{"id":361,"date":"2008-02-21T01:01:22","date_gmt":"2008-02-21T01:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/02\/the-commercialization-of-lent.html"},"modified":"2008-02-21T01:01:22","modified_gmt":"2008-02-21T01:01:22","slug":"the-commercialization-of-lent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/02\/the-commercialization-of-lent.html","title":{"rendered":"The Commercialization of Lent?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"luby'sWell, I never thought I’d see it. But, sure enough, somebody has figured out how to commercialize Lent. Amazing.
\nLuby’s Cafeteria<\/a>, founded in San Antonio, now based in Houston, is making a run at a Lenten promotion. As I was driving by their restaurant in Kerrville, their sign caught my attention. In fact, I wasn’t sure if I read it correctly, so I doubled back to check. Sure enough. There it was in bold letters: TRY OUR LENT PROMO – LEMON BASIL TILAPIA – CHICKEN CORDON BLEU.
\n\"luby'sFor those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Tilapia is a light fish. I can imagine a Lemon Basil Tilapia that actually tastes rather Lenten: simple, basic, healthy. I’m a little less convinced about the Chicken Cordon Bleu, however. This is a rather rich dish that combines chicken, ham, and cheese. If you’re looking for a Lenten lunch at Luby’s, I’d stick with the Tilapia.
\nAnd, that is exactly what I did. I took my colleague Steven to Luby’s yesterday for a bit of Lenten cuisine. He tried the Chicken Cordon Bleu; I went with the Tilapia. It was tasty, but not too tasty for Lent.
\nI did a bit of Googling and was surprised to find that Luby’s Lenten promotion seems to be working. An article on investing highlighted Luby’s<\/a>, noting that:<\/p>\n

In addition, Luby’s has enjoyed 10 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth, an unusual distinction among restaurant chains at the moment. This success could stem partly from Luby’s clever promotions, such as fish during Lent; . . .<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, there you go.
\nI don’t know how much potential there is for Lenten marketing. Let’s face it, the commercial possibilities of Lent are limited. How do you sell your product in a season that emphasizes renunciation? I suppose one could sell purple clothing, since purple is the liturgical color for Lent. I expect there’s a small market for Lenten devotionals. Still, Lent is a tough sell. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if some people give up shopping for Lent (shopping for inessentials, that is).
\nI must confess that I’m not terribly thrilled about the commercializaiton of Lent. But let me also confess that I’m impressed with Luby’s unusual creativity. It takes American ingenuity to find a way to make a few extra bucks in Lent, a season that encourages the opposite of consumption and materialism. Go figure!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, I never thought I’d see it. But, sure enough, somebody has figured out how to commercialize Lent. Amazing. Luby’s Cafeteria, founded in San Antonio, now based in Houston, is making a run at a Lenten promotion. As I was driving by their restaurant in Kerrville, their sign caught my attention. In fact, I wasn’t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Commercialization of Lent? - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}