Valentine’s Day 2021: Promotion Strategies for your restaurant

What would be the best way to create a campaign that stands out this romantic season for not only being safe but also compelling enough to attract thousands of online orders?

As Valentine’s Day approaches, restaurants rush to prepare ideas for promotional campaigns to drive sales as demand for romantic meals rises. Studies by the National Retail Federation show that this year, total consumer spending for Valentine’s Day will reach US$ 21.8 billion, with an average of US$ 164.76 per person. In normal times, spending can be on buying gifts, dining out, or traveling, all of which have slightly been altered this year.

This Valentine’s Day, despite more relaxed regulations in many parts of the U.S, restaurants in states with stricter guidelines are still not allowed to open for dine-in. At the same time, people are becoming more cautious about physically going out for dinner at a restaurant. To address the issue, many restaurants turn to online ordering and takeout options. Therefore, besides decorating your restaurants with hearts and roses, printing out Valentine’s special menus and upgrading your online reservation system, other pandemic-friendly options should be considered. This will not only ensure a high customer satisfaction rate but also attract more customers online who are looking for a safe way to enjoy their Valentine’s Day.

In the age of online ordering and takeout, customers are having a plethora of choices for a special Valentine’s dinner with their significant other. Here are some special offerings you can give to your beloved customers on the most romantic day of the year:

Expand your menu: Valentine’s Day takeout specials to boost revenue

Making sure your Valentine’s Day meals are delivery-friendly, which is essential during these times. Additionally, you can come up with many interesting promotion ideas for this special day. Instead of offering percentage discounts on Valentine’s Day orders, be more creative with couple’s menus featuring a full three-course meal available for take-out, buy-one-get-one entrée, or free drinks and dessert. Better yet, transform your ordinary dishes with a romantic twist like a heart decoration made of shrimps or rose tomatoes that make your food both savory and instagrammable!

If you think your guests are tired of the conventional romantic dinner, offer them choices for lunchtime as well. Lover’s Lunch or Beloved Breakfast are great ways to make your Valentine’s menu unique and satisfy couples with a bigger appetite for early meals. Another brilliant and unconventional idea is setting up anti-Valentine meal deals to include the singles. Perhaps make a menu with dishes that should never be eaten on a date.

Promote your offers on social media

Make the most of your digital presence by not only sending your frequent customers valentine’s cards via email (if you have an email list) but also creating engaging social media campaigns. You can share news and post photos of your special menu or discounts while taking advantage of the latest social media features. This can range from having a hashtag campaign, using TikTok or Instagram Reel for behind-the-scenes cooking videos, to hosting a couple’s online cooking class.

For a more interactive strategy, you can encourage people to share their favorite Valentine’s Day meals online for user-generated content. This can be photos, videos, reviews or stories of food from your restaurant — all of which can reflect your brand in a positive way. You can repost these content as long as you credit the owners, which can enhance the customer relationship even more. Remember to start the campaign early to build up the hype and attract as many online audiences as possible.

For special Valentine’s orders: Free gifts and customized menus

Besides the usual buy-one-get-one-free deals, small Valentine’s gifts can be super effective to please your customers, especially for take-out orders. The lack of the usual romantic atmosphere can be made up for with small complementary gifts as a courtesy of the restaurants, especially for large orders. Freebies and valentine-themed gifts such as a small box of chocolate or flowers can be effective promotional tools that really excite your customers. You can even design your own restaurant Valentine card with a special wish along with some special discount vouchers and any other offers you have. If you have a customer loyalty program and want to be more cost-effective, consider a customized menu or unique presents designed only for your loyal diners.

Having all these promotional ideas in mind for your restaurant’s Valentine campaign, you can surely impress your customers and satisfy their appetite. Finally, to make sure that your special menu and offers are updated quickly and accurately this Valentine’s Day, consider going to skiplinow.com to have your restaurant website, online ordering, and food delivery system all set up effectively.