A&W Restaurants has rolled out its first permanent value menu offering four $3 meals, the chain said Monday.
The 91-year-old brand, which has 640 locations in nine countries and another 500 units co-branded with sister concepts from parent Yum! Brands Inc., said the $3 Big Taste Meals pair French fries and either the BBQ Bacon Crunch Burger, Cheddar Onion Crunch Burger, Coney Cheese Dog or Deluxe Cheeseburger.
“A&W Restaurants has a long history of serving delicious all-American food, and now for the first time we’re combining our signature tastes with unbeatable value meals at just $3,” said chief marketing officer Barry Westrum. “With $3 Big Taste Meals, we want consumers to know that a good deal can also have great taste, and they don’t have to settle for unfilling, bland burgers any longer.”
Louisville, Ky.-based A&W is supporting the rollout of Big Taste Meals with an integrated marketing campaign focused on “Big Taste Nation,” the legion of fans the brand hopes to cultivate. A flag, currency and declaration have been developed for Big Taste Nation, and A&W will try to encourage the group’s members to “join the movement where a good meal deal can have fantastic taste” with broadcast, digital and local-store executions.
A special microsite, www.bigtastenation.com, and a Facebook campaign will try to identify the nation’s leaders. Consumers can declare themselves candidates for Big Taste Nation’s cabinet at the microsite and share the news with Facebook friends in order to gain votes. The person who receives the most online votes by Nov. 20 will be declared the “President” of Big Taste Nation and receive a four-day vacation worth up to $4,000 to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas or Miami.
The “Vice President” runner-up will receive a $1,500 gift card, while a “Secretary of Taste” and “Ambassador of Hunger” each will receive free $3 Big Taste Meals for a year.
In addition, A&W will use 15-second television commercials and radio spots to promote the meals, and an in-store loyalty program will offer customers a “passport” that can be stamped with all four $3 Big Taste Meal options and redeemed for a free value offering.
A&W Restaurants is a subsidiary of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum, which also operates and franchises the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s brands.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].