Corn on the cob may be a breeze, and you’re not chicken about grilling chicken. But if cooking a steak for a crowd puts cause butterflies in your stomach, LongHorn Steakhouse has you covered. The chain will run a free grilling hotline on July 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT, staffed with finalists in a grilling competition run by the restaurant company. The number is 1-855-LH-GRILL.
While the LongHorn’s help line a marketing gimmick, it’s a good one. Many people pull out the grill rarely enough that they may want a backstop of advice to achieve the perfect degree of rare or well-doneness without disappointing family and friends. And in the long run, the Florida and Georgia-run restaurant chain may pick up some business (though amateur grillers can call from anywhere).
The company’s hotline will offer advice on a range of topics, like which cuts and seasonings to use, and advice for how to grill your corn on the cob, chicken breasts, and ribs, among other meats and vegetables.
The grilling tips hotline trades on the success of Butterball’s Turkey Talk-Line, which has staffed up with experts for over 30 years. In a hilariously late sign of the times, the company brags on its site that it recently added the first male expert.