F or International Cabernet Day — which is apparently celebrated on Thursday, September 1, 2016 — you can score 12 “rich Cabs” from Virgin Wines for only $79.99; and you can earn 3,000 Elevate frequent flier loyalty program points while saving yourself a purported $140.00 in the process.
I do not drink alcoholic beverages. Rather, this information was sent to me via an e-mail message from Virgin America.
As I will occasionally subscribe to e-mail messages from companies which I like to patronize, I will often receive offers — some of them exclusive — for free or discounted items; and with restaurant companies, those items include food and drink…
…but I have recently noticed that they seem to celebrate some national or international “holiday” — such as National Pancake Day or National Filet Mignon Day as two of many examples where deals are offered by various establishments — and I kept wondering to myself from where in the world do they get that information.
One Way to Score Free or Discounted Food or Drink
There are a number of Internet web sites available which list national and international “holidays” — such as the National Day Calendar or even Wikipedia — and you can easily search the Internet for deals pertaining to that specific day; but be forewarned that not everyone agrees on the exact dates of these special days…
…or you can simply search for a specific day. For example, the next occurrence of National Garlic Day is on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, which it shares with National Amaretto Day. International Bacon Day is approaching, as it is celebrated this year on Friday, December 30, 2016. You are in luck with National Waffle Day, as that is “celebrated” this coming Wednesday, August 24, 2016.
Let us go with National Waffle Day as an example: did you know that there are supposedly no fewer than 17 deals on tap for this auspicious occasion? Well, here is a sampling of the list of where you do not have to waffle on a waffle deal, according to this article written by Andrew Lisa of GOBankingRates:
- Visit the Capital One 360 Cafe in the financial district of San Francisco on National Waffle Day and enjoy a free waffle from b.street waffles from 9:00 to 11:00 in the morning.
- Iron Roost in Ballston Spa, New York has a special on chicken and waffles on Wednesdays. This National Waffle Day, pick up free waffle samples from 7:00 in the morning through 2:00 in the afternoon.
- Jamba Juice at the Valley River Center in Eugene, Oregon, is selling Sweet Belgian Waffles all day for one dollar on August 24.
- Head to the parade grounds of Louisiana State University from noon until 10:30 in the evening for free chicken and waffles and music on August 24.
- University of Texas students in Arlington are invited for free Belgium waffles, ice cream and other toppings, plus music and dancing for National Waffle Day.
Be Charitable and Giving in the Process
One of many examples of special days where you can be charitable and giving is National Lemonade Day, which is on August 20, 2016. As two examples, you can fight childhood cancer with Red Robin while enjoying a free sample of freckled lemonade and get a wristband if you donate a minimum of five dollars; or you can enjoy some lemonade for 25 cents with the purchase of an entrée at any Ruby Tuesday restaurant location, where proceeds will be donated to No Kid Hungry in its quest to end childhood hunger in the United States.
Summary
There seems to be something which is celebrated every day of the year — and that basically is true, as to list all of them here would be too extensive to be practical. All of these national and international days seem to be rather hokey; but why not take advantage of their benefits if they are offered?
The key is awareness: people are not typically aware of the national or international days in advance; and that leads to missing out on sales and deals on food and drink. If you know about a certain day in advance, you can at least perform some minimal research as to whether or not you can take advantage of offers pertaining to your favorite food or beverages.
By the way, national holidays are not reserved solely to the United States. You can purportedly celebrate National Waffle Day on March 25 of every year in Sweden; National Strawberry Day on January 5 of every year in Japan; and National Cheeseburger Day on October 27 of every year — in Iran, of all places.
Depending on the day, deals can be admittedly spotty — or perhaps no deals exist at all — but you never know on which day there will be a deal at a location either where you are based or where you will be traveling. Some deals will be easier and more convenient of which to take advantage than others.
That you will approach a colleague and wish that person a Happy National Pickle Day — which this year is celebrated on Monday, November 14; but is not to be confused with Lower East Side Pickle Day in New York, which is celebrated on Sunday, September 25, 2016 — is highly unlikely; although that would be a great starter to a conversation.
Hmm…I may have just figured out a way to initiate conversations. The next time you go on a sales call or embark on a first date, perhaps you should wish that person a Happy National Potato Day — which is disputed to be celebrated either tomorrow, August 19, 2016 or on Thursday, October 27, 2016; but is not to be confused with National Potato Chip Day, which is celebrated on Tuesday, March 14 ,2017 or National French Fries Day, which is celebrated on Thursday, July 13, 2017…
…but I digress, as usual.
What you might want to consider doing is figure out what food or drink interests you. Then, find out if there is a national or international holiday for that food or drink; and if one exists, then simply search for sales or deals for that day. Chances are that you will find something where you can enjoy your favorite food or drink at a discount — or even free of charge — on that special day designated for it…
…and if you can also do some good by participating in a charitable event — that is even better.
You are also encouraged to please feel free to share any deals upon which you might embark to share with fellow readers of The Gate, as — try as I might — keeping up with the task of alerting food and drink sales and deals can be even more daunting than keeping up with airfare sales and deals.
Photograph ©2016 by Brian Cohen.
