McAlister's Deli Teams Up With Atlantic Coast Conference For McAlister's ACC Football Challenge Mobile App

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- McAlister's Deli, a leading fast casual restaurant, announced it has teamed up with Raycom Sports and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as the official sponsor of the McAlister's ACC Football Challenge mobile gaming app, available for free in the Android and Apple app stores starting today. Fans can play as their favorite ACC team, compete live against other fans and unlock McAlister's prizes, including the grand prize — a VIP trip to the ACC Football Championship.

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McAlister's ACC Football Challenge will allow fans to compete as their favorite school and play its full 2013 ACC football schedule. The game will also feature real‐time head‐to‐head match‐ups and allow fans to challenge each other and post scores on Facebook and Twitter, while keeping track of overall performance on conference and school-specific leaderboards. Additionally, the Rivalry Challenge mode will allow fans to play against the fan base of their team's ACC opponent that week with score updates provided in the app and on ACC Network broadcasts.

"We are excited to partner with Raycom Sports and the ACC. We feel ACC football fans are a great fit with the McAlister's brand and the ACC Football Challenge is a fun way to engage our guests," says McAlister's Deli President and CEO Frank Paci. "With so many McAlister's locations near ACC schools, a sponsorship is a perfect opportunity for us to join in the competitive spirit of football season and treat fans to some amazing prizes."

One grand prize winner will receive a VIP trip to the 2013 ACC Football Championship — including airfare, hotel and two tickets to the game — on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Charlotte, N.C.

The McAlister's ACC Football Challenge app will be promoted on www.theacc.com, in participating restaurants, on Facebook and in more than 60 million homes each week during ACC games. The app can be downloaded for free by searching "ACC Football Challenge" in Android and Apple app stores.

McAlister's has undertaken initiatives to strengthen its brand, including upgrading menu offerings and improving speed of service. Technomic recently recognized the brand as the top chain in the fast casual industry for food and beverage and as one of consumers' Top 5 Favorite Chains in the country. Fast Casual also ranked the brand No. 2 on its Top 100 "Movers and Shakers" list of 2013 and Paci was named one of the "Top 20 People" in the industry to watch.

About McAlister's
Founded in 1989, McAlister's is a fast casual restaurant chain known for its sandwiches, spuds, soups, salads, desserts and McAlister's Famous Sweet Tea™. In addition to dine-in and take-out service, McAlister's also offers catering with a selection of sandwich trays, box lunches, desserts, a hot spud bar and more. With numerous industry accolades, McAlister's has more than 320 restaurants in 23 states. The company has corporate offices in both Ridgeland, Miss., and Alpharetta, Ga. For more information, visit www.mcalistersdeli.com.

About the Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 61st year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members, consisting of Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity.  For more information, visit theACC.com and follow @theACC and on facebook.com/theACC.

SOURCE McAlister's Deli