A promotion that was meant to last only one day in June will continue until December 2010 at a Chicago restaurant and bar. Shaw’s Crab House Senior Vice President Steve LaHaie says they began the Last Monday of the Month Oyster Deal thinking it would be a fun discount for their patrons and a means to honor their 25th anniversary. However, it’s been so popular and it’s managed to raise wine sales so significantly, LaHaie thinks it would be unwise to end it.
The promotion offers fresh 25-cent oysters from 3 to 6 p.m. and servers suggest pairing the oysters with wine flights or Goose Island Brewery’s Sofie Ale. The orders are limited to two dozen per table, but even with the cap, they are moving 7,000 in three hours on good nights.
“We are not making any profit off of the oysters,” LaHaie explains, “but our 3 to 6 p.m. liquor, beer and wine sales are much higher [than normal] for that time period. And, our guests are exposed to all the other options that Shaw’s offers.”
Despite the fact that Shaw’s advertising campaign for this was mostly free social media, they’ve garnered attention from multiple local publications. Shaw’s features an award-winning wine program, and thanks to a smart promotion, it’s gaining fame for its oysters as well.