Marketing Gimmicks

Tommy Up to Stephen Starr: Free Is Better Than $5.95

Tomme de Up
Tomme de Up Photo: Kirsten Henri

While we’re both amused and exhausted by P.Y.T. owner Tommy Up’s nonstop Twitter-of-Terror Campaign against Stephen Starr and SquareBurger, the real silver lining here for the burger-consuming public is the price slashing. Yesterday, Starr announced he was dropping the price of the Butcher & Singer burger from $16 to $5.95 - shortly before winning a Best of Philly award for that very same burger - and last night Tommy Up once again took the Twitmosphere to counter that with a puzzling offer.

From the Twitter of Tommy Up:

Go to lunch at butcher & singer tmmrw for their reduced price burger & bring ur receipt to PYT after 5 tmmrw for a FREE burger

So, you go spend money at Stephen Starr’s restaurant and then go to P.Y.T. and don’t spend any money?Are you supposed to compare and contrast the burgers and then decide that P.Y.T. is for you? Is this some sort of reverse psychology marketing ninja maneuver that escapes us? Or is this just proof once again that restaurants make all their money off of booze anyway?

Once again, the burger wars have raised more questions than answers. Do let us know in the comments if you take advantage of Tommy Up’s offer.

Tommy Up to Stephen Starr: Free Is Better Than $5.95