Most years, St. Patrick's Day and the dawn of spring are the most anticipated days in the weeks between Valentine's Day and Easter. (Sorry, Presidents Day.) This year, we get a bonus.
Leap day is Thursday, and several businesses are offering specials to celebrate the extra day, which is added about every four years to keep our calendars in sync with the Earth's revolutions around the sun.
(READ MORE: Fun with numbers: Be born on leap day - avoid growing old)
Here are a dozen places to mark the occasion. It's mostly food, but you can also find deals on passport photos, oil changes and, if your birthday is Feb. 29, a stuffed animal.
— Bridgeman's Chophouse: This is one deal you can find year-round, but it seems especially fitting to dine on frog legs on leap day — since it's also National Frog Legs Day. The steakhouse inside the historic Read House lists deep-fried Louisiana frog legs on its dinner menu. They're dusted with Cajun seasoning, served with Creole sauce and priced at $20. Thursday hours are 5-10 p.m. Call 423-643-1240 for reservations.
(Bonus tip: If you'd rather cook them yourself, minus the gigging, Don's Meat Shop in Hixson sells them for $10.49 per pound, says employee Delanie Smith. And some area Walmart stores have the 2-pound box of Great Value frog legs in stock for about the same price, according to walmart.com.)
— Chipotle Mexican Grill: On leap day, Chipotle Rewards members can get a free order of guacamole with promo code EXTRA24 at checkout online or in the Chipotle app. The freebie, available as either a small side or an entree topping, must accompany the purchase of a full-size entree. The restaurant chain also will award 29 of its Instagram followers with free guac for a year in an "Extra Day, Extra Codes" challenge, a gamified scavenger hunt that went active Monday. Learn more at chipotle.com.
— Del Taco, which has locations in Fort Oglethorpe and Dalton, Georgia, offers discounted chicken tacos and snack tacos every Thursday through March 6 as part of its 60th anniversary celebration. That means 60-cent tacos on leap day, a 40% savings off the regular price.
— Dunkin' locations will give Dunkin' Rewards members a medium Cinnamon Vanilla Coffee for $2 when they order through the app. Rewards members also receive four times the points on all purchases made on leap day.
— Hooters will celebrate Feb. 29 with specially priced food and drink. Enjoy a $2.29 Corona Extra beer or a $2.29 select appetizer (cheese sticks, fried pickles, chips and queso, lots-a-tots, cheese and pretzels, or buffalo shrimp) by using the Hooters loyalty member app.
— Jersey Mike's: Feb. 29 is the final day to get a free sub from Jersey Mike's. When you buy a sub via the app, you'll be rewarded with 72 points added to your account, enough for another sub at no cost.
— Krispy Kreme is offering all customers a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts for $2.29 with the purchase of any regularly priced dozen on leap day. Leaplings — those born on Feb. 29 — will receive a free Original Glazed dozen, no purchase necessary (proof of birthday required).
— Mellow Mushroom will offer free delivery via DoorDash on leap day. In addition to its hand-tossed, stone-baked pizzas, the menu also features calzones, hoagies, munchies, greens, burgers and sweets. Orders may be placed online at mellowmushroom.com.
(READ MORE: Mellow Mushroom: It's a family affair)
— Wendy's plans a sweet start to leap day by highlighting a new breakfast menu item. Customers can get a free Cinnabon Pull-Apart until 10:30 a.m. local time. There's a limit of one per vehicle in the drive-thru or per dining room transaction.
NOT JUST FOOD
— Build-A-Bear Workshop will celebrate leaplings with a Birthday Treat Bear for $4. The offer, available to anyone born on Feb. 29, no matter their age, is an extension of the store's Count Your Candles program, which typically allows you to pay your age for the plush toy.
(READ MORE: 3 Hamilton Place eateries to open as mall company sees 'record leasing')
— Jiffy Lube locations in Chattanooga (688 Signal Mountain Road), Ringgold (1282 Dietz Road) and LaFayette, Georgia (1890 N. Main St.) will offer a $29 discount on any oil change on leap day, the lowest price of the year. Hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday; no appointment necessary.
"This is a 'once in a blue moon' type event, so we wanted to have a little fun with it," Steve Isom, executive vice president for Stonebriar Auto Services LLC, the owner/operator franchisee of the three locations, said in a news release.
— Staples Easy Rewards members can get a free passport photo in-store on leap day. Altogether, the retailer is giving away 29,000 passport photos, which are regularly $18. You can sign up for the rewards program in-store, online or in the Staples app.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.