Arby's curly fries. Photo: Mr. Wright, Flickr
The fast-food chain has kept Detroit-area sports fans satiated with free grub by tying giveaways to sports feats. For Tigers baseball fans, it's a free roast beef sandwich for three or more home-game home runs, says Tina Hering, marketing manager for Arby's in Michigan.
The baseball team was able to achieve that goal 18 times this season. But it's been a waiting game for hockey fans who've dubbed the lack of hat tricks as "the Arby's Curse." The curse was finally lifted last week.
During the Red Wings' 18th game of the season on Nov. 14, left winger Henrik Zetterberg scored three goals in the 7-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. (Zetterberg had scored the team's last hat trick in March 2008.)
"I was really excited and believe I actually yelled Curly Fries when he got the goal," says Lindsay Harting, who writes the popular Hockeytown Static, a Red Wings fan blog.
The Red Wings went the entire 2008-2009 season without a hat trick -- which also shut out their fans from what was then an offer of free roast beef sandwiches, says Lindsay's sister, Trisha Harting. At the start of this year's season the offer was changed to a gratis box of curly fries.
"We were surprised the Wings did not score a hat trick last season but we knew with the strength of their team that was unusual," says Tina Hering, Arby's Michigan marketing manager, who runs the promotion with FOX Sports Detroit.
Both hockey and baseball fans must show their team scorecards to prove game attendance and collect on the Arby's offer, Hering says.
While it was hardly as euphoric as the Wings' Stanley Cup triumph, fans seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief when Zetterberg lifted the Arby's curse.
"Nothing will be as sweet as walking into Arby's tomorrow, holding the boxscore and asking for free potatoes," wrote the Harting sisters on Nov. 14. "It's taken a freakishly long time, but it's here now."
The Red Wings offer a McDonald's food giveaway for fans who text their choice for player of the game but that they preferred waiting for Arby's to pay off, the Harting sisters say.
"It was almost a sense of relief to finally be able to get my free food from Arby's," Trisha Harting says.
Does your sports team have a food promotion? Tell us about it in the comments below.
11-21-2009 @6:42AM Millerson said... Do you people have any idea at all how pathetic you look to Europeans reading this AOL story? Probably you don't.
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11-21-2009 @7:07AM wes said... I tryed to eat at Arbys, but every one I have visited is greasy, and run down, operated by people who are refugees, or white trash with a minimum wage job. The sauces are also always at room temperature, and I am not certain that is sanitary.
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11-21-2009 @8:19AM M16madness said... Millerson....Europeans can suck a fat one. The Canadians eat french fries covered in gravy at their hockey games and nobody whines. Get off the Anti-American band wagon you copy cat non thinking trendoid.
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11-21-2009 @8:30AM Larry Hobbs said... Haha Millerson, you are owned.
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11-21-2009 @9:12AM Lauren said... NY ISLANDERS--
when they score 3 or more goals in a game, the fans get free chili from Wendy's. i dont eat chili so it doesnt matter to me...as long as the islanders win, im happy!!
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11-21-2009 @9:18AM JOHN said... I live in Hingham Mass. We are tired of being discriminated against, because we are rich. We want an Arby's here now.
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11-21-2009 @9:23AM Howie said... Millerson - any idea how pathetic you europeans look to America when we have to send our troops to save your sorry asses from facist dictators every 50 years?
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11-21-2009 @10:45AM john foote said... I think it is Kangaroo meat. Bad ,Bad
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11-21-2009 @11:47AM bill said... millerson
English "cuisine" is considered among the most common and peasant like in all the world. Hagis and blood pudding and organ meat and YUCK. If you read a thousand cookbooks and watch a thousand cooking shows you will never find any reference to British cuisine. No such thing. And don't name drop Julia Child on me. She was an English cook who did everything BUT English cooking. I'll take Arby's fries any day of the year over ANY English food. Burrrrrp to you.
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11-21-2009 @11:51AM Bret said... Millerson. NO ONE in the USA gives two sh!ts about Europe and what they think, so shove it.
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11-21-2009 @12:08PM MIKE ZVIRBLIS said... IVE HEARD OF THE CURSE OF NO MEAT IN THE FOOD!OR IS THAT THEW CURSE OF ALL FAST FOOD PLACES? OR IS THAT JUST HOW THEY DO BUISNESS?
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11-21-2009 @12:50PM Elise said... When the Clemson Tigers score 28 points in football at home, a ticket to that game is redeemable for a free taco at Taco Bell. Whenever, we reach 28 points, fans just start screaming,"TACO!"
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11-22-2009 @11:27AM Daryl said... I don't know when or where the Arby's some of you goto are but I ate at Arby's for the first time in a long, long time last week and I must say it was not bad. Actually, I enjoyed it very much...If you havn't been in a while check it out!
Arby's reminds me a bit of the American car...All say American cars are cheap, unreliable and put them down....Then I ask "When is the last time you driven and American car"? I get responses like 15 years ago, 10 years ago, 12 years ago.....Maybe in all that time they have gotten better! I know Arby's has!
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11-21-2009 @1:33PM matt715 said... Millerson, Europeans eat junk food, too. Get a life - or at least get out of America if you don't like it.
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11-21-2009 @5:16PM Gobo said... Are all Slashfood readers as jingoistic, isolationist, and anti-European as the ones in this comment thread, or do all the dumb Americans come out to read a story about fast food and get angry at someone mentioning Europe?
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11-22-2009 @8:00PM Mark said... Ha, I love the arguments above and looking at the promotion with unbiased eyes (yeah, that's hard as I'm a sports fan myself) it does seem silly to connect scores with free food....but with the current state of the US economy I guess we're all looking for some highlights.
I'm a NY sports fan and these big franchises have given me an idea with this food thing. Would anybody be interested in free gelato? Which team should we connect with? Hmmm...maybe the NY Knicks? hehe.
http://www.gelatony.com
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11-23-2009 @1:23PM newsjunkie43 said... Sorry, Bill -- Julia Child was very much an American. See http://www.biography.com/articles/Julia-Child-9246767
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11-23-2009 @3:32PM jhon said... Millerson, Europeans eat junk food, too. Get a life - or at least get out of America if you don't like it.
best steak online
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