Marketing
11 Valentine’s Day Restaurant Promotions for 2021
Dana Krook
It’s that time of year when millions of couples are eagerly looking up local Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions. In fact, Valentine’s Day is the second busiest holiday for restaurants (just behind Mother’s Day), with about 25% of Americans dining out.
So if your restaurant is delayed in creating a Valentine’s Day promotion, trying to bolster your off-premise business, or you want to add one more pièce de résistance to separate you from the herd of pink and red, don’t fret.
To help you dial up the romance, we’ve done our best to provide you with a list of un-cheesy promotions with fast turn-around. With these 11 proven Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions, you can effectively reach early birds and last-minute lovers alike, and entice them to choose you over the competition – whether it’s for dine-in or takeout.
Valentine’s Day is one of the most lucrative holidays for restaurants with one study finding that upscale restaurants will experience a 105% jump from their normal business. And while COVID-19 restrictions mean that dining out won’t be an option for every happy couple this year, it doesn’t mean that restaurants can’t still take advantage of this opportunity for a boost in sales.
Below are 11 unique Valentine’s Day promotions and ideas that restaurants can use to drive dine-in or takeout and delivery business.
According to the National Restaurant Association, 21% of Valentine’s Day diners select a restaurant with a romantic atmosphere, so take the opportunity to go all-in on a lovey-dovey theme. This can involve sticking to classic Valentine’s Day motifs such as candles, roses, and pink decor.
Or, you can also eschew traditional romantic themes for something more creative. For instance, Toronto’s El Rey Mezcal Bar opted for a friendship-themed Valentine’s Day in an effort to celebrate love of all kinds. Meanwhile, The Loaded Slate in Milwaukee took things in an entirely different direction by creating a theme specifically for broken-hearted singles called “Shred Your Ex.”
Keep in mind that even if you’re not offering dine-in, you can still apply your theme to your takeout and delivery offerings with special menu items, food packaging, and other small touches.
Valentine’s is all about the mood and romance, but let’s not forget why everyone is really venturing out to restaurants for Valentine’s Day – the food! There are a couple of easy (and enticing) ways to fancy up your menu offerings for dine-in or takeout.
Of course, all those festive changes to your menu shouldn’t be limited to food alone. As most restaurateurs know, Valentine’s Day is a major opportunity to boost drink sales as well. And with many states and provinces now allowing restaurants to sell alcohol for delivery and takeout, there are plenty of opportunities to make your drinks menu standout with special Valentine’s day promotions.
Consider following the lead of Vancouver’s Hawksworth Restaurant and adding a special cocktail with a romantic name. Previously, the Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s award-winning restaurant served up a special love-themed cocktail called A Moment I Treasure, made with strawberry-infused Grey Goose, crème de cacao, rose water, and egg white.
If you’re looking for a more takeout or delivery-friendly option, cocktail kits are an easy add-on. For instance, Edmonton’s Tres Carnales Rostizado offers margarita and mule cocktail kits that not only pair well with the restaurant’s tacos, but also make for a fun DIY activity for special occasions like Valentine’s Day.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, takeout and delivery were becoming increasingly popular options for Valentine’s Day. Now, ordering in may be the only option for many couples, so don’t forget to make your takeout and delivery fare extra special.
To help diners recreate the restaurant experience at home, consider offering a pre-set menu of Valentine’s restaurant specials. Keep in mind that 56% of diners want to enjoy a classic three-course meal (starter, entrée, and dessert) on Valentine’s Day, so be sure to cover every category.
You can also elevate the experience with extras that can be enjoyed at home or received as gifts. For instance, Houston and Fort Worth’s B&B Butchers & Restaurant has previously offered a prix fixe takeout menu for two, with the option to add on a bouquet of flowers by a local florist.
And if you’re doubling down on takeout and delivery for Valentine’s Day, keep in mind that you want to keep as much revenue in your pocket as possible. Instead of using third-party apps that charge hefty fees, encourage your customers to order from you directly using an in-house restaurant online ordering system like TouchBistro Online Ordering.
According to the National Restaurant Association, nearly one-third of Americans would like to receive a restaurant gift card as a Valentine’s Day gift. This means that even if guests aren’t able to dine with you on Valentine’s Day itself, a gift card to your restaurant still makes a great gift for future date nights.
Gift cards are one of the best Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions you can offer because they provide an immediate increase in cash flow and secure diners for future dates. And if you use a solution like TouchBistro Gift Cards, guests don’t even have to visit your restaurant to purchase a gift card. With TouchBistro Gift Cards, guests can easily purchase and send digital gift cards online. And when guests are ready to redeem their gift cards, they can pay directly with their mobile device for a completely contactless payment solution.
While most Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions are targeted at couples, keep in mind that not everyone will be leaving the kids at home. Consider making Valentine’s Day a family affair by tying in some kid-friendly experiences.
One option is to provide activities that will keep kids engaged while their parents enjoy a great meal. For instance, the American chain McAlister’s Deli hosts an annual Family Date Night on Valentine’s Day, complete with a “Make It McAlister’s” Kid Activity pack, a fun placemat with conversation starters, and even trivia at some locations.
And even if kid-friendly activities aren’t the right fit for your restaurant, you can always keep younger diners happy with enticing meal options. If you have a kids’ menu already, give it some festive flair with Valentine’s restaurant specials like heart-shaped pizzas or mini red velvet cupcakes. Or, cater to the takeout crowd by adding family-sized meal options designed to feed four or more people at once.
Keep in mind that any engaging activities you offer don’t have to be limited to kids. One of the most popular Valentine Day restaurant ideas is giving guests a meal and an experience by offering an interactive element like a cooking class, live musical performance, or trivia.
Even if you’re not offering dine-in services, consider hosting a virtual experience. For instance, a series of restaurants in Toronto offer an “Eat The City” experience that pairs meal kits from popular restaurants with virtual cooking classes. After receiving their meal kit, diners can then tune into a live demonstration and cook alongside the restaurant’s chef – a perfect date night activity for any couple.
According to MoneyWise, the average cost of a fine dining experience for two is $99.84. So whether you’re giving a percentage off the total bill, or a free appetizer and dessert, a little incentive can encourage diners to choose your restaurant over another.
Of course, you can offer the best Valentine’s Day restaurant promotion in town, but it won’t get you very far if guests don’t know about it.
According to OpenTable, the majority of diners wait until 10 days or less in advance to make Valentine’s Day reservations. This means that you should start marking your Valentine’s Day promotions early, but you should also keep last-minute planners in mind as well since these will likely make up a big chunk of your crowd.
Don’t be shy about sending out a Valentine’s Day email a day or two before the big night. Sales from last-minute planners are just as lucrative as those from customers who book well in advance. It might be the best way to become top of mind with customers looking to book a reservation or place a takeout order under the wire.
Posting on social media is one of the most effective restaurant promotion ideas and the best way to get your Valentine’s Day promotions in front of more eyes. Even if you’re getting close to the big day, here are a few easy ways to engage lovers of all kinds over your social channels.
If you’re limiting your Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions to a single day, you could be missing a big opportunity to boost your revenue.
To give guests more opportunities to celebrate, consider extending your Valentine’s restaurant specials throughout the week, or into the weekend. By extending your promotions, you can capture all the diners who may not be able to celebrate the night of. In fact, 38% of Americans admit to celebrating Valentine’s Day after February 14th in an effort to save a few bucks, so don’t miss an opportunity to capture this crowd as well.
Another way to extend your Valentine’s Day promotions is to tap into adjacent holidays. For instance, February 13th has unofficially been dubbed Galentine’s Day and aims to give women an opportunity to celebrate female friendship. Many restaurants now mark this holiday as well, like Boston’s Oak Long Bar + Kitchen, which previously hosted a Galentine’s Day event complete with a tasting of rosés produced by lady vintners, signature Galentine’s themed cocktails, and a playlist featuring the queens of pop.
Remember, many Valentine day restaurant ideas are pretty simple – the way to any lover’s heart is always through the stomach. Don’t be dismayed if you haven’t promoted your Valentine’s Day restaurant promotions yet because there’s still time! So go now and send that email, post that Instagram photo, and prep those meal kits. You’ve got a hot date with some romantic dinner orders and it’s going to be great.
You can’t run a restaurant without employees, which means processing restaurant... more
Owning a restaurant can be an incredible experience – serving delicious food and... more
Get the latest restaurant trends and ideas in your inbox.