Cedar Rapids Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Home to Ireland Vacation Sweepstakes Winner

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- The luck of the Irish hit Sharlynn Page at the Cedar Rapids Beef ‘O’ Brady’s. Now Page, of Marion, IA, will get to experience that luck in person, after winning a nine-day Glimpse of Ireland fully escorted trip for two in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Sweepstakes.

Page, a regular at the restaurant, scratched off the winning ticket Sunday, March 8, after dining at the Cedar Rapids Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, located at 5240 Edgewood Rd NE Ste. 100, with her husband and friends.

“The entire restaurant was thrilled,” said Page, an executive with Miracles in Montion, a local non-profit organization that fosters personal achievement by providing diverse equestrian activities with therapeutic, educational and recreational benefits for persons with disabilities. “Our waiter was shocked, the manager was excited, the owner was excited. We were all just so excited.”

Dave Behmer, owner of the Cedar Rapids Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, the only one in the state, said he was thrilled to have the Sweepstakes winner be from his location.

“I heard a yell from across the restaurant and ran over,” Behmer said. “The chances of winning are so slim,

The Sweepstakes was going on at hundreds of Beef ‘O’ Brady’s locations throughout the country. Other prizes include a 3-night stay at the TradeWinds Island Resort, $100 Beef 'O' Brady's Gift Cards, free appetizers, $5 gift cards, free fries or a free non-alcoholic beverage.

“We’re not Irish, but we enjoy Beef ‘O’ Brady’s a lot,” Page said, who is taking her husband, Sam, on the trip with her.

When Behmer opened his Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in April 2008, he signed on for a "way of life" by opening “The Third Place” of Cedar Rapids. In the 1989 book The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg, the author says people typically consider home as the “first” place in their lives, work as the “second”, followed by the third place: where they go to enjoy a “playful” atmosphere that is less than serious than the previous two environments. All of this fits what Beef ‘O' Brady's has become known for in more than 260 communities nationwide.

"The Third Place is where people go to let loose among friends. Everything that Beef's has been about over the past two decades has centered around community relationships and the neighborhood,” said DeFries. “That is true now more than ever.”

Ironically, despite what its name implies, Beef `O’ Brady’s is best known for its Buffalo chicken wings. Originally, the chain’s menu featured a variety of menu items that featured beef and a variety of sandwiches. Later, founder Jim Mellody added his own recipe for Buffalo chicken wings, making the restaurant an even “hotter” place to eat. In fact, his sauce is bottled under a private label and sold on the Beef `O’ Brady’s web site.

About Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Beef 'O' Brady's is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef 'O' Brady's neighborhood market. The “kid appeal” of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef 'O' Brady's is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has more than 260 locations throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visit www.beefobradys.com for more information.

Robust Promotions is at 103 S. Villa Ave. in Villa Park. For more background, visit www.robustpromotions.com or call 800-925-5732.

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