McAlister's Deli is finding sweet ways for customers to beat the heat this summer by declaring July 29, 2010, Free Tea Day, and offering a slew of in-store and social media promotions that kick off July 2. The company also is hosting its first ever Tea Town Showdown, and the restaurant chain's 2010 Beverage of Summer promotion, Tea Town USA.

On July 29, all participating nationwide restaurants will give away a 32 oz. cup of McAlister's Famous Sweet Tea with no purchase necessary. The promo pairs off with two seasonal menu items: Harvest Chicken Salad and Key Lime Pie.

The salad features all white meat chicken, celery, dried cranberries, toasted pecans and less mayonnaise than the current product. The Harvest Chicken Salad also can be served on greens as a salad, on a croissant as a sandwich and as a deluxe version of the sandwich with havarti and bacon.

The Key Lime Pie features delicate citrus flavors and a flaky graham cracker crust. Both menu items will be featured from the promotional period of July 2 to Sept. 6.

"Summer is a time to celebrate the flavors of the season — and what better way than showcasing the freshest ingredients and the signature sweet tea that made us famous," said Annica Kreider, vice president of marketing. "Free Tea Day is our way of giving back to our loyal customer base during the sweetest season of the year."

The company also is challenging residents in more than 200 communities to help their city or town earn the title of Tea Town USA. The winning municipality will receive a $5,000 prize courtesy of McAlister's for new shade trees or park improvements across their community as well as a celebration at all local restaurant locations set for the week of Aug. 16.

Every city and town with a McAlister's is invited to compete in the Tea Town USA competition, where residents are asked to vote online daily for their hometowns. Summer Beverage Promotion 2010 Tea Town USA includes:

• From in-store displays to Facebook challenges, McAlister's customers will get to know Tea Town USA through a variety of ways. Targeted Facebook advertising, Web videos and ongoing social media updates to McAlister's fans will keep them engaged in the voting process.
• The official McAlister’s Facebook page, which has nearly 10,000 Tea fans, will serve as the hub of the month-long Tea Town USA competition. Here current fans and newcomers alike can vote daily for their towns on the Tea Town USA application.
• Customers can search for their town by name or zip code and click the vote button to bring their town one point closer to victory.
• Each time a customer votes — or simply visits the application — he/she can send the Tea Town USA challenge to everyone within their social network.
• McAlister's Facebook fans also will receive updates about the competition throughout the month. Challenges will ask fans to upload photos, write poems or share stories on why their hometown should be Tea Town USA. Winners will earn gift cards and McAlister's Tea Tumblers — plus bonus points for their town.
• McAlister's 1,600-plus Twitter followers can participate in the weekly "Tea Trivia Throwdown" contest every Monday, giving Twitter users a chance to win gift cards and tumblers by being the first to answer questions about tea and McAlister's.
• A new YouTube channel will feature three videos over the course of the Tea Town USA contest: an introductory video, a mid-campaign update on current leaders and a wrap-up video about the winning community.
• Customers are invited to subscribe to Deligrams, a weekly e-mail update about the Tea Town USA campaign, encouraging everyone to return, vote often and share the contest with their friends.
• The city or town with the most votes will receive a special celebration during the week of Aug. 16 at all of the McAlister's Deli locations within their town; they also will receive a $5,000 prize for new shade trees or park improvements within their community.