Desperate to knock Chick-fil-A off of their throne, Zaxby's took a shot at the fast food champion of the chicken sandwich. Zaxby's Super Bowl ad mocked Chick-fil-A for closing on Sundays and it appears it has backfired.
The ad features former Major League Baseball player Rick Monday and NFL player Jeff Saturday walking up to a restaurant when the announcer says, “The only thing that comes between them is where to go for chicken on Sunday.”
Saturday asks, "You think they're closed?" while trying to pull a door open that should be pushed.
Monday tells him to push then the two go in and sit down to eat.
At the end the announcer says, “Hand-breaded chicken, fresh-made salads and world-famous sauces. On Sunday and every day, only at Zaxby’s.”
On the Zaxby's YouTube channel the commercial is titled, “Zaxby’s Sunday (And Every Day) Chicken.”
Though they never mention Chick-fil-A, it's obvious who they are calling out.
Watch Zaxby's Super Bowl Ad
Check out some of the responses on Twitter:
Whoa, did Zaxby’s just throw shade at @ChickfilA for being closed on Sundays? pic.twitter.com/Qsego2OuaT
— Jon Acuff (@JonAcuff) February 4, 2019
What genius in the marketing department of @Zaxbys corporate thought this #SuperBowl ad would be funny and/or go over well? Seriously? #zaxbys https://t.co/c6L7smhd8I
— Josh Givens (@JoshGivensBlog) February 5, 2019
Are you serious? Did Zaxby's really just take a hit at Chick-Fil-A for being closed on Sundays? This played in some markets during the Super Bowl. Think this helps business? Throw the penalty flag for this play! https://t.co/saQfE4qV5f
— Janet Parshall (@parshalltalk) February 5, 2019
https://twitter.com/CStringerphoto/status/1092264350939865088
Quick: Which is saltier?
The Zaxby's SB commercial.....?....or Zaxby's chicken? https://t.co/7qOQ0m69O6
— like Jordan, with an A (@JMegonigal) February 4, 2019
So for all of the money being spent on ads, the best they could come up with is reminding people that they are open and their top competitor is not.
How many people went to Chick-fil-A this week thanks to this ad?
Chick-fil-A held strong to their not being open on Sundays policy even during the Super Bowl. They allow their concessions stall to be transformed into an eatery called "Fries Up," which specializes in, you guessed it, fries, sausages and hot dogs.
.@MBStadium turned Chick-fil-A into Fries Up for #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/XqKgO3aHxn
— 11Alive Sports (@11AliveSports) February 3, 2019
On the Chick-fil-A website it explains why they are closed on Sundays:
Why we're closed on Sundays
Our founder, Truett Cathy, made the decision to close on Sundays in 1946 when he opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose - a practice we uphold today.
The success of Chick-fil-A drives the left crazy. No matter how hard they to knock them down, they continue their unmatched customer service and success in the fast food industry.
"My pleasure."
