Taco Bell K-Man promotion with Red Wings is no swing and a miss

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Question: When does a swing and miss at a baseball game turn into a home run?

Answer: When Taco Bell combines strikeouts with free food at a Rochester Red Wings game, as a recent game at Frontier Field proves.

It’s the top of the fifth inning and Jack Lopez of the Worcester Red Sox has stepped into the batter’s box.

The Red Wings are comfortably ahead at the time, 6-0, and with the game reaching its midway point on a steamy Sunday afternoon, the crowd at the downtown ballpark has settled into relaxation mode.

But then a fan bellows, “Taco!” fully aware that Lopez has been designated the Taco Bell K-Man for the day. If Lopez strikes out in any at-bat, every ticket stub can be redeemed within 48 hours for a free seasoned-beef taco at area Taco Bell restaurants.

Lopez fouls off the first pitch. More fans begin yelling “Taco!”

He fouls off the second pitch and the count goes to 0-2. Now dozens of fans are yelling “Taco! Taco! Taco!”

Three pitches later, Lopez swings and misses and the impromptu party begins. Fans jubilantly scream while the video board plays a clip from “The Lego Movie” that asks “Who wants a taco?”

Everyone, apparently. Especially when they’re free.

“Whether we’re winning 20-0 or losing 20-0, people get extremely excited and fired up for the Taco Bell K-man,” Red Wings general manager Dan Mason said. “And the instant that strikeout occurs, the cheers are as deafening as they are for anything that happens in the game.”

What began some 20 years ago as a sort of promotional test drive has turned into a bottom-of-the-ninth, walk0ff grand slam for Hospitality Restaurant Group, the Syracuse-based owners of 15 Rochester-area Taco Bell locations.

“Its kind of taken on its own culture,” Jessica Woodburn, director of marketing and communications for HRG.

Indeed it has. Where else can you find, on a starlit Saturday night, 9,000 fans screaming “Taco!” Where else can you find a fan wearing a personalized Red Wings jersey with the name plate “TACO MAN.”

That would be Larry Gould, whose boisterous “Taco, taco, taco” in past years would spark an avalanche of cheers every time the designated K-Man came to bat.

“You always feel a little bad for the guy on the other team,” Woodburn said. “He’s probably not sure why the fans are screaming ‘taco’ at him.”

Oh, they know. They definitely know.

“They are clearly aware of what’s going on,” Mason said.

Most players take it in stride. Even when they strike out.

“I’ve had guys say the next day, ‘Glad I could keep all your fans happy,'” Mason said.

HRG also runs the same K-Man promotion with the Syracuse Mets. The company has a similar promotion with Syracuse University basketball, where fans can get a free taco whenever the Orange score at least 70 points.

The nightly K-Man is chosen by the Red Wings staff. Usually it’s someone who strikes out often, and that player is easy to find. In today’s baseball, strikeouts are often the most common occurrence in a given game, so HRG understands it could conceivably be giving away thousands of free tacos any time the Red Wings play at home.

Through 24 home games, the K-Man has struck out 11 times, which is actually below the unofficial goal.

“We figure 75 percent is the right number,” Woodburn said. “We don’t want to have a winner every game because then it’s not as fun (for the fans). But we’re just happy customers are coming in, that’s the goal.”

Woodburn didn’t have statistics for how many tacos the chain gives away per season, other than being in the thousands.

The key, of course, is getting people to the restaurant, especially since no one orders just one taco.

“This is probably our best promotion,” she said.

Because of the frenzy the K-Man creates in the stands, it’s also one of the best for the Red Wings, as well.

“When the Taco Bell K-Man comes up, everyone is focused on making as much noise as they can,” Mason said. “And that’s what we’re all about, having fun. Whether the team is winning or losing, our job as a front office is to keep our fans entertained.”

With a history of more than 20 seasons, the K-Man is one of the longest-running promotions for the team. Schaller’s restaurants sponsorship of the nightly Fred Costello trivia question and Buckmans Car Wash promotions date back to Silver Stadium.

Other teams across minor league baseball have similar promotions, Mason said.

“It’s a great promotion for a restaurant,” he said, “whether they’re giving away ice cream, french fries or tacos.”

Taco Bell is going to call on Red Wings fans later this month or in August with an employee recruiting drive.

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