Mother’s Day tends to get a lot of attention, but Father’s Day is a great opportunity for restaurants looking to host families celebrating their favourite father figures. Restaurants typically see a 22 per cent increase in sales on Father’s Day, 51 per cent of dads celebrate during the dinner hour, and 21 per cent of people plan to celebrate Father’s Day at a restaurant, so create an event that families can enjoy together at your restaurant.

Here are some of the ways your restaurant can make Father’s Day special for your guests:

Get outdoors

Set up your outdoor dining space to celebrate Dad with grilling stations, beer or cider tastings, or live entertainment (featuring dad jokes, of course). You could even create a temporary beer tent,  set up outdoor games like cornhole, add a putting green, set up a VR station, or show an outdoor movie, complete with refreshments and popcorn machine.

Tackle takeout

Some families will want to celebrate in the comfort of their own home, so ensure that you take care of those dads, too. Create a picnic basket, take home grill kits, or family-style meals so large groups can gather together. You might even create a special dish just for dads, like a signature taco, hoagie, or steak sandwich, to treat them to a unique menu item.

Add value

Attract families to your restaurant with an offer they can’t refuse: feature an all-you-can-eat buffet, offer a wing special, create flights, or let dads eat free for the day (with a minimum spend). Make your restaurant a Father’s Day destination and fill those tables. If your budget doesn’t include freebies, consider hosting a silent auction with donated prizes, partnering with a sports team to raffle free tickets, or creating signature swag that can be purchased or given away on the day. Make the celebration unique and fun, to be the place where families want to celebrate dad.

As many families celebrate with grandparents and extended family, you may want to host festivities on multiple days. You could spread it over the week or just the weekend, but be sure to promote your events so you can be the place where dads want to be this Father’s Day.