Checkoff News Archive

 

Contact:           Polly Ruhland               303/850-3394      pruhland@beef.org

                       Diane Henderson          303/850-3465       dhenderson@beefboard.org 

(Note to Editors: An electronic graphic of the sandwich promotion is available on request.)

BEEF CHECKOFF PARTNERS WITH QUIZNOS

TO ADD NEW PRIME RIB SANDWICH TO MENU

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (March 10, 2006) – Promotion of a new and unique Prime Rib sub sandwich is the focus of a joint effort between the Beef Checkoff Program and Quiznos Sub^®.  The sandwich is now available in thousands of Quiznos^® outlets nationwide.

The cooperative promotion, funded partly through the $1-per-head checkoff, will include point of purchase materials such as table tents and posters, national television, Web site mentions, and blast e-mails to Quiznos’ list of customers.  The Beef Check Logo will appear on materials that include checkoff funding.   

The Quiznos Prime Rib Sub is a double portion of tender prime rib, piled high with melted mozzarella cheese and sautéed onions, and then topped with a mild peppercorn sauce. The Prime Rib Sub is the only sandwich offering from a national quick-service restaurant chain to feature prime rib.  

A successful cooperative promotion between Quiznos and the Beef Checkoff Program in 2004 encouraged Quiznos and beef checkoff leaders to conduct the current promotion, according to Laurie Bryant, chairman of the Joint Foodservice Committee. That promotion, for the Steakhouse Beef Dip Sub, shattered projections for sales. As a result of its success, the company added the sandwich as a permanent menu item.  

“We’re thrilled to be working with Quiznos again,” according to Bryant, a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. “Our relationship with the Quiznos marketing team is excellent, and our track record with this company and others we have partnered with has proven the value of these types of cooperative promotions.” 

Bryant notes that over the past five years, for every checkoff dollar spent on these kinds of partnerships, foodservice partners have put up about $56, on average.  The Beef Checkoff Program will spend $700,000 on foodservice partnerships in its 2006 fiscal year. 

Tom Ryan, Chief Marketing and Concept Officer for Quiznos, says their company is “extremely pleased with our partnership with the Beef Checkoff Program, and we look forward to more opportunities to jointly promote beef in the future.”  

In addition to the Steakhouse Beef Dip Sub, the Quiznos menu features other beef offerings, including the Black Angus Steak sandwich.

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The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.  

Celebrating its 25^th Anniversary, Denver, Colorado-based Quiznos Sub is a leader in the upscale sandwich category. CEO Rick Schaden was first introduced to Quiznos as a customer in 1986. Attending the University of Colorado’s business school, he wrote a senior project on Quiznos, and ended up opening his first Quiznos restaurant in Boulder, Colorado, as a franchisee. Over the next few years, he purchased two more franchises and in 1991, he and his father Dick, a prominent aviation attorney, bought the franchise operation, which consisted of 18 restaurants. Fast forward 25 years, and Quiznos has expanded to more than 4,700 locations worldwide, making it one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains. For more information, visit quiznos25.com. 

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