Shop Talk
Retailers, consumers and prices
Applebee’s and Nutrisystem share pitchman
Celebrities often lend their name recognition to big brands, but sometimes such advertising can be downright confusing.
Take the companies ESPN anchor Chris Berman is pitching these days: Applebee’s restaurants and weight loss center Nutrisystem.
Restaurant meals often have more calories than we expect, so we were surprised to see Berman add Applebee’s commercials to his repertoire.
In his ads for the weight-loss company, Berman brags about all the weight he’s lost (41 LBS) on Nutrisystem’s calorie and portion-controlled meal plans.
Equally incongrous is blues legend B.B. King’s history as a pitchman.
King, who has type 2 diabetes, has helped advertise a LifeSpan blood glucose meter.
But the music icon also has loaned his name to blues clubs and according to the Internet Movie Database he has been a pitchman for fast-food chains Burger King, Wendy’s and McDonald’s.
Best deals for restaurant meals
When it comes to getting the most bang for a buck at sit-down restaurants, Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel, Golden Corral, Applebee’s and Chili’s get top marks, according to 5,000 diners recently polled online by BrandIndex.
Brands with the worst perceived value were Ground Round, Benihana, Bahama Breeze, Landry’s Seafood House and Hooter’s.
Sit-down restaurants have been discounting heavily as consumers cook more meals at home and “trade down” to lower-priced fast-food chains to save money amid a long recession that has sent U.S. unemployment to a 26-year high.
BrandIndex is owned by market research company YouGov.
Here is the full list of results:
(A score can range from 100 to -100 and is compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.)
CASUAL DINING — VALUE SCORES (July 10, 2009)
nice information for get best deals restaurant thank you
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Resident Shop Talk Expert
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I started Nutrisystem on August 11, 2009. A friend of mine lost over 40lbs in a year of following the program. Back in 2005-2006 I lost 80lbs following the South Beach program overtime I drifted from those habits and gain back 70 of that in the last few years. I decided I should get back on a program since what I was doing wasn’t working.
I need things to be simple and easy to prepare and Nutrisystem is great for people who like convenience. Everything is prepackaged and properly portioned. You supplement the program with Fruits and Veggies since that wouldn’t be very good prepackaged. You can either order the “Favorites” package or pick your own. I tried the “Favorites” package and found things that I definitely like and also found stuff I will never order again. Everyone has their own preferences but if you are used to frozen meals from Lean Cuisine, Health Choice, etc you should have no trouble finding something you enjoy in NS.
In 74 days that I have been on the program I have dropped 36.4 lbs doing some extra exercise on the side which is recommended but not required for success.
For those of you wanting to get an extra discount I can provide you a referral code at it will entitle you to $30 off your first order. If you are new to Nutrisystem it should work just fine. If you are coming back to the program and have been inactive for more than 4 months it should also work for you too. Here’s all that you need to do:
Email shawn_jumbo@yahoo.com and put in the memo NS Referral and I will send you a code within 24 hours. If you have more than 1 person signing up and need more than one code please let me know. This should work if you do it online or call in your first order.
I was amazed at the number of people complaining about this program I just don’t understand why it is pretty easy to follow and I don’t feel hungry at all!