14 Valentine Marketing Ideas for Your Restaurant
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Valentine's day is around the corner! What are you doing to market your restaurant and get orders.
According to Restaurant Dive, about 25% of Americans typically dine out on Valentine’s Day. And an estimated 41% will plan a special dinner or celebration at home.
JoyUp gives you a head start so that you can maximize your profit and be prepared to give customers the best experience ever. This year Valentine's day falls on Monday so be prepared for having Valentine's specials all weekend long and over the valentines week.
Below are 14 romantic Valentine’s Day marketing ideas to stand out from the crowd and draw in diners.
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1. Dinner Date Reservations
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Encourage guests or potential customers to reserve tables early and offer them exclusive promotions for Valentine's day. For example, you could give the first 30 people to make reservations a 15% discount or a free dessert. Make it easier for guests to book online by linking to February 14th on your reservation widget.
Another ways is to build your email list and host an online competition of tagging your restaurant in posts with a random winner receiving a discount.
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2. Valentine Special Menu
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Design a simple love-themed Card explaining the menu items. Plan something for Valentine’s day home delivery menu for the people who are sitting and enjoying at home. Try to be innovative with plating, For example, you can present red velvet pastries in the pattern of hearts as well as with the red rose leaves. To make your menu fun and flirty. One of the good Valentine's day menu ideas for your restaurant would be designing a few drinks for the night with fancy names such as a “Romance-Tini,” or a “Kiss on the Lips.” The concept is designing a menu with limited options for appetizers, soup/salad, entrées, and desserts.
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To entice guests to choose your restaurant over others in the area, you need to offer them a unique experience they can’t find anywhere else. A little decor can make the experience something that your guests will tell all their friends about. When creating an atmosphere, you'll want a general theme. Choose between fun, flirty, romantic, or something that fits in seamlessly with your restaurant's concept. Then consider how you will execute this theme.
Romantic decorating ideas for Valentine’s day can include:
- Comfortable heart-shaped pillows or plush seat covers
- Exclusive candlesticks you can DIY with bead garlands, candles, and candle holders
- Garland for the windows, archways, or banisters
- Scattered rose petals
- Flower arrangements
Let your regulars experience a "wow" moment when they walk in for their Valentine's reservations. As you do this year after year, you can begin to advertise your promotions with small insights into the once a year experience.
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4. Partner with Other Small Businesses
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Partner up with small business owners and help each other thrive. Reach out to local florists, jewelers, and other boutiques to find ways to cross-promote one another. For example, you can ask for coupons to hand out to your guests for 15 percent off floral arrangements for every couple that dines at your restaurant.
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5. Take Advantage of Social Media and Email Marketing
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Social media is the perfect tool for business owners to leverage their services. Get a one-up on the competition by posting across all social channels to spread the word of why customers should choose your restaurant for their special day. Include multiple posting tactics such as eye-catching flyers and imagery, and ads on Google or Facebook.
Don’t underestimate the power of email marketing. Use your POS system to collect email addresses at the point of purchase. Use the customer database to your advantage later by sending email blasts that include coupons and promotional announcements.
If you want to create some extra buzz around your Valentine’s offers this year, search through some social media organic posting and advertising. Set up contests for people to win romantic meals for two and use as many social platforms as possible to promote your brand-new romantic menu
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6. Online Ordering Specials and Menus
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We expect to see an increase in Valentine’s Day takeout and delivery orders in 2022. So, when you’re building your Valentine’s Day menus, think about items that are particularly well-suited to travel, or items where guests can add the finishing touch, like a chocolate dessert that just needs a quick 10 minutes in the oven.
You can also consider adding value-add items to make the meal a true experience.
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Create a specific photo area so enticing that no one can walk by without getting a professional photo taken. Because of selfies and phone cameras, a professional photo is rare these days. Bring in a professional photographer if it's in your budget, but always be sure to give guests a picture on their phone as well. When providing photo opportunities, be sure to make your guests aware of your social media presence. Ask them to tag your restaurant, use a specific hashtag, or include the restaurant's geolocation when they post their fabulous picture. Social sharing has made paying for a professional photographer worth it as a marketing strategy.
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8. Offer Valentine’s Day Packages
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Everyone loves a good deal and a prepackaged plan that eliminates all the guesswork. Build the ultimate Valentine’s night out with these ideas so that customers won’t be able to miss the chance to dine at your restaurant.
- Prix-Fixe menU packages: Prix-Fixe menus are menus that offer multi-course meals at a fixed price and are ideal for special occasions like Valentine’s Day. According to the Webstaurant Store, it’s simple menu psychology for guests to be drawn to menus with fewer options because it limits the paradox of choice. Guests want to feel pampered on Valentine’s Day, so make a prix-fixe menu that creates a sense of luxury. Make sure to offer discounts or complimentary glasses of wine to encourage guests to choose from this menu rather than the traditional fare.
- Proposal packages: Valentine is one of the most notorious days for proposals. More often than not, guests will call ahead with their ideas to make their proposal as magical as possible. Help those lovebirds (and your employees) by creating a package for guests to book in advance.
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9. Romantic Music for Lovers
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People love live music, what you can do is, find the right performers or band for your demographic. Restaurants with Valentine's day specials will often play subtle and smooth music over their speaker system. You can do one better with a live performer or band. Promote the live event on social media, in-store by keeping an eye-catching poster. Instruct them to play for a client, on request. But make sure you have sound control in place and that any performer is aware the music should be background noise-level, not the center of the guest's attention.
In addition, acoustic guitar or piano will be a good choice for classic restaurants. If you would not have live music, make sure that DJ plays only love songs. Make sure that the music played does not make guests sleepy and badger.
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10. Restaurant Decoration for Valentine’s Day
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The decoration of the restaurant for Valentine’s Day can be done by yourself or professional decorators. If you work alone, be sure to have a lot of red or pink details, heart shaped items and handful of red roses. Let your guests feel the warm and romantic atmosphere at the entrance of your restaurant.
Many couples would like to crown their love with engagement on this particular day. Make your restaurant perfect place for this events.
Red roses and petals of red roses are symbols of love. Be sure that the decoration match with the concept of the restaurant. For example, roses will be a good choice for restaurants with full service, while for restaurants that offer fast food red balloons will be a better choice. Staff can use rose or heart shaped badge pinned to shirt or t-shirt that will serve quite well.
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11. Design a Personal Experience for Guests
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What day is more perfect for making your guests feel special than Valentine’s Day? Take the initiative to give your guests a unique experience that feels like it was created just for them.
These are some simple yet effective ways to make your guests feel extra important:
- Email surveys
Incorporate surveys in your email blasts that ask guests about their preferences of wine, dessert, and any types of treat you can imagine.
- Hire an in-house photographer
Pictures are worth a thousand words, and there’s nothing better than having a keepsake of a special night. Guests will also feel more inclined to post professional photos of themselves on social media, giving you recognition for the event.
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Having Promo codes in your posts boosts awareness and share-ability. This increases sales and revenue as well.
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13. Send Greeting Cards to Your Guests
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You certainly have in your database contact information about couples who often come in your restaurant together or your guest that you know that they are in a love relationship. Send them greeting cards for Valentine’s Day.
This can be done by mail or email depending on what kind of contact information is available. Let the greeting card remain greeting card, not an advertisement for restaurant offer. Only at the end of your greeting card instead of “bye” you can write something like: “Free champagne for couples during the Valentine’s Day dinner in our restaurant”. They will become interested in your special offer.
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14. Designing the Special Offer for Valentine’s Day
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Your Valentine’s Day offer must be so attractive that your guests must fall in love with it and they will not find any better way to spend Valentine’s Day than dining in your restaurant with style! Ensure that your restaurant’s special offer is romantic, attractive, and unique.
Creativity is in the air and has no limits. Be sure that your restaurant decorations and dishes that you offer are marked by love. There is no food that can not be served or prepared in a way to look like a symbol of love – heart.
See examples on the pictures below; With a little imagination, knowledge and skills, which I believe that your chef already had, he or she can make these little masterpieces.
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We hope our marketing ideas above have given you plenty of inspiration for Valenmtine’s Day. It’s a different market these days, but still an incredibly vibrant one which can be tempted with the right approach to marketing.
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