Pizza Hut Reconsiders “Sausage or Pepperoni” Dare At Tonight’s Presidential Election
There are plenty of questions that should be asked by the voters at tonight’s presidential debate. Questions concerning health care, foreign policy and the economy are all great. But here’s one question I hope I don’t hear tonight: “Do you like pepperoni on your pizza, or sausage?”
That moronic question comes courtesy of Pizza Hut, who is daring their customers to ask the presidential candidates whether they prefer sausage or pepperoni on their pizza at tonight's town hall style debate. The person who asked the question would receive free pizza for the next 30 years. But, after some severe backlash and ridicule, Pizza Hut is backing down from the dare and instead offering the deal online.
After the stunt triggered backlash last week, the company says it's moving the promotion online, where a contestant will be randomly selected to win free pizza for life.
The pizza delivery chain had offered the prize — a pie a week for 30 years or a check for $15,600 — to anyone who posed the question to either President Barack Obama or Republican candidate Mitt Romney during the live Town Hall-style debate.
But blogs and media outlets immediately took the pizza delivery chain to task for trying to capitalize on the election buzz by injecting itself into the process.
Pizza Hut spokesman Doug Terfehr said the majority of the feedback the company has seen has been very positive. He said that moving the contest online was a "natural progression of the campaign" after people got excited about the idea and "wished they could get in on it."
Pizza Hut, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., says it will still honor the prize if someone poses the question live at the debate. But it's encouraging everyone to participate in the new online version, where contestants must enter their email addresses and zip codes to be eligible. The company will award two prizes if someone does ask the question.
What a stupid promotion. Tonight's debate, or at the least the idea of tonight's debate, is to let the voters confront the candidates directly. You would really have someone waste that opportunity just so they can get some free pizza? I'm so glad that Pizza Hut bailed on this deal. The last thing we need is big companies trying to make a mockery of our presidential debates.