New York Fries is asking its Canadian customers to say the phrase “aconbay oubleday eesechay outinepay” on Sept. 5.
That’s pig latin for “bacon double cheese poutine” and the first person to say the phrase correctly at 108 participating locations will win a 24-carat gold poutine fork worth $60. (Customers will have two chances to say the phrase correctly.)
Winners will also receive a free bacon double cheese poutine, to celebrate New York Fries’ launch last month of its new poutine variety in Canada.
The Golden Fork campaign, timed to coincide with International Bacon Day, was devised by Instigator Communications, New York Fries’ agency of record for public relations and social media.
It’s being promoted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the fast food chain’s website.
“It just seemed like a good excuse to have some fun,” says Jay Gould, founder and president of Toronto-based New York Fries, of the contest. It’s also a good way to “see if (customers) even know what pig latin is.”
“New York Fries has always been about fun. We’ve always been a bit cheeky in our marketing programs,” Gould says.
New York Fries has also started a new six-week radio campaign starring acting legend Gordon Pinsent, who has done radio spots for the chain in three of the last four years. “He’s been a great spokesperson for us. His voice is iconic and irreverent. He gets a kick out of our cheeky ads.”
“Despite its name, New York Fries is actually Canadian,” says Pinsent in a new spot for bacon double cheese poutine, which was created by Juniper Park. “In fact, after 30 years, it’s becoming something of a Canadian icon,” like the maple leaf or poutine, he says in the ad. “You can get a Canadian icon inside a Canadian icon.”
Gould says New York Fries helped make poutine popular across Canada by launching it 23 years ago in an Ottawa location and then nationally soon after. Poutine now represents about 60% of New York Fries’ business, he says.
Aside from its corporate and franchise stores in Canada, New York Fries has 30 international units in Turkey, China, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Macau, Kurdistan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and 155 units overall. (Despite the name, there are no U.S. locations.)
New York Fries has just been sold to Cara Operations in an undisclosed cash deal that is expected to close in the fall.
“I’ve been at it for 31 years. I thought it was time to move on and this is a good opportunity,” Gould says. “(Cara is) one of the country’s biggest and most-respected food service operations. We thought they were the right custodian.”
South St. Burger Co., which Gould launched in 2005 and now has 31 locations, is not part of the transaction.
