Chili's Offers 'Kids Eat Free' E-Mail Promotion

Chili's Grill & Bar is offering members of its e-mail club a special two-day "Kids Eat Free" promotion that the chain is supporting with social media.

The deal, which was e-mailed to club members Monday, requires a "Febru-Awesome" coupon, a brand spokesperson said Tuesday, and is good only on Feb. 21 and 22 at the 800 company-owned units nationwide.

With the coupon, two children ages 12 or younger can eat a Kid's Meal free when one adult orders an entrée. Multiple coupons are allowed per table. The "Eat Free" deal is supported on Facebook and Twitter, the spokesperson said. The coupon can be redeemed from a smart phone and doesn't have to be printed out.

Chili's, a division of Dallas-based Brinker International, increasingly has been using e-mail and social media to market promotions. The company also has made substantial use of its e-mail club membership at the 45-unit Maggiano's Little Italy brand.

Chili's took a three-week network television hiatus in September and relied on social media and local marketing efforts to "augment our marketing strategy with more efficient social media and local marketing elements," Wyman Roberts, president of Brinker's Chili's division, said in a fall call with analysts. He added that the chain would be leveraging social and direct marketing more.

EARLIER: Brinker expands value strategy at Chili's

Brinker's system includes 1,529 Chili's and 45 Maggiano's restaurants. Brinker also retains a minority investment in Romano's Macaroni Grill.

Contact Ron Ruggless at ronald.ruggless@penton.com.
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