LIHUE — Little Caesars Kauai, located inside the Kmart store on Nawiliwili Road, will be participating in the national free lunch on April 2.
“Yes, we will be participating through our Little Caesars,” said Anthony Florek, Kmart general manager. “The rules surrounding this promotion are still coming in, but we are definitely part of the free lunch giveaway.”
For the past few years, the Detroit-based Little Caesars has offered a free lunch combo — four deep-dish pepperoni pizza slices and a 20-ounce drink — if a No. 16-seeded team beat a No. 1 seeded team during the annual NCAA college basketball tournament.
Last Friday, that happened when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, eliminated the top seed, Virginia, in a 74-54 upset.
Rules governing the free lunch are strict.
“We’ll be serving one lunch per family,” Florek said. “And it takes place only between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 2.”
People need to be in line at the 1 p.m. cutoff to receive their free lunch combo.
Another condition is that it is “while supplies last,” meaning people need to get in line early.
“I thought it was today,” said Johnny Gordines, a customer. “I just picked up Terry from the airport and came for lunch. I’ll have to be sure not to forget.”
Promotional giveaways are common tying a sporting event to a consumer product, with various outlets offering free fries or drinks if a local team hits home runs or throws a number of strikeouts. But major nationwide promotions like the Little Caesars giveaway are more rare.
“This is the biggest one I’ve ever heard of,” said Jill Proctor, a spokesperson for Little Caesars. “I could be mistaken, or be missing something, but giving free lunch away to everyone in America is kind of a big deal.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
