Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions)
Our first question today is coming from David Palmer. Please announce your affiliation, then pose your question.
David Palmer - UBS
UBS. Congrats on the quarter. I just want to get your sense about a few of the things that could help us get a sense of the momentum in sales. You discussed some of these, so forgive me if I just missed, if I am making you repeat what you said. Media advertising days, and just your overall sense of the promotion versus what you believe is excluding the promotion in terms of affect to December sales, and where the momentum is going forward.
In addition, holiday timing and the gift card lift, could you help us sort through those things, with the idea that we can look to January and the spring and get a sense of where you see the momentum in sales?
Charles M. Sonsteby
We saw momentum through the whole quarter. Really, we saw numbers get better from October to November.
We did see some benefit from a holiday shift, although maybe not as great as some other groups. That was about 20 basis points, in terms of a holiday shift.
Gift cards, not only were people enticed to come into the restaurants because of some of the marketing that we ran during the period, but also the value message of the rib bonus we think was very important. It was an opportunity for people to come in and get a full meal at $9.99, and we think that was a very good message at the right time.
So as far as looking out into the third and fourth quarters, we think some of the gift card bounce backs will give us some benefit in January and also in February. There is a little bit of change in timing on bounce backs at Chili's, but we are looking to the third and fourth quarters with some confidence.
David Palmer - UBS
You advertised the gift cards this year versus last year when you did not. Was there also a difference in the weight of the media?
Charles M. Sonsteby
Well, we didn’t run any media last year in December, so that was additional. We didn’t run it as heavy as we would run a normal campaign.
David Palmer - UBS
Right. Is there a sense of what the relative lift to January ’07 versus ’06 from gift cards?
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