Shorty’s Bar-B-Q Restaurants

This year, instead of spending hours in the midst of crazed holiday shoppers searching for the perfect gift that you know the person isn’t going to like anyway, consider the benefits of giving a Restaurant Gift Card.

• Applebee’s Gift Cards
• Black Angus Gift Card
• Bonefish Grill Gift Cards
• Brinker Gift Cards
• Buca di Beppo Gift Cards
• Carrabba’s Italian Grill Gift Cards
• Cheesecake Factory Gift Cards
• Chili’s Gift Cards
• Claim Jumper Gift Cards
• Cracker Barrel Gift Cards
• El Pollo Loco Gift Cards
• Grinders Above & Beyond Gift Cards
• Hoss’s Steak and Sea House Gift Cards
• IHOP Gift Cards
• Jack in the Box Gift Cards
• Legal Sea Foods Gift Cards
• Luby’s Gift Cards
• Macaroni Grill Gift Cards
• Maggiano’s Gift Cards
• Max & Erma’s Gift Cards
• Old Chicago Gift Cards
• On the Border Gift Cards
• Outback Steakhouse Gift Cards
• P.F. Changs Gift Cards
• Pizza Hut Gift Cards
• Red Robin Gift Cards
• Rock Bottom Restaurants Gift Cards
• Ruby Tuesday Gift Cards
• Shula’s Steakhouse Gift Cards
• Spaghetti Warehouse Gift Cards
• SUBWAY Gift Cards
• T.G.I. Friday’s Gift Cards
• Uno’s Gift Cards
• Yardhouse Gift Cards

Carino’s Italian, a chain of casual restaurants, is sponsoring a contest to create commercials that is open to its 4,000 servers and other hourly staff members. The contest began last week and is to run through Feb. 13.

The inspiration for the contest is something that happened to Ryan Bearden, the director of marketing at Carino’s, while he was eating at a Carino’s in Austin, Tex.

Continue reading . . .

Starbucks revealed the logo — which drops the green ring with the text “Starbucks Coffee” and more prominently displays its famed siren — to employees in its Seattle offices and on a webcast. Mr. Schultz said in a video post on the company’s website that while allowing the siren to come out of the circle indicates Starbucks’ intention to broaden its focus, “make no mistake: We have been, we will continue to be and we always will be, the world’s leading purveyor of the highest-quality coffee.”

Continue reading . . .

So when he persuaded her to sign up for Panera’s new customer reward program, “MyPanera,” she figured it to be just another ploy to keep her coming back another week.

But after she was given a complimentary pastry item of her choice immediately after activating her card, Welch said she instantly saw a value she can appreciate.

“It makes me want to come back, to know, ‘Hey, I can come in and get something for free – that I’ve been spending money toward something,’” said Welch, 34, a stay-at-home mom.

Continue reading . . .

The bluegrass band waited three years to get what they wanted from the popular restaurant chain – a slot in its exclusive music program.

“It’s a blessing,” Grascals guitarist Jamie Johnson said. “We’re very lucky to get one in there.”

In an increasingly digital world, Cracker Barrel has one of the largest footprints in the United States when it comes to physical album sales – and it’s looking to grow in new directions.

Continue reading . . .

The Original Slider-scented candle has been in high demand since it first became first available for purchase in May in honor of National Hamburger Month. In October, the candle returned again at White Castle’s online retail outlet, www.houseofcrave.com.

“Customers everywhere are clamoring for the candle, so we’re going to make it even easier for them to get what they crave,” said Jamie Richardson, White Castle vice president of corporate relations.

White Castle’s Original Slider-scented candle is the only burger-scented candle on the market.

The candle design replicates the slider in a ceramic holder that reproduces the signature cardboard sleeve of the White Castle hamburger packaging. It’s a fun gift for the meat-lover in the family and for supporters of autism awareness. The candle retails for $13 and net proceeds benefit Autism Speaks.

But the social web offers a lot more than just discounts and deals when it comes to drinking and dining. Restaurants and bars are giving social media users a backstage pass to the food and the people who make it. Chefs and restaurateurs are using social media to reveal how their dishes are made, generate familiarity with chefs and provide a means for diners to share feedback.

While customers go to lower end restaurants looking for value and discounts, higher-end restaurants think that “discounts cheapen the experience,” says Tom O’Keefe, a Boston-based restaurant tweeter and social media-focused marketer.

Continue reading . . .

“Bojangles’ gift cards are perfect gifts for out of town friends and relatives,” noted Bojangles’ Senior Vice President of Marketing Randy Poindexter. Bojangles’ gift cards can easily be inserted in your holiday greeting card and dropped in the mail. , The recipient will have a smile on their face as soon as they open it.

“And with Bojangles’ great prices,” added Poindexter, “even a $5 gift card can get the recipient a biscuit sandwich combo, complete with Bo-rounds or seasoned fries and a drink. After a season full of ham, turkey and other holiday traditions, Bojangles’ uniquely flavorful food is the perfect way to start off the new year.”

“The holidays are such a magical time for everyone. For millions of children across the world, so is Chuck E. Cheese’s so what better way to make Christmas even more magical than by combining the two and getting some free tokens as well,” said Richard Huston, EVP, Marketing at CEC Entertainment, Inc.

To keep the kids excited and engaged with the holidays before they peek in their stockings and see their glimmering tokens, Chuck E. Cheese’s is offering free, downloadable gift tags for the kids to decorate and label. The perfect way to add a personal touch to presents for friends and family, the gift tags can be found and printed online at http://www.chuckecheese.com/promotions/gift-tags.php.

Guests can get even more free tokens on their next trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s by bringing in one of the completed Reward Calendars or the kids’ most recent report card as part of Chuck E. Cheese’s Tokens for Grades program. As always, guests can mix-and-match coupons and token offers when visiting participating Chuck E. Cheese’s, so they are encouraged to combine their 20 free tokens from their gift card purchase with any of Chuck E. Cheese’s other promotions or offers. And because all games are only one token at Chuck E. Cheese’s, the free tokens can provide hours of entertainment for families.

Guests can find additional details about the holiday promotion as well as other offers on the Chuck E. Cheese’s website at http://www.chuckecheese.com, on the company’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/officialchuckecheese and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chuckecheese.