7 restaurant gimmicks tied to the Super Bowl

As if pizza fans needed another reason to have a pie delivered during the game, Pizza Hut is dangling the chance to try some gold flakes along with the sauce and cheese. Customers who order a Golden Garlic Knots Pizza on Sunday can win a special-edition pie that’s topped with $100 worth of real, edible gold, certified by Pizza Hut to be 24-karat. The pie is delivered in a special gold box, and comes with a $100 Pizza Hut Gold Card, a VIP version of a gift card.

The Golden Knots Pizza is Pizza Hut’s latest limited-time offer, a pie whose crust consists of garlic bread “knots” that can be torn off a slice and eaten as a sort of appetizer.

The ancillary noise about the gold giveaway: Pizza Hut notes that this year is the golden anniversary of the Super Bowl, and that the game is being played in the Golden State. Why not mix some gold into a pizza?

It’s become de rigueur to treat participants in high-profile events like the Emmys or Oscars to a tote bag full of goodies. Why shouldn’t fans watching at home be treated like stars, too? That’s why Buffalo Wings & Rings, the 45-unit beer-and-wings chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is providing customers with an MVB (Most Valuable Bag) of swag for every takeout order they buy on Sunday. Included are a longneck-beer cooler and opener, and cards for Wingo, a bingo game where participants fill in a square as they spot things during the game, like a pop star in the crowd or a soda ad. And, of course, there’s the tote bag itself.

The four Papagayos Mexican restaurants in Boston are offering customers a reason to arrive early and stay late. Patrons who come before the big game’s kickoff and tell the bartender which team they think will win are immediately entitled to prizes—provided they stay until the game is over. If they picked the right team, their food is free, though they pay for the drinks. If they backed the losers, they get a coupon good for a free entrée on their next visit, and they pay for everything they ate and drank.

Clearly the chain is betting that it’ll rake in high-profit drink sales. And it’ll likely be right.

If the big game is a snore, patrons of Howells & Hood will still have reason to wave their foam fingers and sound the vuvuzelas. The bar-restaurant has challenged local competitors Zed451 and Chop Shop to participate in a chili smackdown. Guests can try all three chilis for $12 and vote for their favorite. Bragging rights will be awarded to the prevailing restaurant after the third quarter of the day’s other contest. 

As any serious football fan knows, Sunday is also the time for deciding which puppy is the cutest. Filini in Chicago is showcasing the annual Puppy Bowl as much as that other bowl competition. Patrons are invited to watch the competition as it begins at 2:30, and they’re welcome to bring their own pups with them. Free dog treats will be provided. 

Da Bears were da-feated too many times this season to make the playoffs, never mind the Super Bowl. But Chicagoans can still indulge their love of tailgating, right in their apartments, by ordering the Tailgate Takeout deal from multi-concept operator DineAmic Group no later than tomorrow. Selections from the company’s Bull & Bear and Public House will be delivered to patrons’ doors on Sunday by DoorDash. The orders are on the large side. The least expensive thing from Public House is an order of 15 ears of corn for $30. At the other extreme are 100 Buffalo chicken wings for $100. Twelve burgers from Bull & Bear go for $100.

The Yum! Brands chain has been so adept at mustering hype for its product introductions that it’s hard to grasp the scale of what it’s planning for Sunday. Taco Bell is promising to make past additions like the Doritos Taco or the Chalupa seem like yawners. And it’s so confident of turning heads that it invited customers to pre-order the product, sight unseen, so they can be the first to try it. Add the brand’s first Super Bowl commercial in three years, a spot not even advertising insiders have seen, and the makings are there for Coldplay to be overshadowed.