STATESBORO, Ga. () — On Saturday, Parker’s Kitchen hosted its inaugural tailgate event outside Paulson Stadium, just before the Georgia Southern Eagles clashed with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in football.

Located near the student entrance adorned with the company’s branding, the convenience store chain offered a variety of engaging activities for fans. Attendees could try their hand at a corn hole challenge or test their luck with a “spin the wheel” game.

Winners of these challenges were rewarded with complimentary drinks, snacks, and branded merchandise.

Darrin Samaha, Parker’s Vice President of Marketing, shared insights into the motivation behind the event.

“Our connection to Statesboro, particularly through Georgia Southern University and the Parker School of Business, runs deep,” Samaha explained. “This event is just another way for us to expand our community involvement and give back in a meaningful way. Engaging with athletics and football is a natural fit, and the tailgate offers a lively atmosphere where families can join in, win prizes, and enjoy the festivities.”

Samaha also spoke about the partnerships like the student entrance the brand has agreed to with the university.

“Football is everything down here, so we want to make sure that we’re impactful with the entrance to the amazing Paulson Stadium so the student zone was something that we wanted to do and make sure that our branding was up there, along with Georgia Southern University’s,” he said. “Specifically with the athletes, I mean, Davion Rhodes is an amazing athlete, but also his nickname is Chewy so it was a no brainer because our mascot is Chewy.”

Rhodes and Parker’s have collaborated on a “Chewy Rhodes Hot Honey Combo.”

On Saturday, Parker’s also made an impact on the local school system.

“We’re really excited to donate a check to Bulloch County Schools tonight in the middle of the first quarter,” Samaha said. “We’ll be doing the big check presentation, which is really amazing for us. It’s amazing for the school system. It’s part of our ‘Fueling the Communities’ program, where we donate all the proceeds from the first Wednesday of the month, we donate all those proceeds to a local school in the form of charity.”

Samaha said he and his team were taking notes about the event and plan to hold more in the future.