Applebee's Veterans, Active Military Free 'Thank You Meals'

By CnAgri2012-10-26 19:54:20 Print

On Nov. 11, Applebee's -- the world's largest casual dining chain -- will again offer free Veterans Day Thank You Meals for current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces at nearly 1,900 Applebee's restaurants throughout the country. Applebee's also announced that Zac Brown, of the Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band, is the 2012 Face of Applebee's Thank You Movement, the nation's largest ongoing military appreciation effort.

For the fourth consecutive year, Applebee's expects to serve more than 1 million Thank You Meals on Veterans Day. And with the support of Zac Brown, Applebee's hopes to surpass 5 million Thank You Messages in 2012 through www.thankyoumovement.com, an online initiative launched in 2011 to deliver personal messages of thanks from Applebee's guests to the 24 million current and former members of the Armed Forces.

"Veterans Day is our favorite day of the year because we look forward to seeing active and former members of the military gather in our restaurants to share stories, reunite with old friends and make new ones," said Mike Archer, Applebee's president. "It's an honor to serve the real heroes who make Veterans Day a special tradition, and we're thrilled that Zac Brown has added his name to our year-round effort to deliver genuine and heartfelt messages of thanks to veterans and active duty military."

"We've performed for the troops several times over the past few years, both here at home and on two USO tours, and every time, they inspire us with their positive attitudes and true dedication to protecting our country and preserving our way of life," said Zac Brown. "This Veterans Day, I want to send my thanks out to every veteran and active service member for what they do for us every day of the year, and I want you to help too by sending in your own 'Thank You' messages."

To date, Applebee's has collected 2.6 million Thank You Messages through the Thank You Movement. To reach this year's 5 million mark, Zac Brown will appear in national advertising for Applebee's with his song, "Free," and engage in other special Veterans Day activities to encourage Applebee's guests to leave Thank You Messages at www.thankyoumovement.com. Thank You Messages can also be delivered through the Applebee's Facebook page, by using #thankyoumovement on Twitter and on YouTube. All messages, and a live count tracking Applebee's progress toward 24 million, will be featured on the Thank You Movement website.