Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream is spinning America’s 250th Birthday birthday into a celebration that lasts all summer.
The Davenport, based in Iowa restaurant chain – which has three company-owned restaurants, 35 domestic franchise locations and nine international locations in Egypt – is rolling out patriotic menu items, family-friendly block parties and raffles tied to the nation’s semi-quincentenary.
Tom Sacco, CEO, president and “chief happiness officer” of Happy Joe, said the campaign fits with the brand’s roots.
“Who is better placed in this country to organize a birthday party for old people the Americans than Happy Joe’s?” Sacco told FOX Business. “Because that’s what we are.”
From May 15 to August 15, customers who purchase a specialty pizza and Mountain Dew at participating locations can enter the “Freedom Flyaway Sweepstakes” for a chance to win one of three $3,000 trips to Washington, D.C.
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Tom Sacco, CEO, president and “chief happiness officer” of Happy Joe, said the campaign fits with the brand’s roots. (FOX Business/Happy Joe’s)
The contest was initially only tied to a trip to Washington, D.C., but Sacco said winners also get to take the money and use it in whatever way is most helpful to their family.
“If celebrating them means giving them the financial freedom to not be burdened by some of the expensive things that have happened over the last four or five years… If that’s what makes you happy, because mom doesn’t have to worry about how to pay for daycare during the summer or anything like that, then that’s a huge win,” Sacco said.
The promotion also includes weekly Mountain Dew prize packs including pickleball paddles, lawn chairs, blankets, Happy Joe’s clothing and gift cards.
Happy Joe’s is also hosting AMERICA250 Block Party events on June 29 from 4-8 p.m. with games, quizzes, music, giveaways and free slices of its Red, White and Blue Birthday Cake Pizza.
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Through August 15, customers who purchase a specialty pizza and Mountain Dew at participating locations can enter the “Freedom Flyaway Sweepstakes” for a chance to win one of three $3,000 trips to Washington, DC. (Merry Joe)
Sacco said some locations will host activities such as bounce houses, face painting, balloon makers and patriotic trivia related to both U.S. history and the story of Happy Joe.
“We’re just going to do fun stuff like that,” Sacco said. “…We can play the game and make it patriotic, but tie it to the Happy Joe kind of stuff.”
Limited time menu includes BBQ Beef Brisket Pizza with Texas Smoked Brisketpickles, onions and barbecue sauce, a barbecue chicken pizza and an AMERICA250 birthday cake topped with red, white and blue icing and sprinkles.
Sacco said Happy Joe’s builds on what it has long been known for: birthdays, families and memorable dining experiences.
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The brand is also hosting AMERICA250 Block Party events on June 29 from 4-8 p.m. with games, quizzes, music, giveaways and free slices of its Red, White and Blue Birthday Cake Pizza. (Merry Joe)
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“We don’t compete on price. We don’t compete on discounts. We compete on experience,” Sacco said. “Pizza opens the door for you. When you leave, we’ve created a memory. And that’s how we do our business.”
He added that the campaign gives the brand a chance to celebrate the country’s milestone anniversary with families in its markets.
“The 250, to me, is like the biggest national celebration I can be a part of,” Sacco said. “I have the opportunity, through Happy Joe’s, to share it with hundreds of thousands of our guests and their families across the country.”
