Prime Restaurants Wins Big at the 15th Annual Frankie Awards

Date

May 18, 2008

May 13, 2008 // Franchising.com // Mississauga, ON – Casey's Grill & Bar, Bier Markt and Prime Pubs, all brands of Prime Restaurants of Canada Inc., won a combined six awards at the Canadian Franchise Association's 15th Annual Frankie Awards – more than any other company in the competition.

"We are thrilled that Prime has been recognized by the Canadian Franchising Association as one of the most innovative marketers in Canadian franchising through these awards," said Grant Cobb, Senior Vice President of Prime Restaurants' Casey's Grill

  • Bar, Bier Markt and Prime Pubs brands. "These winning marketing campaigns from Casey's, Prime Pubs and the Bier Markt demonstrate the passion and brains behind our brands, and have played a key role in driving our strong same-stores sales growth."

    The Frankie Awards are presented annually by the Canadian Franchise Association to recognize outstanding marketing campaigns in the Canadian franchise industry. Judges assess entrants on clarity of message, originality of concept, effective use of medium, quality of execution and overall presentation. The top three in each category win gold, silver and bronze awards. The gold winner is presented with a Frankie Award statuette and certificate. Silver and bronze winners receive Frankie Award certificates. The Humber College Award recognizes three entries with a Gold, Silver and Bronze award from all Frankie submissions in every category for overall exceptional design as voted by the college's Advertising and Graphic Design students.

    Casey's was awarded a Gold Frankie in the Point of Purchase category and a Silver Humber College Award for its stunning Casey's Cocktails book. Written by Casey's Mixologist, Nathan Cameron, Casey's Cocktails features 24 cocktail recipes including Casey's Classic Bloody Caesar, Mandarin Mojito, Blueberry Frost, Cabo Cosmo, Sex and the City and Strawberry Lychee Martini. The book features beautiful colour photographs by Brian MacDonald, who also does the photography for the LCBO's Food & Drink magazine. Casey's Cocktails was created as a gift with purchase incentive to increase sales of the gift cards during the Holiday 2007 timeframe and succeeded in significantly increasing restaurant gift card sales by up to 55 per cent per location – in addition to generating approximately four million impressions for Casey's restaurants through a media relations campaign focused on the book.

    The Bier Markt earned a Gold Humber College Award for its innovative brand book which features brand principles conveyed in unique, stylistic European designs, printed on bar coasters, to effectively communicate the Bier Markt's unique selling proposition. Prime brands also received awards for the following campaigns:

     


    • Silver Frankie for Casey's 'Yes, We're Open' campaign for best Media Campaign,
    • Silver Frankie for Prime Pubs' 'Wear 60,000 SPF' campaign for best Newspaper Advertisement, and
    • Bronze Frankie for Prime Pubs for best Business-to-Business Brochure Design.


    For images of the winning campaigns, and a complete list of awards, visit. http://www.cfa.ca/page.aspx?url=2008FrankieAwards.html.

    Frankie Award entries are submitted by franchisors, advertising agencies and franchising support service providers across Canada. 237 entries were reviewed by a panel of judges among the top professionals in the fields of creative, production and marketing. The entries were judged on clarity of message, originality of concept, effective use of medium, quality of execution, and overall presentation.

    About the Canadian Franchise Association

    With more than 430 corporate members nation-wide, representing many of Canada's best-known brands, the Canadian Franchise Association is the National Voice for Canadian Franchising and works with all levels of government to ensure the development of industry-made solutions. CFA promotes ethical franchising and educates Canadians about franchising, specific franchise opportunities and proper due diligence. For more information, visit www.cfa.ca.

    About Casey's Grill & Bar

    Casey's Grill & Bar, a Prime Restaurants of Canada Inc. brand, is a franchised restaurant chain specializing in the casual dining sector. Established more than 27 years ago, the chain currently has 36 restaurants in Ontario and Québec. The new Casey's restaurant offers a contemporary dining experience with a variety of fresh, high-quality international cuisine and old favourites known as Casey's Classics including Casey's Classic Back Ribs, Casey's Classic Chicken Wings and Casey's Classic Bloody Caesar. Casey's features casual dining prices in an environment that offers the perfect balance of comfort, style and energy. Visit www.caseysbarandgrill.com for more information.

    About the Bier Markt

    Established in 2001, the Bier Markt is a Belgian-style brasserie located in downtown Toronto between the St Lawrence Market and the Air Canada Center. Offering a selection of more than 100 brands of beer from more than 24 countries, the European brassiere's culinary commitment is defined by season to ensure exceptional quality. Chic and dynamic modern design complements guests' visits as do friendly and knowledgeable staff. The Bier Markt is a Prime Restaurants of Canada brand. For more information visit www.thebiermarkt.com

    About Prime Pubs

    North America's fastest growing Irish pub concept, Prime Pubs is a family of authentic Irish pubs operating under the trade-marks of Fionn MacCool's, D'Arcy McGee's, Paddy Flaherty's and Tir nan Óg. Prime Pubs serve traditional Irish fare made from authentic recipes that have been developed over generations. Interiors of Prime Pubs offer a warm and friendly environment and many pubs feature furnishings that have been imported directly from Ireland. Prime Pubs currently operates 8 pubs in Ontario and Alberta with plans to open three more locations in 2008 including its fourth D'Arcy McGee's in Ottawa, its fourth Fionn MacCool's in Toronto and its first U.S. location, in Tempe, Arizona. For more information visit www.primepubs.com.

    About Prime Restaurants of Canada Inc.

    Prime Restaurants of Canada Inc. operates and franchises a diversified portfolio of leading brands of casual dining restaurants and premium pubs across Canada under such trademarks as: "East Side Mario's," "Casey's," "Fionn MacCool's," "D'Arcy McGee's," "Paddy Flaherty's," "Tir nan Óg," "Bier Markt" and "Pat & Mario's." Prime Restaurants Royalty Income Fund is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol EAT.UN. Visit www.primerestaurants.com for more information.