Kids Eat Free on Valentine's Day

Fast Causal included Dickey's on a list of places to go this Valentine's Day. 

A family affair at Dickey's and McAlister's

A recent study found that 60 percent of Americans that celebrate Valentine's Day include their entire families in the celebration, which is why Dickey's Barbecue Pit and McAlister's Deli are running promotions geared toward the entire family.

Dickey's Owner/Operator Muhammed Afzal will allow kids to eat free on Valentine's Day to help those families celebrate with great food at a reasonable price, according to a company press release.

"In my 22 years with Dickey's Barbecue Pit, I have met and worked with a diverse group of owner/operators all with different stories and backgrounds," said Afzal, who was one of the chain's first franchisees. "The one thing that brings us all together is that we have a passion for pit-smoked barbecue and serving our guests and their families."

CEO Laura Rea Dickey said she was happy that the chain's two original franchisees, Afzal and Dale Smith, are still part of the family. Since 1994, the franchisees have had a healthy family rivalry between the two which will continue this Valentine's Day to see who will host the most families for their pit-smoked family meal.

"At Dickey's, we constantly try to evolve to better ourselves while staying true to our barbecue and family roots," says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. "This Valentine's Day, Dickey's hopes folks will see barbecue as the best way to their favorite people's hearts."

McAlister's Deli is celebrating Valentine's Day by encouraging families to spend the love-filled holiday together. On Feb. 14, participating McAlister's locations will offer two free kids meals with the purchase of an adult entree for all guests that dine in. In addition to celebrating on the holiday, McAlister's is hosting a sweepstakes, giving away a year's worth of family date nights, according to a company press release.

"McAlister's has always been committed to offering guests a welcoming, comfortable, and family-friendly place to enjoy each other's company along with a craveable, freshly made meal," said Paul Macaluso, president of McAlister's Deli. "This year we are taking that to the next level by hosting family date nights and offering free Kids Meals for Valentine's Day, in hopes of fostering more quality family time and inspiring new traditions."  

McAlister's encourages fans across the country to share their family bonding fun and showcase what family date night means to them on social media using the hashtag #McAlistersDateNight. Through Feb. 14, guests can enter the sweepstakes to win a year's worth of McAlister's date nights by visiting http://bit.ly/mcalistersdatenight. One guest will win the grand prize – $50 a week in McAlister's Deli gift cards for one year. Fans are encouraged to tag @McAlistersDeli and follow the Valentine's Day fun on McAlister's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels.