Houlihan's Franchise News

National Campaign to Promote New Music Talent Kicks off with Parlotones, Big Harp, and Feathers during South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) 2012
LEAWOOD, Kan., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For promising musicians looking for their big-break, being "H-Listed" could be the ticket. Houlihan's Restaurants, known for infusing their music strategy into the dining experience by featuring indie bands and lesser known tracks, launched the multi-faceted campaign today to provide budding musicians a vast, new platform to be heard.
The perks of being "H-Listed" include promotion of artists and bands within 83 Houlihan's restaurants across the country and more than 1 million impressions online through Houlihan's website, social media channels and email marketing campaigns...

December 12, 2011 // Franchising.com // Leawood, KS - America’s favorite holiday gift exchange has gone social. Through the month of December, Houlihan’s Restaurants, a hip-casual restaurant and bar, will host the first-ever** Facebook fan White Elephant Gift Exchange.
Encouraging fans of Houlihan’s Facebook page to send in obnoxious or otherwise burdensome possessions to the restaurant’s corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Houlihan’s will send each participant a gift in return of equally wonderful nature, contributed by another Facebook fan. Photos of these treasures will be posted on Houlihan’s national Facebook wall.
“We loved the thought of fans going to the mailbox and uncovering a package to open...

November 22, 2010 // Franchising.com // Leawood, KS – In the past three years, Houlihan's restaurants have raised more than $135,000 on behalf of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, restored music education in three public schools, and recently rallied more than 26,000 fans on Facebook to get behind the noble cause. Now, Houlihan's is dedicating a new line of delectable "MashUp" desserts for year-round support of music education. Houlihan's will donate 25 cents from each new dessert, up to $200,000, to VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

The new "MashUp" dessert line consists of four options of chocolate Brownie Lollies, including peanut butter, dark chocolate raspberry, Junior Mints® and milk chocolate, as well as four flavors of homemade ice creams: s'mores, raspberry, caramel mocchiato, and Chick O Stick®...

Restaurant Expected to Receive LEED Certification by 2010 October 20, 2010 // Franchising.com // Springfield, MO – Houlihan's, the nation's most innovative casual-dining brand, is breaking new ground with its first LEED Gold-designed location in the South Springfield area at 2110 E. Republic Rd. The new Houlihan's, which was developed and is operated by O'Reilly Hospitality Management, LLC of Springfield, offers area diners fresh-from-scratch cooking in an environmentally-friendly setting while boosting the local economy with the creation of nearly 100 jobs.

"Our commitment to environmental responsibility and the community is very strong," said Tim O'Reilly, CEO of O'Reilly Hospitality. "We want to do more than just provide great food to the community...

Hip-Casual Restaurant Offers Free Cake and Ice Cream to Celebrate 10 Year Anniversary September 24, 2010 // Franchising.com // Maple Grove, Minn. – Houlihan's of Maple Grove, noted for their unique environment and bold flavors, has reached its 10 year anniversary and is celebrating the milestone by offering local residents special offers throughout the day on September 25.

This Saturday, Houlihan's of Maple Grove will deck out its trendy environment, and staff, with balloons and celebratory attire. As a thank you to the community for all of its support, the restaurant is offering free cake and ice cream to all guests. In addition to the free treats, customers who join Houlihan's email/text club will be automatically entered to win a $100 Houlihan's gift card...

Popular Restaurant Offers Dinner on the House, Gift Cards, Drawing for a Free Year of Houlihan's September 20, 2010 // Franchising.com // Park Ridge, Ill. – Houlihan's of Park Ridge has ample good reason to celebrate its one-year milestone. During one of the most challenging economic climates for restaurants, local fans embraced the progressive concept wholeheartedly to help catapult it into the company's Top 10 locations throughout the country.

One year ago, Houlihan's arrived in Park Ridge offering residents bold, unique flavors in a trendy, hip setting. Today, following a year of success and record-breaking sales for the Houlihan's concept, the restaurant is celebrating its success with a series of deals and giveaways to honor the community for its support...

September 10, 2010 // Franchising.com // Leawood, Kan. – Whether it's the Truckstop Fries with chipotle cheese sauce, Disco Fries with melty mozzarella and slow cooked pot roast and gravy, or just straight up with a side of ketchup, Houlihan's restaurants across the county are giving away free Frites for every Foursquare check-in.

Houlihan's upped the ante for loyal guests who become Mayor of their local Houlihan's restaurant; the user with the most check-ins at participating Houlihan's restaurants will receive a free Small Plate, up to $6, featured on the new, flavor-packed menu of 30+ tapas-like dishes.

"Sure, we want to reward guests for telling their friends that they're eating at our restaurants, but we carefully thought about which menu items they'd actually want to talk about and recommend to their social networks," said Jen Gulvik, Vice President of Marketing and Creative Director for Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc...

Minneapolis Restaurants transform dining experience with New Menu Meant for Sharing May 11, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis, MN – Houlihan's Minneapolis restaurants, part of one of the nation's most innovative casual-dining brands in the U.S., is catering to consumers' increasing demand for a customized dining experience with a new, flavor-packed menu of 30+ 'small plates.'

According to the National Restaurant Association's Tableservice Restaurant Trends Report, smaller portions were named among the top 10 food trends in 2009. While a few restaurants have added small plates as an extension of their appetizer menus, no other national casual-dining concept has embraced the small plate concept so far as to add an entire menu of tapas-like options along with the service and back-of-house procedures that accompany tapas-style dining...

April 20, 2010 // Franchising.com // Columbia, MO – Houlihan's of Columbia will host a Houlihan's Focus Night on behalf of the Missouri University Black Law Students Association (MU-BLSA) on April 20, 2010. Funds raised will go towards scholarships and academic projects for diverse law students, as well as aid in conducting community service projects.

Houlihan's invites the local community and the MIZZOU campus community to come together at Houlihan's to eat, drink and raise money for the MU-BLSA. Houlihan's will donate 10 percent off all sales from the night between 5PM and 11PM to the cause.

"Houlihan's is proud to be active in the Columbia community and to help raise funds that assist in the education of diverse students," said Diamond Tabron, Houlihan's General Manager, "What easier way to raise money for a great cause than by doing something everyone loves to do…eat! Focus Nights allow customers to enjoy our made-from-scratch food and eclectic bar, while also raising money for a good cause...

March 25, 2010 // Franchising.com // Columbia, MO – Houlihan's of Columbia galvanized their local community to host their first Houlihan's Focus Night, an event hosted on behalf of Westminster's Haiti Relief Semester Project to increase awareness of the plight of people in Haiti and to assist in raising funds for relief efforts.

Houlihan's invited the local community and the Westminster campus community to come together at Houlihan's to eat, drink and raise money for Haiti Relief. Houlihan's then donated 10 percent off all sales from the night to the cause.

"Houlihan's is proud to be active in the Columbia community and raise awareness of issues that effect people in our neighborhoods and around the world," said Diamond Tabron, Houlihan's General Manager, "What easier way to raise money for a great cause than by doing something everyone loves to do…eat! Focus Nights allow customers to enjoy our made-from-scratch food and eclectic bar, while also raising money for a good cause...

October 08, 2009 // Franchising.com // Jersey City, NJ – The VH1 Save The Music Foundation, with the help of Houlihan's Restaurants Inc., will present $60,000 worth of new musical instruments to restore instrumental music education programs in Jersey City Public Schools for the 2009/2010 school year. The donation is part of the Foundation's efforts to restore $3 million worth of instrumental music programs nationwide this year. To mark the donation, an event will be held at the Ezla L. Nolan School on October 9, 2009 from 10a.m. to 11 a.m. Comcast, VH1 Save the Music Foundation's partner, will be onsite to introduce Houlihan's representatives at the event.

This year's donation is part of an ongoing effort by the VH1 Save The Music Foundation and Houlihan's to guarantee that students in Jersey City Public Schools receive music education as part of their core curriculum...

Hip-Casual Restaurants Set Goal to Restore Schools' 'Instrumental' Programs July 17, 2009 // Franchising.com // Leawood, Kan. – As public schools suffer more than ever before due to the faltering economy , Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc. is energized about its second nationwide fundraising campaign to support the VH1 Save The Music Foundation and help restore instrumental music education programs.

Now through Sept. 4, 2009, for every Mojito Margarita and S'Mores Fondue dessert sold at nearly 90 Houlihan's corporate stores and franchises across the country, the restaurant will donate $1, up to $30,000, to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Houlihan's guests can opt to make personal donations to the fund by noting a desired amount on their guest checks...

Houlihan's Restaurants Declares April 2009 National Eat Out Month April 02, 2009 // Franchising.com // Leawood, KS - In response to a number of so-called financial experts suggesting Americans stop dining out as a means of surviving the current economic downturn, Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc. has taken it upon themselves to declare April National Eat Out Month.

The hip-casual dining restaurant, with 106 locations, will launch its cheeky campaign on April 1, 2009 telling customers, 'if you don't eat out at Houlihan's, please eat out somewhere!" The campaign includes a mass-blast Email to its guest database on April 1, digital billboards in its home-base of Kansas City and several Public Service Announcement (PSA) inspired spots in top-rated radio stations, including National Public Radio (NPR)...

`Selective' Franchise Operators, Corporate Expansion Bolsters Continued Growth Momentum

Leawood, KS (July 17, 2007) – Fresh off a cash infusion of $68 million to fuel national expansion and newly positioned brand recognition, Houlihan's, the nation's leader in stylish casual dining, announced it has signed two franchise market development agreements with prominent restaurant developers that will expand the 105-unit chain throughout California, Arizona and Florida – to the tune of 34 new locations.

In keeping with its new strategy to open more corporate locations and limit franchise deals to the most seasoned franchise market developers, Houlihan's signed a 22-unit deal with SunPacific Partners, L.P...

Casual Dining Restaurant Puts New Twist on Ladies' Night with `Risqué' Drink Line, Makeup Giveaways and the Official Cocktail of Fashion Week in New York

Leawood, KS – While ladies' nights at bars have been around for years, there's nothing traditional about Houlihan's introduction of "Viva la Diva" Thursdays, featuring giveaways of posh Bella II Fiore makeup kits featured in O and Cosmopolitan magazines and "flirty" drinks like the X-Rated Flirtini and the Brazilian Wax, the official cocktail of Fashion Week in New York.

Houlihan's creative twist on traditional ladies' nights kicks off on June 28 at locations across the country. With 105 locations, including several new prototype stores, which feature new architecture, interior design, uniforms, music, menu format, patio-style dining and a spacious, centerpiece and "ageless" bar, Houlihan's is the nation's leader in stylish, casual dining, known for setting new trends and staying on the cutting edge of consumer tastes...