What’s on your weekend calendar? If it includes a trip anywhere near Durham, NC’s Southpoint mall on Saturday, you’ll certainly want to consider stopping by this great event for some bar-b-q, summer fun, and an easy chance to support a great cause!
Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® will be part of Macy’s BBQ Challenge taking place at the Streets at Southpoint at 2:00pm on Saturday, July 24th, 2010!
Macy’s is on a search to find the best barbecue in the Durham area. Groove to the sounds of the DJ as you enjoy samplings from local restaurants (including SCNB!).
While you’re there, be sure to enter to win great prizes, let the kids get their faces painted and get fantastic balloon art, plus, get cooking tips from some of your favorite brands! (Don’t forget to shop the Macy’s Home Store for the “must haves” to create your own grilling masterpiece. — They are the gracious hosts, after all!) Then… witness the crowning of the barbecue champ!
Where would you go to enjoy great food, excellent service and the World Cup? Montgomery County, MD Realtor, Dan Quinn and his family (traveling in from England) dined in at our Clayton, NC restaurant to do just that! While traveling through North Carolina, the avid soccer fans wanted a place to enjoy, “good food while watching England play in the World Cup.” Thanks to the help of yelp.com, Quinn and family were able to locate our restaurant and contact the GM. It was especially important for them to be able to create a special memory by dining on unique cuisine and watching the game together. We went above and beyond to make this day special for these unique quests! We served our famous fried chicken, bar-b-q, hushpuppies and tea all while the family anxiously watched the game. Quinn’s sister-in-law, Chris, indulged in her first piece of Smithfield’s fried chicken! We are grateful for the opportunity to serve such excellent guests!
Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® (SCNB) is putting the service front and center during “Freedom Week” this summer. Not just customer service—the military service.
Tradition. Service. Families getting together. It doesn’t get much better than celebrating being reunited – just add bar-b-q and some sweet tea.
Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® is taking this service promotion to a whole new level.
Like its authentic Eastern style bar-b-q—with a savory, vinegary flavor— Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® has a unique and longstanding relationship with the armed forces. With locations in all the military hot spots across North Carolina, the restaurant brand has long served the troops with the motto “grateful to serve those who serve.” The restaurant has developed a strong base of real bar-b-q fans, both in its 33 locations across North Carolina, and from Coast to Coast who order it online.
Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® sends bar-b-q all over the map through its online store, and this year’s Freedom Week campaign encompasses the internet in a whole new way for the company. Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® kicked off its annual seven day “Freedom Week” campaign for its restaurants on July 2nd, focusing efforts on one initiative—supporting the troops. Via its huge social media following, the company is undertaking a pretty audacious goal in its Twitter campaign: Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® will donate 10¢ to the Wounded Warriors Project for every mention or retweet of #FreedomWeek (that’s a Twitter “hashtag”, used to monitor topics on the microblogging service) during Freedom Week (July 2nd-July 9th).
The Wounded Warriors Project raises awareness and assistance for the needs of severely injured service men and women with the objective to provide tangible support to get them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally.
“Much like a backyard bar-b-q, our military also has a unique quality that brings people together,” said Richard Averitte, Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® Marketing Director. “People rally around our troops, as they should, and we are so pleased to be able to help facilitate that community connection—not just in our own North Carolina community, but across the country by means of the internet!”
In fact the brand has truly fostered a tremendous network through its blog, social media efforts, and face-to-face relationships with repeat customers. One of those loyal customers also happens to be former Marine Jen (Schmidt) McGillis. McGillis became a “fan” on Facebook, shared her story with Averitte, and an idea grew.
McGillis founded Military Ride Share, which is dedicated to “helping military members who are going in the same direction, ride together and hopefully save some green.” Since the site’s launch, over 600 service members or their family members have signed up with representation in all branches of service, including the Coast Guard. “Having taken pains to determine the best way to ship bar-b-q all over the country, it just made sense to me for Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® to aid McGillis’ efforts in facilitating the movement of troops around the country—and eventually home,” said Averitte.
There’s a Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® near every military base in North Carolina, and this summer is a hot one—perfect for a summer picnic or just gathering together. Join Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q®’s efforts in supporting the troops and bringing people together. A simple “tweet” will help bring healing to those who serve to help keep America free.
Pictures below are from the very first Freedom Run 5K that took place on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010, in Wake Forest, NC. Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® was honored to serve as a sponsor for this event – supporting our neighbors in service during the holiday weekend. To see more pictures from this event, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/scnbnc/sets/72157624421074184/.
We hope you have a wonderful July 4th holiday! All locations will be open regular hours, ready to help with your holiday gathering!
Special thanks to those who are currently serving or have served in the armed forces. We are grateful to serve those who serve. We hope you can participate in our Freedom Week campaign to help benefit the Wounded Warrior Project!
NC restaurant brand continues support of North Carolina military with Freedom Week plans for fundraising and celebrating
(Cary, NC) – Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® (SCNB) has announced plans for its 2010 Freedom Week promotion – an annual campaign that the restaurant brand promotes each July celebrating our nation’s independence, while supporting members of the United States military. Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q®’s Freedom Week 2010 will begin Friday, July 2nd, 2010 and last until Friday, July 9th, 2010.
Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q ® has a long history of supporting those who serve as defenders of our nation’s freedom and this year is no exception. The restaurant brand is offering several opportunities for customers to support Freedom Week and get their friends and family in on the excitement and fundraising.
Features of the restaurant’s campaign include:
Tweet for Troops
Customers who are utilizing the micro-blogging service Twitter can support Freedom Week and the Wounded Warrior Project by including #FreedomWeek in their posts about the promotion taking place at @SCNBNC. $0.10 for each tweet will be added to the campaign’s fundraising total! (Don’t forget to RT that, twitter fans!)
Commemorative T-Shirts
Fundraiser t-shirts (pictured at right) will be available at all Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q locations for $14.95, a portion of which benefits the Wounded Warrior Project. With over 30 locations in North Carolina, there is always a location close by… and these shirts make for a great reason to stop on the way to the beach for a quick meal. Shirts can also be purchased online at http://scnbnc.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3.
2010 Freedom Run
Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® is proud to be supporting the inaugural 5k Freedom Run, hosted by the American Legion Auxiliary in Wake Forest. The run is going to be held on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010, with proceeds supporting veterans past and present along with active military personnel.
Military Rideshare
Aside from in-house and community fundraising programs, Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® is also leveraging the power of the popular NC bar-b-q brand to raise awareness amongst NC military families of MilitaryRideShare.com. MilitaryRideShare.com is a free website that has been designed by a former Marine to provide a place for Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Soldiers to connect online for coordinating shared rides and travel. The program aims to save those making similar trips money on transportation costs.
“We have long served the troops with the motto, ‘Grateful to serve those who serve’”, says Richard Averitte, Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q®’s Marketing Director. “We hope our efforts can help such a wonderful organization as The Wounded Warriors project.”
Need more information on Freedom Week 2010? Feel free to contact Richard Averitte, Marketing Director – Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q! Richard can be reached by phone at 919-852-1722 or by email at RAveritte@SCNBNC.com.
Our Smithfield location (924 N. Brightleaf Blvd.) will be offering FREE bottles of water until supplies last in lieu of the water crisis in Smithfield. The store will not be open for business, but we will be gladly handing out bottles of water in the parking lot to anyone in need. This offer is limited to two bottles of water per person. We are grateful to serve our customers in a time of need!
Smithfield customers-The Smithfield location should re-open tomorrow. Until then, be sure to visit our Clayton, Garner , Zebulon or any other locations!
