Dress like a cow, get free chicken at Chick-fil-A

July 6, 2009 12:29 PM PT

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How far are people willing to go for a free meal?

Find out Friday at one of Chick-fil-A’s more than 1,400 restaurants. In honor of the company’s fifth annual Cow Appreciation Day, any customer who dresses like a bovine gets a free combo meal. But tasteful furry ears or a cowbell necklace alone won’t cut it -- the promotion only applies to those decked out head to toe in cow garb. Partial cow attire only will earn customers a free entree.

The Atlanta-based chicken chain’s soft spot for cows can be traced directly to its marketing campaign that features cows wearing ‘Eat Mor Chikin’ signs.

A Facebook photo contest will be held on the dress-up day. Parents also can start entering their children in the Kids’ Photo Contest online. The grand-prize winner will receive a prize package, a digital camera and a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond.

Chick-fil-A has some sartorial advice on its website, including tips on how to create a spotted costume.

Just be careful to channel Daisy the cow, not Cruella de Vil.

-- Tiffany Hsu

Money & Company

Tiffany Hsu

Tiffany Hsu is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote about the California economy, fast food, restaurants, retail and alternative energy for the Business section. A Bay Area native, UC Berkeley graduate and eternal Nor-Cal fan, she once worked for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She also did a stint at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where she developed a passion for sweet tea. She still has faith that someday she’ll find two economists who agree.