1. Offer Gifts or Discounts
Presenting mothers with tokens of celebration can go a long way to starting their dining experience on a positive note. For instance, Seiza Japanese Cuisine in Vancouver offers a free flower to each and every Mother’s Day patron and Bella Italia offers a complimentary glass of wine to mothers. Aleo Restaurant in New York went as far as to offer free dining for mothers on the holiday. You can also present customers with a gift that encourages a return visit – Fogo de Chão in Boston gave complimentary dining cards offering a limited-time coupon for mothers who ate there on Mother’s Day. Whatever it is – a discount, coupon, gift, or celebratory token can go a long way towards attracting patrons for your restaurant for the holiday.
2. Appeal to Families
Mother’s Day dining often entails mothers and their families. Make your restaurant an enticing choice for Mother’s Day by offering discounted family meals. For example, Rosie’s Place in Indiana serves Sloppy Joes for four, a gallon of iced tea, and a four-pack of desserts – all at a discounted price to draw families for Mother’s Day. Ray’s in Georgia attracts customers by selling family-style meals of crab cakes and shrimp scampi with sides and salads for multiple people. With mothers also comes children, so plan for their presence with your promotions and events. Ricarda’s in Toronto hosted a Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch which included a supervised kids’ area with toys and activities to keep them entertained during the event. At the very least, make sure you have some kid-friendly meal choices on your menu.
3. Include Specialty Menu Items
Holidays are a time for celebration and Mother’s Day is no exception, so consider curating specialty menu items for the occasion such as desserts and cocktails. You could also offer happy hours, discounted rates on drinks, or a fixed price for bottomless drinks. City Tap Boston hosted a Mother’s Day Brunch Special selling $5 MOMosas and Upstairs at The Gwen in Chicago offered a bottomless Mother’s Day brunch at their rooftop establishment. Furthermore, make sure your restaurant is stocked up on more expensive items such as steak, seafood, and international cuisine, as people tend to select specialty meals for the occasion.
4. Utilize Social Media
Social media is a great way to promote your restaurant’s special holiday offers and celebrations. Customers won’t be drawn by your discounts and events if they’re unaware of them. Creating a Facebook events page for the occasion or an Instagram post highlighting the celebratory offers are great ways to get noticed by your customers. Posting on social media is also a great opportunity to generate web traffic by holding a contest or raffle with a chance to win a prize for participants. Instead of cash, offer a bouquet of flowers or a gift card to your restaurant. These promotions not only increase brand awareness, but they also create engagement with your customer base.
5. Promote a Special Cause
Consider partnering with a charity or local non-profit to promote your restaurant’s holiday event – it can help bring business, raise public awareness, and improve brand image, all while supporting a great cause. Every year, the Hyatt Regency in San Diego partners with Mama’s Kitchen – a charity organization that provides food deliveries for people affected with severe illness – to host a special Mother’s Day benefit dinner. Teaming up with a charity organization can be a great way to make Mother’s Day at your restaurant extra special.
Mother’s Day provides restaurants with a terrific opportunity to boost revenue and acquire new customers; and incorporating these special holiday offers at your restaurant is a great way to capitalize on the occasion.