Holidays can be a big source of additional revenue for your restaurant. With the proper planning and marketing, you’ll set yourself up for guaranteed profit.
So which days should you really focus on? Courtesy of the National Restaurant Association, here are the three busiest days of the year. Mother’s Day comes in as the busiest day of the year. Valentine’s Day comes in at second with Father’s Day at third.
Let’s take a look at some statistics and tips for these three busy days.
Mother’s Day
We’ll start with the big one. Mother’s Day has a number of factors going for it that make it the busiest of all the day.
- Mother’s Day isn’t necessarily limited to one specific meal. People celebrate Mother’s Day throughout the day, with some going out for brunch and others going out for lunch and dinner.
- The National Restaurant Association offers up these figures: 10% of consumers will dine out for breakfast, 25% for brunch, 45% for lunch, and 47% for dinner. A pretty even spread! As a result, be prepared for an entire day of dining. Take reservations in advance so that you can allocate space and staff throughout the day.
- Mother’s Day brings in a broad spectrum of customers, young and old. You’ll need to consider everything from kids menus to wine deals to buffets and beyond. Try to have something for everyone.
Valentine’s Day
Next, let’s talk about Valentine’s Day, the second most popular holiday for dining out.
- According to Eater, during the week of Valentine’s Day, Italian restaurants had the highest average search interest increase at 27%. French restaurants followed at 18%, Spanish at 16%, Mexican at 15%, and American at 14%. Interestingly, they found that Japanese restaurants had -6%.
- Eater also sources some interesting data from FourSquare, stating that some of the most “romantic” options for Valentine’s Day include French, paella, and sushi restaurants. Furthermore, Eater pulls some data from GrubHub, mentioning that sushi orders on the site increase by 15% (so if you run a Japanse restaurant that serves sushi, don’t let that -6% scare you away). Heart-shaped sushi is a particularly popular choice on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps if your restaurant serves sushi, providing a heart-shaped option might be a good move to make.
- Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Valentine’s Day is just about couples. According to Bing, half of Americans identify as single. Of those, 25% plan to do something for Valentine’s Day. Single men will spend an average of $71 while single woman will spend an average of $40.
Father’s Day
The third busiest day of the year, Father’s Day is a day of big spending.
- According to a study from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics, 77% of Americans celebrated Father’s Day last year, spending an average of $133 per person. Spending was estimated to have reached $15.3 billion. Not bad!
- 47% of those surveyed said they planned to give a “special outing” gift, such as “a concert, sporting event or dinner.” You may not be able to host a sporting event at your restaurant, but maybe you should try bringing in a band for the night
- Because Father’s Day is all about the men of our lives, your first instinct may be to cater your marketing exclusively towards, well men. That’s not always the best strategy, as it’s often the women and children who are planning out the day for dads. Remember that as you put together your marketing campaigns.
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What does your restaurant do for these busy days? Let us know in the comments!