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Health & Fitness

Home Runs Mean Free Beer At Beef's

When the Rays hit a home run, Beef O'Brady's at the MacDill and South Dale Mabry locations celebrate by handing out free cans of cold Bud.

"Hey, Getcha' Cold Beer!"

Every time a Tampa Bay Ray hits a home run, restaurants on South MacDill and Dale Mabry go into an "At The Ballpark Mode" as a ship's bell behind the bar starts clanging and free Budweiser is distributed to the patrons.

But this isn't just a glass of beer handed across the bar to a celebrating customer. A manager, dressed like a ballpark vendor, with an attached shoulder strap holding a case of canned Bud just like the vendors at the games wear, moves throughout the entire restaurant shouting, "Beer, here, get your cold beer right here," as a companion server hands out complimentary ice-cold cans of frothy brew to the customers.

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Owner Aaron Carricato wanted to bring the feeling of being "at the game" to the customers watching on television.

"I know when I go to a game, in addition to singing 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game' and enjoying the seventh inning stretch, I love the enthusiasm of the vendors moving through the stands hawking their wares. I think that adds greatly to the atmosphere of being at the game itself and I want to bring that same feeling to our customers at Beef's," said Carricato.

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And it looks like the customers enjoy it, too. Rich Munkwitz was impressed with the idea.

"I think it's great. The Rays are going to have a great year and I am with them all the way. I love to hear that bell ring when everybody gets so excited. And the free beer just adds to the fun."

"It's more like actually being at the ball park," added Rachael Ewud. "I can't get to many games and this idea sort of makes up for that. I like it."

The customers at Beefs hope that bell rings often as the Rays race through the season towards the playoffs.

"This is our year," echoed super Rays' fan Jocelyn Davie.

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