By Kelly Hines

When PDQ opened the doors of its first store in Tampa, Florida in 2011, owners Bob Basham and Nick Reader committed themselves to standing behind the restaurant’s name. PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality) was a new concept in the quick service industry. Hormone free, steroid free, all natural and no preservatives, never frozen food. Handspun milkshakes, fresh cut french fries, homemade dressings – the restaurant didn’t even have a microwave! It was a gamble, but Basham and Reader were sure that the commitment would pay off.

It did. Today, PDQ has forty-six stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, and was recently named the fastest growing small chain in America by Restaurant Business Magazine. The idea of fresh, house made, affordable food has garnered PDQ a loyal following, and it wasn’t long before folks in Winston-Salem caught on when PDQ opened a location in the new HanesTowne Shopping Center on Stratford Road.

But it’s not just the food that’s gotten folks interested in PDQ. Instead of the traditional marketing strategies of television, magazine, and radio ads, PDQ uses their advertising dollars to invest in the community. From little league teams to school events, fundraising events to family nights, PDQ believes that having a relationship with the community is just the right thing to do.

That’s why PDQ is so excited to announce their biggest promotion of the year. From October 1 through October 31, PDQ is selling high quality, fantastically pink t-shirts in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. All proceeds from the $6.00 shirts will go directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Every shirt purchased also gets you a FREE handspun milkshake from PDQ. If that weren’t enough, every time you visit PDQ during the month of October wearing the t-shirt, you’ll get another free milkshake with the purchase of any combo meal. PDQ will also donate a portion of all October shake sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

In 2014, PDQ’s promotion raised $23,000 for breast cancer research and treatment. This year, with even more stores open, PDQ is looking to blow that number out of the water! Despite an increase in awareness, there are still approximately 1 in 8 women and 1 in 1,000 men who will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. Chances are good that someone you love has had, or will have, breast cancer. PDQ is People Dedicated…to Quality, to Community, and to a Cure. Join us in October for a hot shirt, a cold milkshake, and an opportunity to make a difference!

The promotion runs October 1-31, 2015 at PDQ located at 285 Harvey Street, Winston-Salem, NC. Store hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week.