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Sunday, 20 December, 2009 11:44 AM
Denny’s Diners Dig Into
Rascal Flatts’ Unstoppable Breakfast (CMA)
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Photo
courtesy of Denny's
Jay
DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney show off their Unstoppable
Breakfast. |
| By
Bob Doerschuk |
| ©
2009 CMA Close Up News Service |
Country Music fans are
always hungry for a great show. But after exiting their favorite
live venue, many of them feel a different craving — to share
the experience over after-hours eats.
That’s where Denny’s
enters the picture. With approximately 1,550 outlets in every state
but Wyoming, the restaurant chain is as much a part of the landscape
as mountains in Colorado. And since the griddle is hot and the lights
are on 24/7 at nearly all of its locations, Denny’s is an
ideal destination for late-nighters.
That’s why the
company decided to target the 18–24 demographic with its Denny’s
All-Nighter campaign, one cornerstone of which became the Rockstar
Menu presented by Dr Pepper, a selection of meals created by artists
and served exclusively from 10 PM to 5 AM. True to its name, the
program featured rock bands initially — Good Charlotte, Gym
Class Heroes and Sum 41. But in June, Rascal Flatts became the first
Country superstars to add their culinary creations to the list.
Dubbed the Unstoppable
Breakfast to tie in with the title of their latest album on Lyric
Street Records, this down-home pièce de résistance
serves up a biscuit topped with country-fried steak, eggs made to
order, American cheese, country gravy and three bacon strips, with
hash browns on the side.
The band was eager to
sink their teeth into the project. Flying into Denver a day ahead
of their concert there, Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney
joined Andy Dismore, Denny’s designated “Rockstar Chef,”
at a local Denny’s to personally prepare and premiere their
recipe. A film crew captured the event, which was featured in a
commercial that would air not only on CMT and GAC but also on late-night
network programming, to the tune of their single “Summer Nights,”
featured on their Unstoppable album.
“We wanted to convey
to fans that this really happened,” explained Michael Polydoroff,
Director of New Products Marketing, Denny’s. “They went
into the kitchen, put on their chef coats, which we’d stitched
their names into, and had fun, so you could see the authenticity
and credibility of the dish.”
Though Denny’s
doesn’t pay Rockstar Menu participants, it added value to
the deal by providing coupons for distribution at Rascal Flatts
shows and e-mailing them to the group’s fan database, each
of which allowed a free Unstoppable Breakfast with purchase of any
other Rockstar menu item.
"Rascal Flatts as
a brand has celebrated many firsts," said Heather Conley, Director
of Marketing, Lyric Street Records. “A Country artist had
never been associated with the Rockstar menu, and the promotion
served as a vehicle to reach their core audience and beyond."
On the Web: www.Dennys.com,
www.RascalFlatts.com.
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