Saluting the troopsSaluting the troops

Mark Brandau

New promotions deployed by restaurateurs in May to celebrate Memorial Day and Military Appreciation Month may not have driven sales increases, executives report, but they did help to generate favorable brand perception.


The American Community Survey said there were 21.8 million veterans in the United States in 2010. Chains like Bennigan’s, Applebee’s, Golden Corral, White Castle and Hooters all found ways to express their appreciation to current and former members of the nation’s armed forces in ways that were motivated by a deeper purpose than just feeding the cash register.


Casual-dining chain Bennigan’s, for example, built its Facebook promotion Wall of Heroes to replicate a tribute one Navy veteran staged in the chain’s B...