05/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/01/2024 10:02
While not as notoriously hectic for restaurants as Mother's Day, there is a lot of revenue to be made on Father's Day if you know which types of restaurant promotions and specials to offer.
In 2019, we surveyed 629 people from around the US to find out how they prefer to spend their Father's Day. We found that nearly as many people opt for dinner out at a restaurant (23%) as those who go with a backyard BBQ gathering (24%). So how do you plan to capture the business of both dine-in guests and those staying home this Father's Day?
In this article we'll cover:
Lightspeed's food cost calculator breaks down your menu by dish and factors in each ingredient to find the desired margin for your restaurant.
While many families opt to stay home for Father's Day, that doesn't mean your restaurant can't still be part of their celebration. Offer (and heavily promote) takeout specials to help your customers supplement their home-cooked meals.
Some ideas include:
In 2020, Call Your Mother Deli put together the "Big Poppa bagel platter," a packageof 4 bagels and toppings.Curated specifically for Father's Day, customers were invited to pre-orderthe box and either pick it up or have it delivered.
It looks like most dads will be sleeping in on Father's Day because 51% of survey respondents plan to make dinner their main celebratory meal with Dad. With another 28% planning to dine-in or get takeout for lunch, most restaurant owners won't need to worry too much about crafting a Father's Day brunch menu like they may have done a few weeks ago when celebrating the moms out there.
There are plenty of creative ways to promote a restaurant on Father's Day, but nothing gets dads going like free stuff. Whether it's a $25 gift card with purchase, a free sampleof a menu item or something more fun like a free bottle opener or beer koozie, restaurants can get some long-lasting word-of-mouth promotion (and credit with dads).
Adding some friendly competition to your restaurant's Father's Day festivities is a great way to keep families entertained. Restaurants with gamesare trending right now, so this may be the perfect excuse to test it out and see if it could be a regular part of your concept.
Some easy to implement ideas include:
As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it: 32% of respondents say Dad wants to eat "good old-fashioned steak and potatoes" for dinner. If you have a great seafood distributor, fresh fish also ranked in the top three, so you may want to consider a fish special.
It's no surprise that most dads want a cold beer to celebrate: 37% do in fact. What is surprising is how few want to drink anything else: believe it or not, 28% would actually prefer nothing before ordering a cocktail or glass of wine. This Father's Day it would be a better idea to introduce a new craft brew or partner with a local brewery than to open up your wine cellar.
So this Father's Day, don't forget to encourage people to crack a cold one with the fathers (and father-figures) in their lives. Check out this example from Collective Arts Brewing.
A fancy brunch may not interest most dads, so why not try a special Father's Day lunch menu? Creating new lunch specials and offering a great beer selection might just be the perfect combination for families who want to go out but still celebrate casually.
Implementing a prix fixe menu helps simplify the ordering process for customers-and we all know that dads like it simple. As such, this approach can entice more families to choose your restaurant as the destination for their Father's Day celebration.
Crafting a thoughtfully designed prix fixe menuensures that fathers feel valued and appreciated on their special day. Consider incorporating classic dishes that evoke a sense of comfort and nostalgia, while weaving in innovative twists to captivate the palates of modern dads.
Additionally, a prix fixe menu allows you to manage your inventory effectively, streamline your kitchen operations, and optimize your staff's performance, ensuring a smooth and efficient service.
Among our survey respondents, we found some interesting regional trends that differed from the national average. If you own a restaurant in one of the areas below, you may want to keep these statistics in mind when thinking of Father's Day restaurant ideas.
While Mother's Day is all about promoting your restaurant and standing out among the competition for the brunch crowd, restaurants need to get more creative with Father's Day. By offering a variety of options for both takeout and dine-in, you can position your business as the go-to spot for any Father's Day celebration.
With Lightspeed's restaurant POS and management system, you can offer tableside ordering, start a loyalty program and view reports to see what's working. Chat with one of our restaurant expertsto see how technology can help you streamline your operations and make more informed decisions.