February is here! That means Valentine’s Day is less than two weeks away. It’s a great time for restaurants as loving couples are getting set to celebrate their relationships over romantic meals. In our last blog, we listed a few ways to get people to fall in love with your restaurant. They included filming fun and engaging videos, ensuring stellar meal delivery and communicating the cleanliness of your restaurant.
What else can you do to drive sales at your eatery this month? Here are three Valentine’s Day marketing strategies for restaurants:
1. Present your orders in romantic packaging.
As you’re surely aware, half of the impressions your meals make on your guests is through their presentations. All chefs place great importance on the way their food is plated. This Valentine’s Day, you will want to go the extra mile when delivering your meals to those who choose to eat at home.
“Think about creative ways to bring your brand to life on Valentine’s Day with custom to-go packaging,” suggests Stephanie Schalow on SevenRooms.com, “Whether it’s adding a heart to your logo, or offering pink containers to fit the theme, bring the experience, and your brand, into diners’ homes with a unique spin on an everyday item.”
2. Hire a photographer to capture special moments.
Valentine’s Day is a day like no other. It’s one when loving couples celebrate their unions over romantic dinners. The day is also one when many marriage proposals take place. You’re bound to have some magical moments occur at your restaurant this year. By hiring a photographer to capture those special moments, you can have your guests leave with once-in-a-lifetime mementos. It’s a very unique approach to separating your restaurant from all the others.
“Couples will love to picture the lovely moments they spend together,” insists Bingage.com, “Most people find the day best to propose their loved one. Catch those beautiful moments and send to your customers, which they can appreciate for life. Share a picture on your page and tag your customer, this will gain customer attraction to you.”
3. Offer cutely-named menu items.
February is certainly a month when getting a little cutesy is acceptable. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it’s a good idea to cater your menu to the special occasion. Take some of your popular items and temporarily rename them in romantic ways. It’s a fun way to encourage lovebirds to select your restaurant over others when planning their forthcoming special date nights.
“Create a special package with punny menu items that capture the attention of your customers — like ‘Brie Mine Charcuterie’, ‘ I’m So Fondue of You’, ‘Tortellini in Love With You’ and more,” recommends Schalow, “Your diners will appreciate the extra special offerings and will remember your brand next time they’re looking for something to order at home.”
Do you allow your customers to order food directly from your restaurant’s website?
Unity Payments can quickly set you up with your own online ordering system for your restaurant. It includes the creation of a website (if you don’t already have one) and an app! To get started, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca.
