There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but some restaurants are still finding ways to get creative with their offerings.
The Black Frog Pub of Greenville, ME looks like a typical restaurant on the shore of Moosehead Lake: a casual, cabin-themed interior, an outside terrace with a boat dock … and hungry, naked visitors who plunge into arctic waters for a free sandwich.
Looking to make his establishment stand out, owner Leigh Turner came up with the idea to offer the free prime rib sandwich to anyone willing to dive off the restaurant’s deck “au naturel.” The gimmick worked for a few years, but as more and more patrons with shrinking wallets began taking the plunge, sensitive locals and visitors decided they’d seen enough.
When the town recommended that the state liquor commission deny The Black Frog its liquor license last October, Turner had no choice but to end the promotion.
But Turner still got the last laugh. The description of the “Skinny Dip” sandwich now reads: “We used to offer this for free if you skinny dipped, but the selectmen objected, so don’t blame us.”
