The year 2020 presented a unique landscape for promotional offers and freebies, with brands adapting their strategies to changing consumer habits and seasonal events. The provided source material outlines a variety of free offers, discounted promotions, and complimentary items available during that period. These ranged from free workout passes and dining incentives to bonus gift cards and complimentary beverages, often tied to specific conditions such as purchases, app sign-ups, or time-limited events. While the data focuses primarily on the United States market, it illustrates the types of freebie structures and promotional mechanics that consumers could encounter. This article examines the key categories of offers documented in 2020, detailing their mechanisms and eligibility requirements as reported in the source data.
Free Dining and Restaurant Promotions
A significant portion of the documented freebies in 2020 centred on food and beverage offers, particularly from restaurant chains. These promotions often required specific actions, such as making a purchase, booking a reservation, or downloading an application.
For instance, Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse ran a Valentine’s Day promotion where couples dining between February 13 and 16 received a complimentary dining card. This card was valid for one full churrasco lunch, dinner, or Sunday brunch, while supplies lasted. The offer was available at 43 U.S. locations and required reservations to be booked via the brand’s website. Similarly, Auntie Anne’s offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal on heart-shaped pretzels for Valentine’s Day. This offer was exclusively for in-store purchases at participating locations nationwide and was available to users of the Pretzel Perks app.
Hooters presented a more unconventional Valentine’s Day promotion called #ShredYourEx. Customers who destroyed a photo of their ex-partner in-store received 10 free boneless wings when they purchased any 10 wings. This was a single-day event on February 14.
Beyond Valentine’s Day, several restaurants offered promotional gift cards with bonus cards. For example, Applebee’s provided a $10 bonus gift card for every $50 gift card purchased between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In select regions (Northern California and Texas) on Black Friday, customers also received a free Triple Chocolate Meltdown dessert with the purchase of an adult entrée. Logan’s Roadhouse and On the Border offered similar $10 bonus cards with $50 gift card purchases, though with geographic and usage restrictions (Logan’s was valid only in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia; On the Border’s bonus card could only be used for $20+ food and was for dine-in only).
Cumberland Farms provided a free Cumberland Farms coffee or Chill Zone beverage with the purchase of any Reese’s, Cadbury, or Hershey’s XL bar. This offer was likely available in-store and was contingent on purchasing a specific product.
Complimentary Services and Trials
Some free offers extended beyond food to include services and trials. Frugal Fitness, for example, highlighted that gyms like New York Sports Clubs, Lucille Roberts, and Orangetheory offered first-time visitors free workout passes or an assessment with a fitness trainer. These offers were designed to attract new customers to their facilities.
In the retail sector, Belk ran a promotion from November 4 to December 24 where shoppers using curbside pickup could have a chance to get their entire order for free (limited to $575). Additionally, they received an extra 10% off with free in-store or contactless curbside pickup. Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s offered a free photo with Santa at their Santa’s Wonderland event, though a reservation was required.
Corner Bakery Cafe provided free coffee until December 31 with no purchase necessary, a straightforward complimentary offer to attract customers. DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) gave away a Weekender Bag for online purchases of $39 or more using the promo code BFSPECIAL during the Thanksgiving through November 29 period.
Gift Card and Bonus Card Schemes
A common promotional tactic in 2020 was the issuance of bonus cards with gift card purchases. These bonus cards function as a form of future discount or credit, effectively providing value at a later date.
Chili’s Grill and Bar gave customers $10 bonus cards when they purchased $50 or more in gift cards, with no minimum purchase specified. Corner Bakery Cafe offered a $5 bonus card for purchases of $25 in gift cards or $20 in baked goods, valid for redemption from January 1 to 21, 2021. Boyd’s Coffee and China Mist Tea offered percentage discounts on online orders using the code CYBER2020 (25% off and 30% off, respectively). Blue Apron promoted a saving of $80 off each of the first four food delivery boxes for new customers.
Papa John’s provided 25% off menu-priced items through December 31 and offered catering deals starting at $42.50. McAlister’s Deli released new deals daily between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, including free tea, $3 off an entrée, and $5 off a family meal. Additionally, from November 1–30, 2020, McAlister’s donated 10 cents for every soup sold to Meals on Wheels America, with a minimum donation of $100,000.
New Year’s Eve and Holiday Offers
The source material details various dining options and promotions for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day 2020/2021. Many restaurants offered special prix fixe menus, carryout, delivery, or catering options.
Macaroni Grill was noted for offering a special prix fixe menu on New Year’s Eve. Maggiano’s provided carryout and delivery, with most locations open on New Year’s Day and Eve. The Melting Pot offered To-Go Take-Out and Delivery, with most locations open from 1 p.m. to midnight on New Year’s Eve and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on New Year’s Day.
Metro Diner featured a special prix fixe menu for $19.99, including Beef Tips or Salmon, sides, soup or salad, and dessert. They also offered dine-in and to-go options, along with $2.99 mimosas and Bloody Marys. McDonald’s promoted McDelivery with $0 delivery fee on orders of $20 or more on Uber Eats from December 31 through January 3. Noodles and Company offered unlimited free delivery through December 31, 2020.
Olive Garden provided Carside Pickup everywhere. Eddie V’s Prime Seafood hosted a New Year’s Eve celebration starting at 10 p.m. with live music, a late-night menu, a midnight toast, and a complimentary dessert bar. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar offered Carry Out and a Filet Wellington Holiday Family Menu for curbside pickup.
Hard Rock Cafe offered order pick-up, delivery, or catering, with some locations holding celebrations with DJs, live bands, and sparklers. IHOP provided delivery via Uber Eats for orders of $15+.
Freebies and Discounts in Retail and Other Sectors
Beyond food services, the source material mentions a few other retail freebies and discounts. Half Price Books ran a promotion until November 29 where customers could enter daily for a chance to win a $100 gift card. JCPenney offered a coupon giveaway for early in-store shoppers on November 28, including coupons like $500 off $500, $100 off $100, and $10 off $10.
Fred Meyer offered a $20 coupon for spending $100+ on Black Friday in home, apparel, or electronics departments and held gift card giveaways every 15 minutes from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Black Friday. Peet’s Coffee offered free shipping on orders of $29+.
Conclusion
The documented freebies and promotional offers from 2020 illustrate a broad spectrum of consumer incentives, predominantly focused on the food and beverage sector, retail, and fitness services. Common promotional mechanics included bonus gift cards with purchases, complimentary items with specific product buys, time-limited event-based offers (e.g., Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve), and first-time visitor incentives for services like gym trials. Eligibility often depended on specific conditions such as making a purchase, using a promo code, downloading an app, visiting a physical location, or adhering to strict timeframes and geographic limitations. The data reflects a strategy of using freebies and discounts to drive footfall, promote new customer acquisition, and encourage spending during key holiday periods.