Ivar’s 106th Birthday Means You Get a $1.06 Present

As any good Ballardite should be able to tell you, Ivar Haglund’s birthday is March 22. The founder of Ivar’s would have been 106 in 2011, presuming his death in 1985 wasn’t a publicity stunt*. To celebrate, Ivar’s the restaurant chain has got a birthday deal in effect all day the 22nd:

Guests to any Seafood Bar or full-service Ivar’s receive a second entrée for $1.06 with purchase of an entrée; that means even if you buy a $20+ entrée at the restaurant, you get a second one for $1.06!

You have to say, “Happy Birthday, Ivar!” to seal the deal. There are 26 Seafood Bars and three full-service restaurants to choose from (stadium operations are excluded). At the Seafood Bars, the first 106 guests will also get a free slice of blueberry (Ivar’s preferred flavor) birthday cake.

*Ivar’s nose for publicity is illustrated by the following three escapades:

• 1945 – After a train car leaked its syrup contents on the road directly across from Ivar’s Acres of Clams, Ivar donned a pair of hip boots, pulled on a huge apron and ran into the center of the huge lake of syrup. In one hand he carried a large plate of pancakes, in the other a large spoon. He scooped up the syrup, poured it on the pancakes, and told the crowd, “Eat at Ivar’s. We don’t skimp on the syrup.”
• 1947 – Ivar’s held its first-ever clam eating contest on Pier 54. The winner was Richard Watson, a Seattle cabdriver, who gulped down 110 clams in 10 minutes and became the first ever IPFSACECA (The International Pacific Free Style Amateur Clam Eating Contest Association) World Champion Clam Eater. In 1948, he competed in the great East versus West Clam Eat Off and beat his East Coast challenger receiving the coveted title crown from Ivar.
• 1960 – U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith proposed a postage stamp commemorating Maine’s sardine. Appalled by the sardine, Ivar insisted on a stamp honoring the clam instead. Ivar began selling his stamps in the Ivar’s gift shop. U.S. Postal Inspectors didn’t find Ivar’s stamps so humorous and confiscated the stamps and printing plates to be burned in a U.S. Postal Service furnace. Ivar was amused that the Post Office would have its own basement incinerator for cremating bad stamps.