Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and since it’s the second most popular day to dine out, offering promos your guests will love is a win-win. According to a recent study by OpenTable, 72 per cent of those celebrating want to splurge at local restaurants, and are planning to spend over $41 per person, so that’s great news for restaurants!
With love in the air, there’s an opportunity to appeal to several different demographics on Valentines’s Day. Take the time to decide which avenue works best for your restaurant and then go all-in on the festivities.
Special menu
Valentine’s is a special occasion that deserves a special menu. From heart-shaped pasta to chocolate lava cake, diners love a themed menu, so give your guests new and exciting dishes to try.
To keep it simple, you may want to create a prix fixe menu with a few choices to limit the burden on your kitchen and serving staff. This is a great way to predict sales, maximize ingredients, limit waste, and appeal to guests who want to choose their menu ahead of time.
Get creative
Put your own spin on Valentine’s with something for everybody. Focusing on couples goes without saying, but there are other ways to celebrate the holiday and draw in a new crowd.
Galentine’s has really grown in popularity these last few years, appealing to groups of women who choose to celebrate the holiday together. Feature themed apps, create fun drinks and mocktails, and you could even add special touches like a photo booth to boost the fun factor.
Singles celebrate Valentine’s too! You may choose to appeal to a singles crowd this year with events like speed dating, games, contests, and more.
Want to attract families? Feature a fun menu, host entertainment, add festive decorations, offer paper valentines for the kids to colour, and think of fun family activities that’ll get families through your doors.
Off-premise customers
Some couples want to stay in on Valentine’s, but that doesn’t mean they want to cook! You can adopt any of the suggestions from above for your menu, or if they don’t travel well, switch it up for takeout and delivery.
Off-premise dining also leaves room for little Valentine’s notes, candies, or mini desserts to add that little something special to their order.
Valentine’s is a great way for your restaurant to attract new customers, encourage guests to return, appeal to a broad range of diners, and up those cheque totals.
