A good restaurant promotion gets people talking, generates media attention and most importantly, brings in customers.
That’s what the owners of Rubbin’ Buttz BBQ in Colorado hoped to achieve with a controversial promotion that ran Thursday. “White Appreciation Day” was originally announced on May 7 by Edgar Antillon and Miguel Jimenez, owners of the barbecue joint, as a promotion that would offer a 10 percent discount to all white customers.
To no one’s surprise, the idea quickly came under fire, even resulting in a bomb threat to the business.
Antillon and Jimenez, both Hispanic, eventually decided to offer the discount to all customers. However, Antillon confirmed to the Scripps National Desk on Wednesday that the promotion would still be called “White Appreciation Day” and would go on as planned.
Below are six other memorable restaurant promotions from the past 20 years.
Restaurant: Taco Bell
Promotion: The Taco Liberty Bell (1996)
This gem was an April Fool’s Day prank that ruffled more than a few feathers in 1996. According to “Time” magazine, Taco Bell officials took out full-page ads in six major newspapers announcing that the company had bought the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and planned to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell.
Restaurant: Burger King
Promotion: Left-Handed Whopper (1998)
For April Fool’s Day 1998, Burger King took out a full-page ad in “USA Today” announcing the debut of a Whopper hamburger designed for left-handed people.
Restaurant: Ivar’s
Promotion: Underwater Billboard (2009)
This was one of those rare hoax promotions that fooled almost everyone. Ivar’s has been a staple of Seattle-area seafood since 1938, so when a 1950s-era billboard for the restaurant chain was excavated from the bottom of Puget Sound in 2009, it resulted in a swell of free media promotion. Ivar’s leadership later admitted it was a marketing stunt which set the company back about $250,000.
Restaurant: Pink Taco
Promotion: Pink-Painted Donkey (2011)
In celebration of Cinco de Mayo 2011, California-based Mexican restaurant Pink Taco featured a pink-painted donkey outside one of its locations. Animal activists were quick to bash the promotional stunt, resulting in an apology being issued from the eatery’s owner.
Restaurant: Mary’s Gourmet Diner
Promotion: Discount for “Taking a Moment” Before Meals (2014)
Last year, a restaurant in North Carolina offered a 15-percent discount to patrons who prayed or otherwise took a moment to express gratitude before their meal.
Restaurant: Jeju Island (China)
Promotion: Free Food for “Good-Looking” Customers (2015)
Earlier this year, a Korean-food restaurant in China drew criticism for offering free meals to customers who were deemed attractive.
Clint Davis is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
