jamba Juice served up free breakfast. Last Tuesday, Ben & Jerry’s handed out free ice cream cones, in what has become an annual event that benefits charities.
Even in tough economic times, retailers say they will keep the freebies coming. In fact, such free-product promotions may actually proliferate as the downturn progresses and consumers, reeling from high food prices, are less likely to eat out, let alone try a new restaurant or venture in for new menu items.
“Providing free food is a great way to reach out to people who haven’t tried us before,” said Jennifer Granillo, marketing consultant for Chipotle, a fresh-Mex-type fast-food chain with more than 700 locations nationwide, including four in Utah. “It’s also a good reward for our regular customers.”
Pizza chain Papa John’s narrowed its free food offer this year to people celebrating birthdays on Leap Day - Feb. 29. They got a free, large one-topping pizza if they ordered online, used the promotion code LEAPDAY and provided proof of their birthdate.
Moms will be targeted by TCBY frozen yogurt’s freebie offer on May 11. They get a free cup or cone.
The key to a successful free-food promotion, Granillo said, is for the restaurant to make sure it is well-staffed, that there is enough food to go around and that employees are friendly.
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