Samurai Sam’s Lightens Up the Holidays with Healthy Chinese Food and Good Humored Remarks

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

It’s no secret this year’s holiday season is expected to be a stressful one. Retailers are projecting an all-time low in sales profits, flights are expensive, and fuel is costly.

With all these elements adding pressure to Americans' pocket books, the Asian food gurus at Samurai Sam’s thought this was the perfect time to offer new, affordable, Chinese menu items served up with a little humor.

Starting October 27, three new Chinese-influenced menu items will be served with complimentary wise-cracking fortune cookies. The Sam’s says “Not-So-Fortunate” cookies will be given away free with the purchase of a new Chinese menu item.

New menu entrées include:

• Ginger Garlic Shrimp Bowl – Yakisoba Noodle bowl with shrimp, snap peas, carrots and broccoli drizzled with a Ginger Garlic sauce.
• Kung Pao Beef Bowl – Rice bowl with teak slices, broccoli and unsalted peanuts drizzled with a Kung Pao sauce.
• Orange Peel Chicken Bowl – Rice bowl with chicken breast slices, snap peas and carrots drizzled with a Mandarin Orange Peel sauce.

New menu items will be available from October 27 through December 31 and start at $6.99 for a large bowl and $5.99 for a small; prices may very per region.

Aimed at making customers chuckle, 25 different snarky remarks will circulate through stores while cookie supplies last or until December 31. Remarks like “You woulda been super cool in 1992,” “In time you will offend everyone you know,” and “Choose the path of least resistance. That's all you can handle.”

“It was our intention to offer people a little relief this holiday season in the form of humor all while showcasing the new menu items,” said Sean Wieting, president of Samurai Sam’s. “We hope people crack open these cookies, chuckle a little and enjoy a healthy Asian meal.”

The fortune cookie gained popularity in America in the early 1900s and was a regional specialty in California Chinese restaurants through World War II. However, some researchers believe that the fortune cookie did not, in fact, originate in China, but rather in Japan. Many records reveal that the fortune cookie has been a part of Japanese history and literature for decades before it was introduced in the U.S. Understanding this history and being an innovator in the Asian food category, especially in Japanese cuisine, it was only fitting that Samurai Sam’s add a little flair to the fortune cookie concept.

About Samurai Sam’s:

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill was founded in 1994. Samurai Sam’s prides itself on being a great tasting, healthier alternative in the world of traditional fast food, using only the freshest ingredients and providing quick and friendly service, all at an affordable price. The delicious Japanese-style menu helped put Samurai Sam’s in the leading category of quick-service Asian segments. With over 400 new locations under agreement to open within the next decade across the country, the future of Samurai Sam’s is looking strong. For more information on Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill, visit the company’s Web site at www.samuraisams.net.

*Research based upon the findings of Jennifer 8. Lee in her book “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.”