Millions of couples are excitedly searching for nearby Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions at this time of year. With around 25% of customers dining out, Valentine’s Day is really the second busiest holiday for restaurants (just after Mother’s Day).
Therefore, don’t worry if your restaurant is running behind schedule on developing a Valentine’s Day campaign, seeking to increase your off-premises sales, or wanting to add one more standout feature to set you apart from the crowd of pink and red.
We’ve tried our best to give you a selection of non-cheesy promos with quick turnaround so you can turn up the romance. You can easily attract early birds and last-minute lovers alike with these 11 tested Valentine’s Day restaurant promos, and persuade them to select you above the competition whether they want to eat in or take out.
Here are… 11 Valentine’s Day Restaurant Promotions Guests Will Love
Valentine’s Day is one of the most lucrative occasions for restaurants; according to one survey, luxury eateries will see a 105% increase in sales over the regular season. Furthermore, just because you don’t operate a white-tablecloth restaurant doesn’t imply you can’t benefit from this chance to increase sales.
The restaurants listed below can employ the 11 original Valentine’s Day promos and ideas to increase dine-in, takeaway, and delivery sales.
1. Determine a Theme
Consider going all-out with a romantic theme as 21% of Valentine’s Day customers choose a restaurant with a romantic ambiance, according to the National Restaurant Association. This may entail adhering to traditional Valentine’s Day themes like candles, flowers, and pink décor.
You might also choose a creative theme rather than sticking with conventional romantic ones. For instance, in an effort to recognize all forms of love, Toronto’s El Rey Mezcal Bar chose to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a friendship theme. While everything was going on, Milwaukee’s The Loaded Slate created “Shred Your Ex,” a theme designed exclusively for singles who are broken-hearted.
Remember that you may still use your theme for your takeaway and delivery options even if you don’t provide dine-in service by adding unique menu items, food packaging, and other little extras.
2. Create A Lover’s Menu
Valentine’s Day is all about romance and ambiance, but don’t overlook the true reason why everyone goes out to eat on this special day: the cuisine! There are a few simple (and alluring) methods for spiffing up your menu selections for dine-in or takeout.
- Offer ‘romantic’ foods: like oysters, lobster, scallops, chocolate, artisan coffee, or anything with honey, avocado, arugula, or jalapeño peppers (all known aphrodisiacs). The fact that they are known to stimulate the brain’s “love chemicals” will work to your advantage because clients will be more inclined to treat themselves to a costly dish because it’s a “special occasion.”
- Curate a selection of foods into a prix fixe: A menu with an appetizer, dinner, and dessert is a favorite of everyone. The benefit of this is that you don’t have to devalue your product by clearly saying the discounted pricing, which is the prevalent perception that you’re receiving a deal. The prix fixe menu’s finest feature is that it can be created on the spot using things that are already on your menu.
- Update your takeaway specials: Just because customers aren’t eating in doesn’t mean they don’t want to treat themselves to something exceptional. To encourage curiosity, think about providing Valentine’s-themed takeout foods that you wouldn’t otherwise provide. For instance, GrubHub discovered that on Valentine’s Day, consumers were four times more likely to request sushi rolls in the shape of hearts for delivery.
3. Update Your Drinks Menu
Of course, you shouldn’t restrict all those festive menu adjustments to only food. Valentine’s Day presents a significant potential to increase drink sales, as most restaurateurs are aware. And now that many states and provinces permit restaurants to offer alcohol for delivery and takeaway, there are numerous chances to distinguish them with unique Valentine’s Day promos on your beverages menu.
Consider adding an unique beverage with a love-themed name, like Vancouver’s Hawksworth Restaurant did. An exclusive love-themed drink named A Moment I Treasure, prepared with strawberry-infused Grey Goose, crème de cacao, rose water, and egg white, was formerly offered at the award-winning restaurant of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
Cocktail kits are a simple add-on if you’re searching for a more takeaway or delivery-friendly solution. For instance, Tres Carnales Rostizado in Edmonton sells margarita and mule cocktail kits that go great with the restaurant’s tacos and are also a lot of fun to create on your own for holidays like Valentine’s Day.
4. Offer options for use at home
Takeout and delivery were becoming in popularity as Valentine’s Day dinner alternatives even before the epidemic. For some couples, ordering in may now be the best option, so don’t forget to make your takeout and delivery food extra memorable.
Consider providing a pre-set menu of Valentine’s Day restaurant specials to assist guests in simulating the restaurant experience at home. On Valentine’s Day, 56% of diners want to have a traditional three-course meal (starter, entrée, and dessert), so make sure to include each one.
Extras that may be used at home or acquired as presents can also improve the experience. For instance, B&B Butchers & Restaurant in Houston and Fort Worth has in the past provided a prix fixe takeaway meal for two with the choice to tack on a bouquet of flowers from a nearby florist.
Additionally, bear in mind that you want to preserve as much money in your pocket as you can if you want to increase your takeaway and delivery business on Valentine’s Day. Encourage your clients to place orders directly from you utilizing an internal restaurant online ordering system rather than using third-party applications that demand exorbitant fees.
5. Promote Gift Cards
Nearly one-third of people, according to the National Restaurant Association, would appreciate receiving a gift card to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. This implies that a gift card to your restaurant still makes a terrific present for future date evenings even if guests are unable to join you for dinner on Valentine’s Day itself.
One of the finest Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions you can do is gift cards since they boost revenue right away and guarantee guests for future days. Additionally, customers don’t even need to visit your restaurant to buy a gift card if you utilize a service that will allow them to purchase online. Visitors may simply buy and give digital gift cards online using your mobile app or website. And for a fully contactless payment method, when customers are ready to use their gift cards, they may pay right away using their mobile device.
6. Include families too!
Although the majority of Valentine’s Day restaurant specials are geared at couples, bear in mind that not all customers will be leaving their children at home. Make Valentine’s Day a family event by incorporating some family-friendly activities.
Offering children engaging activities so they may play while their parents eat a delicious lunch is one alternative. A fun placemat with conversation starters, quizzes at select locations, and a “Make It McAlister’s” Kid Activity pack are all part of the American business McAlister’s Deli’s annual Family Date Night on Valentine’s Day.
Even if your restaurant isn’t a good fit for family-friendly events, you can always attract younger customers with appetizing food choices. Give your kids’ menu some festive flair with Valentine’s Day restaurant specials like heart-shaped pizzas or miniature red velvet cupcakes, if you already have one. Alternatively, provide family-sized meal alternatives that can serve four or more people at once to appeal to the takeaway crowd.
7. Offer a demonstration
Remember that any entertaining activities you provide don’t have to be only for children. Giving customers a meal and an experience by including an interactive element like a cooking lesson, live musical performance, or quiz is one of the most well-liked Valentine’s Day restaurant ideas.
Even if you don’t provide dine-in services, think about providing a virtual environment. For instance, a number of eateries in Toronto provide customers with the “Eat The City” experience, which combines meal packages from well-known restaurants with online cooking lessons. After getting their meal kit, customers may watch a live cooking demo and assist the restaurant’s chef, making this the ideal date-night activity for any couple.
8. Put together a last-minute incentive
The average price of a fine dinner experience for two is $99.84, according to MoneyWise. Therefore, a small incentive can persuade guests to select your restaurant over another one, whether it’s a percentage off the whole cost or a complimentary appetizer and dessert.
- Voucher and complementary accouterments: If you’re providing a complimentary item, make sure the conditions of your campaign are clear and responsive to smartphone users so that billing time won’t interfere with the romance of the evening. Just make sure to use “complementary” rather than “free” when phrasing your sentences to avoid offending anyone.
- Taxi coupon or an Uber gift card: Another modest but excellent incentive you may provide is to cover a percentage of your guests’ home-bound taxi fare using a taxi coupon or an Uber gift card. Customers travel home safely and feel comfortable to drink that additional glass of wine, and the upsell on their bills will be profitable for you if you collaborate with a cab business and offer a discount on cab fares or give out redeemable Uber amounts.
9. Send an email at midnight
Even if you have the finest Valentine’s Day restaurant promotion in town, it won’t help you much if customers are unaware of it.
Most diners wait until 10 days or less before Valentine’s Day to book reservations, according to OpenTable. This implies that you should start advertising your Valentine’s Day promos as soon as possible, but you should also include last-minute planners as they will probably make up a sizable portion of your audience.
A day or two prior to Valentine’s Day, don’t be afraid to send out an email. Both sales from consumers who book far in advance and those from last-minute planners are profitable. It could be the finest method for staying at the front of clients’ minds as they rush to make a reservation or get takeout.
- Create a compelling subject line: To make this email effective, pay attention to the subject line you choose. Remember that numerous restaurants and shops will be competing for the business of last-minute lovers, so being catchy is essential. One study discovered that around Valentine’s Day, the phrases “sweet,” “ideas,” “coupon,” and symbols (such the “3”) fared well.
- Provide compelling content: This is where, most significantly, you establish a feeling of urgency. You may also include a quick summary of your Valentine’s Day restaurant deals. Put phrases like “Time is running out,” “Cupid is right around the corner,” and “Reservations are filling up quickly!” in your text. ” and “Have you placed your order for the date night meal kit? ”
- Remember your VIPs: If you have a loyalty program, make sure that all members are aware of the forthcoming Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions. You can also create individualized promos depending on customer behavior, rewards level, geography, and other factors with a solution that will keep them engaged and in touch with your restaurant.
10. Promote In Social Media
One of the greatest ways to promote your business and get more people to see your Valentine’s Day specials is to post on social media. Even though the big day is approaching, there are still a few simple methods to interact with lovers of all types on social media.
- Offer a competition where the winner will receive a free romantic supper for two. Make sure to give every entry a reward they can use after Valentine’s Day is done or for takeout and delivery orders to guarantee you receive submissions and turn them into sales. Some contest ideas include requesting visitors to submit a photo and the narrative of how they met or enticing clients to submit a snapshot of their meal and the rationale behind their selection.
- Promote your Valentine’s Day specials on social media: Sharing your Valentine’s Day restaurant deals on your social media channels is just as successful as doing it via email. And never forget to make the material beautiful, shareable, appealing, and something that a consumer would tag a friend in rather than just marketing the bargain outright.
11. Aim Higher Than Valentine’s Day
You may be losing out on a significant income potential if you’re just doing Valentine’s Day restaurant specials for one day.
Consider extending your Valentine’s restaurant promotions throughout the next week or the weekend to give customers extra chances to celebrate. You may bring in all the diners who might not be able to celebrate on the designated night by extending your specials. Don’t pass up the chance to market to this group as well; in fact, 38% of civilians admit to celebrating Valentine’s Day after February 14th in an effort to save a few dollars.
Utilizing related holidays is another option to extend your Valentine’s Day advertising. For instance, February 13th, which attempts to offer women a chance to celebrate female friendship, has been named unofficially as Valentine’s Day. Like Boston’s Oak Long Bar + Kitchen, which previously held a Valentine’s Day event replete with a taste of rosés created by women vintners, custom Valentine’s themed drinks, and a soundtrack featuring the queens of pop, many restaurants now observe this occasion as well.
And if you are looking for a marketing agency that will help you implement these strategies for your restaurant, feel free to send us a message!
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