A retailer did the right thing when its Christmas dinner giveaway went viral: It ponied up for more meals than expected.
Massive Germany-based supermarket chain Lidl started a campaign in Belgium Monday in which it said it would hand over five four-course Christmas dinners to food banks each time someone tweeted the hashtag #luxevooriedereen (Dutch for “luxury for everyone”).
The 20-euro ($26) packs include chicken vol-au-vents, tomato soup, an ice cream cake, and chocolates.
The company had expected to shell out for around 1,000 of the packs, according to Reuters, but the 24-hour campaign brought more tweets than expected. Around 1,500 people used the tag, meaning Lidl would have to provide 7,500 meals to keep its promise.
Good guy Lidl rounded up that figure to 10,000 meals, at a total cost of 200,000 Euros ($260,000). A spokesperson said Lidl “learnt quite a few lessons” but isn’t sure if it will come back for seconds next year.
In any case, it’s a solid move for Lidl’s reputation, even if it opts not to return for a second helping.
Photo via Dublins98/YouTube