6 Unique Restaurant Promotion Ideas for Valentine’s Day
It’s almost February 14th, or Valentine’s Day—the second busiest holiday for dining out. That’s why we’ve gathered some ideas for unique Valentine’s promotions and deals to try, whether you’re offering dine-in service or just takeout and delivery. Beat out the competition (with love, of course) with these tempting takes on Valentine’s Day romance.
Put Your Outdoor Diners in the Mood
Now’s the time to pull out all the stops and make your outdoor eating space an intimate dining nook for lovers. But what about adding a little more? After all, it is the season of hearts and sparkles! You can do the usual—add fresh flowers, candles, and fairy lights. But what about that something extra?
To get your outdoor diners in the mood, you need to create the right ambiance. Raydiant’s Soundtrack Your Brand music app lets you program custom music playlists based on a music genre, artist, or business type. Once you program it, these “love” playlists will play without interruption, constantly refreshing so that there’s no repeats or lulls—just music to fall in love to.
Play Up the Love Theme with Your Food
Looking to make this Valentine’s Day special for your customers? Look no further than your restaurant kitchen! Why not go literal and create heart-shaped food—like pizzas, tarts, cakes, cupcakes, and other fare? Or think outside the box (or heart) and offer unique desserts and drinks. We know that guests are more likely to order alcohol and dessert on this occasion, so now’s the time to expand those offerings. Perhaps a red velvet molten lava cake, a raspberry-pink crème brûlée, and a boozy new Rosé (or two)?
When we think of Valentine’s Day, we may think of chocolate-covered strawberries, but what about the other food love languages? For the spicy among us, add a chili-pepper dish to your holiday menu that delivers the heat. What about umami lovers—they deserve some love too. This miso chocolate tart with black sesame seeds is definitely their dark horse in the running.
Offer Sweet Take Out and Delivery Deals
Don’t forget your dine-out customers. Offering meal deals for two is, of course, expected. But why not get a little creative with it? Link up with a local florist and throw in a beautiful bouquet with orders over a certain price. Make it a memorable moment at home by sending them everything they need to dine in style—from your three-course prix fixe meal to the cocktails or wine that pares best with it. Take it a step further and include special touches, like chopsticks with heart tops. It doesn’t take much to make a sweet impression.
A Valentine’s Day Meal Kit? Yes Please!
Customers are looking for an experience, so give them one with a unique meal kit that lets them prepare and enjoy your food at home. Meal kits are all the rage right now, and it makes sense: people are spending more time at home, and they’re also looking for positive, creative ways to stay busy. Enter the meal kit—which is basically a mix of food and ingredients that customers can take home to cook and assemble on their own. When it comes to a meal kit’s contents, there’s really no limit to what you can include—but we suggest you keep it simple. Include in the box everything they need to create a full-course romantic meal for two. And make sure you include easy-to-follow instructions to set them up for success. And don’t forget the condiments!
Start Working Social—and Social Walls
Haven’t had time yet to market your Valentine’s specials on your social feeds? We get it. But it’s not too late to start! Share your best food images on social, but don’t forget you can use your Raydiant screens with Instagram to create social walls for your dine-in marketing. In fact, now’s the time to move those screens to your front windows and entryway, creating a row of drool-worthy food porn for all to see as they walk by.
What’s great about these social walls is that they can be easily programmed to pull from curated Instagram content—yours as well as any branded hashtags. Enjoy always fresh content on your screens, including images of diners enjoying your food, on your restaurant screens. You can even schedule your Raydiant screens to switch off at a certain time, or update them at any point, from any device—whether you’re at work or not. Our cloud-based system is accessible anywhere you are, as long as you have internet.
And Don’t Forget Galentine’s Day!
Galentine’s Day falls on February 13th—the day before Valentine’s Day. It’s a time for the ladies to get together and, well, celebrate! Yes, they still want chocolate, booze, good food, and all the fixins. Show your ladies some love by creating dine-in and to-go prix fixe menus, boozy brunch boxes, and other fun fare just for them. Plan for all occasions by creating Galentine’s Day BFF boxes or group takeout options where they can each pick up a food and drinks to take home and enjoy. Some Galentine’s Day food and drink ideas to try:
Any one of these charcuterie boards (but in a smaller, take-home option for single and double servings)
A “Bloodhound” (or a pink greyhound cocktail)
Market Your Valentine’s Day Deals with Raydiant
Spread the love with attractive, eye-catching digital signage for your restaurant. Use Raydiant screen to showcase your most delicious food photos, to display digital menu boards, and more. But Raydiant isn’t just about digital signage—it’s a full customer-experience platform. Use Raydiant apps to create a more engaging dine-in experience, from mood-based background music to contactless ordering options.
