Houlihan's Restaurants Hosts World's First-Ever** White Elephant Gift Exchange on Facebook

Online, December 10, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Leawood, KS - America's favorite holiday gift exchange has gone social. Through the month of December, Houlihan's Restaurants, a hip-casual restaurant and bar, will host the first-ever** Facebook fan White Elephant Gift Exchange.

Encouraging fans of Houlihan's Facebook page to send in obnoxious or otherwise burdensome possessions to the restaurant's corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Houlihan's will send each participant a gift in return of equally wonderful nature, contributed by another Facebook fan. Photos of these treasures will be posted on Houlihan's national Facebook wall.

"We loved the thought of fans going to the mailbox and uncovering a package to open. Who doesn't love opening presents, even if it is a 'fra-gee-lay' leg lamp or a tube of wasabi lip balm?" said Jen Gulvik, VP Marketing and Creative Director for Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc.

The gifts are already pouring in, including an autographed photo of Lily the Clown and a singing Elvis stocking 'boot' that lights up, to name a few.

Throughout the years, Houlihan's has used social media as a way to engage with and give back to its loyal followers. Whether it's incentivizing FourSquare check-ins or engaging fans with entertaining content, sweet prizes or exclusive offers on Facebook, Houlihan's continues to innovate in their social media channels. This past fall, the restaurant launched an advertising campaign throughout Chicago and St. Louis featuring Tweets from consumers about their menu raves and the tag 'good enough to Tweet.'.

For more information on the Facebook Fan White Elephant Exchange please visit www.facebook.com/houlihans.

** as far as we know

About Houlihan's
Established in 1972, Houlihan's is a progressive concept that bridges the gap between fine dining and what people have come to expect from casual dining, priding itself on style and quality. Houlihan's offers guests a design-forward atmosphere featuring a curated indie soundtrack, with an eclectic menu and energetic bar environment. Inspired by fare around the globe, Houlihan's crafts dishes made from scratch with assertive flavors and offers creative, diverse cocktails and wine selections, with many of its locations garnering 'best happy hour' awards from local media outlets. Currently, 87 Houlihan's restaurants operate throughout the country, 52 of which are franchised. Houlihan's is owned by Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc. of Leawood, Kansas, which developed and owns several restaurant concepts comprising of approximately 100 locations from coast to coast, including Bristol Seafood Grill and J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks. For more information, please visit www.houlihans.com or find Houlihan's on Facebook at www.facebook.com/houlihans.