St. Patrick’s Day 2019: A Guide to Green Food Specials, Restaurant Deals, and Grocery Discounts

St. Patrick’s Day 2019 offered U.S. consumers a variety of promotional opportunities across grocery stores, national restaurant chains, and retail locations. The available data highlights specific discounts on traditional holiday ingredients, limited-time menu items featuring green ingredients, and rewards program incentives. Offers were primarily concentrated in the food and beverage sector, with specific details regarding pricing, validity dates, and redemption methods documented for various brands.

Grocery Store Discounts and Rebates

Consumers preparing St. Patrick’s Day meals at home had access to several discounted staples at major grocery retailers during the week of March 17, 2019.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Most grocery stores offered deals on corned beef and cabbage during the promotional period. * Harris Teeter: Green cabbage was priced at $0.19 per pound with a limit of 5 pounds. This offer was valid through March 19, 2019. * Aldi: Cattleman’s Ranch flat cut corned beef brisket was available for $2.99 per pound with a limit of 2 pounds. This offer was valid through March 17, 2019.

Fresh Potato Rebate A rebate offer was available for fresh potatoes purchased at Walmart, facilitated through the Coupons.com app. * Offer: Up to $1.50 back on fresh potato purchases. * Redemption Process: 1. Download the Coupons.com mobile app. 2. Open the Walmart gallery within the app. 3. Tap the "Free Potatoes" coupon by Thursday, March 21, 2019. 4. Purchase fresh potatoes at Walmart. 5. Submit the receipt through the app. * Payout: The rebate amount was deposited into the consumer's PayPal account.

Restaurant Freebies and Special Offers

National restaurant chains promoted various St. Patrick’s Day specials, ranging from free doughnuts and cookies to discounted beverages and themed menu items.

Baked Goods and Desserts

Krispy Kreme: The brand offered "Green O’riginal Glazed" doughnuts, which featured emerald-colored dough. These were available through Sunday, March 17, 2019. Additionally, participating shops (including many in North Carolina) were giving away "Golden Dozen Passes," which provided a free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts per month through St. Patrick’s Day 2020.
Tim Hortons: The chain featured St. Patrick’s Day-themed Clover Donuts. These were heart-shaped treats stuffed with venetian cream filling, topped with white fondant and green sprinkles. They were available starting March 13, 2019, at all U.S. restaurants. A four-pack was priced at $4.49.
Mrs. Fields: Consumers could order a St. Patrick’s Day cookie cake decorated with green icing and edible four-leaf clovers. The cake was available in five flavors: oatmeal, raisins and walnuts; chocolate chip without nuts; white chocolate and macadamia nuts; triple chocolate; and cinnamon sugar.
Barnes & Noble: Participating locations hosted a "Leprechauns & Limericks" event on Saturday, March 16, 2019, at 2 PM. Activities included writing limericks, receiving an official leprechaun name, and receiving a free cookie from the B&N Cafe. Giveaways were available while supplies last. Rewards program members who subscribed to emails were sent a coupon for 17% off their purchase on March 17, redeemable in stores or online.
Bruegger's Bagels: The brand offered a coupon for $2 off a Big Bagel Bundle, valid March 15 through March 17, 2019. Green bagels were available at many locations.
Dunkin' Donuts: The chain offered Irish Crème coffees and Mint Brownie donuts.
McDonald's: The Shamrock Shake returned to menus. The shake consists of vanilla soft serve blended with Shamrock Shake syrup and topped with whipped topping. A portion of proceeds from Shamrock Shake purchases between February 13 and March 24, 2019, was donated to local Ronald McDonald Houses.

Beverage and Alcohol Promotions

Applebee's: Offered a $2 Absolut Rainbow Punch made with Absolut vodka, green apple, lemon, ginger, and topped with a candy rainbow.
Tijuana Flats: Featured $2 Mexican drafts on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
O'Charley's: Offered green beer on March 17, 2019.
Yard House: Featured St. Patrick's Pub Fare and Pints, including drinks like the Dublin Mule and Jameson Margarita. Green beer was available on request on St. Patrick’s Day.
Chili's: Select locations offered a $5 Lucky Jameson margarita throughout the month of March 2019.

Food Specials

Arby's: Offered a 16 oz. Mint Chocolate Shake topped with Andes candy pieces for a limited time.
Snarf's Sandwiches: Offered $2 off the restaurant’s corned beef sandwich from Friday through Sunday of the holiday weekend.
Papa John's: Offered free delivery on all orders over $10 placed through DoorDash at participating locations. Orders could be placed via the DoorDash website or mobile app.
Dairy Queen: Offered buy one, get one free Blizzards, including the Mint Oreo Blizzard, through March 17, 2019.

Retail and Event-Based Offers

Beyond food and beverage, there were offers related to home decor, educational events, and broader deal days.

Home Decor * Dollar Tree: Shoppers could find $1 St. Patrick’s Day themed items for party decor.

Educational Events * Barnes & Noble: As noted in the restaurant section, the "Leprechauns & Limericks" event provided an interactive experience for families, including giveaways and a free cookie.

Broader Deal Days The data references several other "made-up food holidays" and seasonal events in 2019 that typically feature freebies and deals. While specific offers for these dates were not detailed in the context regarding St. Patrick's Day, the following dates were identified as key opportunities for consumers: * National Pizza Day: February 9 * Pi Day: March 14 * Tax Day: April 15 * National Doughnut Day: June 7 * National Ice Cream Day: July 21 * National Cheeseburger Day: September 18 * National Coffee Day: September 29 * National Taco Day: October 4 * Halloween: October 31

Redemption Requirements and Eligibility

Several offers required specific actions to redeem, primarily involving digital sign-ups and app usage.

Rewards Programs and Email Sign-ups * P.F. Chang's: Consumers had to be signed up for the rewards program via the website or app to receive 15% off online orders on March 17 or 18, 2019. In-restaurant redemption required providing an email address, phone number, or rewards ID to the server. Online redemption required logging into the account and applying the offer at checkout. * Barnes & Noble: Signing up for emails through the rewards program was necessary to receive the 17% off coupon.

App-Based Rebates * Coupons.com: The "Free Potatoes" rebate required the Coupons.com mobile app to clip the coupon and submit the receipt.

Event Registration * Barnes & Noble: The "Leprechauns & Limericks" event required sign-up on the brand's website.

Conclusion

The St. Patrick’s Day 2019 promotional landscape was dominated by food and beverage offers, with significant participation from national chains like Krispy Kreme, McDonald's, and Applebee's. Consumers had opportunities to save on grocery staples for home cooking through retailer-specific pricing and app-based rebate programs. To maximize value, consumers were generally required to engage with brand-specific digital channels, such as mobile apps, rewards program sign-ups, and email subscriptions. While the holiday is traditionally associated with green beer and corned beef, the 2019 deals also extended to unique menu items like green doughnuts, mint chocolate shakes, and themed cookie cakes.