JAR
02-04-2009, 08:23 PM
The Steelers version of Eat'n Park's ubiquitous smiley cookie resulted in record sales for the Homestead-based restaurant chain.
According to Kevin O'Connell, senior vice president of marketing for Eat'n Park, the chain sold nearly 500,000 Steelers smiley cookies in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.
In-restaurant smiley cookie sales increased 400 percent during the last week of January, compared to the same period a year ago, O'Connell said. Sales prior to Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII were 48 percent better than Super Bowl XL, which the Steelers won in 2006.
The restaurant's online sales in January nearly doubled its total online sales for all of 2008, O'Connell said, and customers bought more than 6,000 dozen Steelers smiley cookies, which shipped to all 50 states.
Even President Barack Obama got in on the act: Sen. Bob Casey brought smiley cookies (and Terrible Towels) to the White House Super Bowl party, O'Connell said.
“We’re talking 40,000 dozen Smiley Cookies sold to Steelers fans in our restaurants and across the country,” O’Connell said. “Our team members really worked hard to make sure we satisfied Steelers’ fans hunger for Smiley Cookies. Just like the Steelers, it was a true team effort.”
Eat'n Park is offering a commemorative gift pack with Steelers smiley cookies and two Super Bowl XLIII Terrible Towels printed with the final score of the game at its smiley cookie Web site .
According to Kevin O'Connell, senior vice president of marketing for Eat'n Park, the chain sold nearly 500,000 Steelers smiley cookies in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.
In-restaurant smiley cookie sales increased 400 percent during the last week of January, compared to the same period a year ago, O'Connell said. Sales prior to Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII were 48 percent better than Super Bowl XL, which the Steelers won in 2006.
The restaurant's online sales in January nearly doubled its total online sales for all of 2008, O'Connell said, and customers bought more than 6,000 dozen Steelers smiley cookies, which shipped to all 50 states.
Even President Barack Obama got in on the act: Sen. Bob Casey brought smiley cookies (and Terrible Towels) to the White House Super Bowl party, O'Connell said.
“We’re talking 40,000 dozen Smiley Cookies sold to Steelers fans in our restaurants and across the country,” O’Connell said. “Our team members really worked hard to make sure we satisfied Steelers’ fans hunger for Smiley Cookies. Just like the Steelers, it was a true team effort.”
Eat'n Park is offering a commemorative gift pack with Steelers smiley cookies and two Super Bowl XLIII Terrible Towels printed with the final score of the game at its smiley cookie Web site .