While tradition will either have one celebrating love with truffles and a fancy pasta dinner or singlehood with a tub of ice cream, the week leading up to Valentine’s Day is also the time of the year when people are statistically most likely to break up.
Leaning into this, fast-food companies are increasingly launching and promoting break-up foods for those who have been broken up with or are planning to break up.
Related: Pizza Hut is launching break-up food for Valentine’s Day
Marketing it as turning “Valentine’s breakup tears into triumphant cheers,” Chinese fast-food chain P.F. Chang’s invites anyone who has recently been dumped to text their story and CHANGSDUMPLINGS to 855-697-6181 for a free order of six shrimp or pork gyoza-style dumplings with any purchase of $1 or more.
A Pizza Hut pizza is seen in a cardboard box surrounded by rose petals.
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Chains ask customers to ‘forget the stress’ and order from them
“This program is P.F. Chang’s way of bringing joy and comfort to those navigating the complexities of love,” the chain says of the promotion. “Forget the Valentine’s stress; relish in free dumplings throughout February, and especially on National Break Up Day, February 21st.”
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On Feb. 6, Yum! Brands (YUM) – Get Free Report-owned chain Pizza Hut celebrated Red Tuesday (the day that’s a week before Valentine’s Day and when the most break-ups occur) by launching “good-bye pies.” Up until the holiday, those who live in New York, Miami or Chicago can send the person they want to break up with the chain’s new Hot Honey Pizza with a note saying you no longer want to be together.
‘Ditch that awkward break-up convo and send a pizza instead…’
Pizza Hut promotes this as a way to “ditch that awkward break-up convo” but ease some of the pain with a free pizza.
Launched out of New York and currently expanding fast across the country, dessert chain Insomnia Cookies also launched a seasonal “It’s Not Me, It’s You Pack” — a box of its 12 classic cookies with break-up notes ranging from “you’re sweet but not to my taste” to the much less kind “it’s not me, it’s you” and “I have the hots for your roommate.”
“For those Insomniacs whose current flings have crumbled, the late-night bakery is baking up your breakup with the It’s Not Me, It’s You Pack – the perfect, very unserious way of ending things, since warm cookies is better than a cold heart,” the chain wrote in a blog post
The box of cookies is sold for $30 throughout Feb. 18. While mainly meant to bring a smile to those feeling lonely or like Valentine’s Day is not for them, such products are also relying on those who want to spend money on a person they want to break-up with — either because they feel bad or a sense of revenge that can be satisfied by surprising someone with such an upfront message.
According to the latest estimates from the National Retail Federation, both coupled-up and single people will spend an average of $185.81 for Valentine’s Day this year while candy, greeting cards, flowers and a meal out are the most popular gifts.
At $27.4 billion, total Valentine’s Day spending for Americans peaked at the heigh of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 while that number is expected to be at $25.8 billion in 2024.
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