Whether you’re running a mom and pop restaurant or a local chain, there are plenty of unique restaurant promotion ideas to help you attract customers throughout the year.
Spring & Summer Restaurant Promotion Ideas
Heatwave Specials
When that summer heatwave hits, your restaurant numbers could take a nosedive. That’s why one of our favorite summer restaurant promotion ideas involves incentivizing these natural dips with special deals. Don’t forget to advertise if you have air conditioning and remind customers that cooking will heat up their already hot homes.
Live Music
Live music is a great way to get people to your restaurant. Rework your patio so there’s space for someone to play and advertise that you’ll have recurring live music nights throughout the summer. Not only will you likely get some business from fans of the musicians, but you’ll also have a draw for people looking for something fresh and new to do in the area.
To-Go Lunch Boxes
Many office workers only get an hour-long lunch break, and some end up working through lunch and eating at their desk. That’s why offering pre-made to-go lunch boxes is one of our favorite unique restaurant promotion ideas. With a to-go lunch box, customers can take their lunch back to their desk, to the break room, or to a local park. It’s also great for workers who have shortened lunch breaks like retailers and teachers.
Winter & Fall Restaurant Promotion Ideas
Bad Weather Specials
No one wants to leave the house when it’s rainy or snowy out, which means that your bottom line can take a hit whenever there’s a storm. To get people to brave the elements, you can offer bad weather specials that make it worth their while. Advertise on social media or send an email with fun offers to your loyalty program when bad weather strikes.
Costume Contests
When it comes to unique restaurant promotion ideas, it’s hard to beat the allure of a seasonal event. To get people in the door, try hosting a Halloween costume contest or an ugly Christmas sweater competition. Not only can you offer the winner a gift certificate to your restaurant, but you can even offer a discounted meal or a free appetizer for anyone who participates.
Family Meal Deals
The school year can be a challenging time for parents. Not only do they have to deal with pickup, drop-off, homework help, and sports practices, but they also have to come up with something to eat for dinner. Offering family meal deals can take some of the stress out of dinnertime for families with kids.
As an independently owned and operated wholesale food distributor, we’ve dedicated ourselves to helping our clients succeed. Not only does McDonald Wholesale offer the highest quality ingredients, but we also provide restaurant marketing and other helpful services to our customers. In the meantime, check out our foodservice blog, where we cover everything from building a restaurant loyalty program that works to the best brewery events and promotion ideas.