Saturday, September 30, 2006

We can agree that it's a step up from Sammy Davis Jr

Have you seen the new commercials for Applebee's? Good news: the singing guys are gone. As are the dead guys. Odd news: Tyler Florence has taken their place and he's introducing his newest creations, four tasty dishes only available at Applebee's.

Yeah. That Tyler Florence.

Impressive. Applebee's is trying to do for their restaurant what Target and KMart have done for retailing. Who knows if it can work? And while you may wonder why a chef with such an enviable resume would participate, well, he has products to sell too. I'm certainly not complaining. Tyler Florence is a handsome man. If his face is going to be plastered on every sign, package label and TV screen within sight, this really will be a better world.

2 comments:

HighJive said...

it's tough to connect a cooking expert with a joint where the food is probably prepared by ex-gap employees. it might have been preferable to see the singing guys performing sammy davis jr. tunes.

Irene Done said...

I agree that it's a tough connection. Still, nothing -- nothing -- will make me want to see the singing guys again.

I read some cooking message boards and those people were shocked to see Florence in these spots. Well, they may not Applebee's target audience. I'm not. I've only been there once. The Martha Stewart-KMart partnership seems odd to this day (had she ever visited a Kmart before? Since? Ever?) and it's been going strong for years. Can something similar work for a restaurant chain with lots of locations in lots of small towns?