Increasing Valentine’s Day bookings

Increasing Valentine’s Day Bookings: seasonal spotlight

Planning for crucial seasonal dates such as Valentine’s Day can reap significant rewards for your restaurant. Focusing attention on increasing Valentine’s Day bookings will provide positive publicity, exposure of your venue and the opportunity for you to get creative with your marketing.

With many restaurants booking up quickly, it is essential to communicate your plans to diners early and with an engaging message. Valentine’s Day offers the opportunity to attract new guests and to extend a unique experience to regulars. Regardless of how big your venue is, use this seasonal opportunity to secure editorial coverage, generate excitement and anticipation and secure customer loyalty.

Increasing Valentine’s Day bookings – ideas could include:

• A bespoke menu with sharing dishes
• Welcome Champagne on arrival or themed drinks at the bar. Try a cocktail experience tailored for sharing
• Add pre-payment facility to the booking allowing the pre-purchase of Champagne or roses as a surprise at the table
• For hotels – add an exclusive room package for guests dining
• Many couples use Valentine’s Day as the perfect opportunity to make a wedding proposal. Make subtle mentions of celebratory Champagne, flowers, a digital board or a limousine ride after dinner.

OpenTable, one of the leading reservation platform and dining discovery websites, has just published their guide to increasing Valentine’s Day bookings in your restaurant. It’s worth bearing in mind that,

63% of people prefer a set menu on Valentine’s Day
Set menus do more than meet guests’ expectations for their night out. They help you:
Control turn times
Know your price per cover
Reduce food waste

55% of millennials say their ideal gift for Valentine’s Day is an experience
Consider adding unique touches to wow guests and up the experience factor of their meal:
Live music
Ticketed events such as unique pairings
A glass of bubbles upon arrival

83% of bookings (on average) are for parties of two on Valentine’s Day
Leverage your space to accommodate more two tops:
Break up bigger tables when possible
Get creative with communal tables
Open bar seating and private rooms for booking

To read the full report, please visit: Opentable-Valentines-Day

Increasing Valentine’s Day bookings: with these points in mind ensure you communicate your plans clearly and consistently across all your platforms. Ideas could include:

• a dedicated section on your website, supported with clear direction from the homepage
• Ensure the booking journey is clear for guests to book or make payment online
• Email your database with the packages you have available – start with subtle messages in January and then a dedicated mailer the first week of February
• Post regularly on your social platforms with clear links to booking
• Add an Event listing to your Facebook restaurant profile
• Research hashtags to ensure your posts are discoverable
• Ensure your digital profiles on OpenTable, Bookable, DesignMyNight, Resy or others, are championing your Valentine’s Day campaign
• Use Tonic or Eventbrite to sell tickets for your evening (if relevant)
• Produce offline marketing collateral to distribute within your restaurant – on the table or with the bill so raise awareness

 

Dynamic Restaurant Marketing is a restaurant marketing agency offering bespoke marketing support to venues wishing to take control of their digital profiles and build a strong marketing strategy.
Our methods offer a clear ROI, provide an objective perspective, provide the organisation and structural delivery, give strategic insight and save you and your team valuable time.