Join Ivar’s Seafood Bars and full-service restaurants on their flounder’s birthday for buy one, get one deal
It’s that time of year again and the party is back! On Tuesday, March 19, hungry seafood fans can catch a “reel” deal at Ivar’s Seafood Bars and full-service restaurants in celebration of what would have been the o-fish-al 114th birthday of Ivar Haglund, the restaurants’ iconic flounder. Throughout the day, fans who purchase one regularly priced entrée and wish Ivar “Happy Birthday,” will receive a second entrée of their choice – from a special birthday menu – for just $1.14. In addition to the birthday discounts, Ivar’s will also treat the first 114 guests at each location to a celebratory pineapple coconut mini cupcake dessert made by Cakes of Paradise in Seattle.
Plus, fans can get in on the birthday action and honor Ivar by donning a custom mask cut-out of the flounder himself! A limited supply of masks will be available at all Ivar’s Seafood Bar and full-service locations, excluding stadiums, as well as to download online at Ivars.com. Guests who post their photo wearing the Ivar mask to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, tag Ivar’s Restaurants, and include hashtag #IvarBday will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $114 Ivar’s Gift Card. The birthday contest begins March 11 and ends March 22. Additional rules and details are available at Ivars.com.
Ivar Haglund began the popular restaurant chain bearing his name in 1938, when he opened a fish and chips stand at his aquarium, which was located on the Seattle Waterfront at Pier 3 (now Pier 54). He was well known for his popular radio ditties as well as his comical stunts such as clam eating contests, taking advantage of a train car syrup spill and creating an Ivar’s clam postage stamp. He passed away in 1985 just shy of his 80th birthday. The history behind Ivar Haglund can be found on Ivar’s website.
The birthday bargain is available all day on March 19 at any of the 20 Ivar’s Seafood Bars located throughout Washington state, excluding stadium locations. Most Seafood Bars will have extended hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. to accommodate the influx of hungry revelers, with hours varying by location. Ivar’s Acres of Clams on the Seattle waterfront, Ivar’s Salmon House on north Lake Union and Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing overlooking Possession Sound, are also putting on party hats to dish out the birthday deal.
Sample birthday menu items include: 3 piece Fish ‘n Chips; Halibut ‘n Chips; Jumbo Prawns ‘n Chips; Sourdough Bread Bowl with Ivar’s would-famous clam chowder; Grilled Northwest Coho Salmon; Salmon House Seafood Medley; Pier 54 Cioppino and Ivar’s Classic Dungeness Crab & Bay Shrimp Louie.
To view the special birthday menus and details on the participating locations, please visit: www.Ivars.com/birthday.
About Ivar Haglund
Ivar Johan Haglund was born to Swedish and Norwegian parents, Johan Ivar and Daisy Maud, in West Seattle in 1905. Performing came naturally to Ivar, and he was soon entertaining family friends by playing guitar and singing. In adulthood, Haglund took his knack for entertaining and folk songs to the Seattle waterfront and opened Seattle’s first aquarium in 1938. His first fish ‘n chips stand was an extension of his aquarium, giving hungry visitors a place to dine. Since then, he created a legacy of quality seafood restaurants throughout the Northwest, with chowders and sauces sold as far away as Mexico and Japan. Always devising new attention-getting capers, Ivar staged a number of famous pranks and masterminded numerous stunts in his time including octopus wrestling on the Seattle waterfront and strolling to Frederick and Nelson’s department store with Patsy the seal from the aquarium. Haglund was a regular on KJR and KIRO radio stations, as well as the JP Patches children’s television program. Ivar passed away in 1985, just shy of his 80th birthday, but his Northwest dining legacy lives on in his beloved recipes and seafood restaurants.