Father’s Day is an ideal opportunity for your restaurant to showcase promotions, enabling you to maximise turnover. This year, Father’s Day falls on Sunday, 17th June, so use these eight simple marketing tips to get ahead of the crowd.

1) Advertise, Advertise, Advertise

Pull out all the advertising stops for Father’s Day because families love to treat Dad with an out of the ordinary meal and are on the lookout beforehand for the best place to go. Use social media, local newspapers, your restaurant blog and emails to plug your Father’s Day promotions. Place posters in shopping malls and place tent cards on your tables, letting your public know what you’re offering on Father’s Day.

2) Set Menu

It’s often better to have a set menu with a couple of variations for Father’s Day as it makes it easier for busy kitchen and serving staff. Choose starters, main dishes and desserts that have man appeal with your restaurant’s particular flavour twist.

3) Ensure Staff are Involved

Ensure your kitchen and front-of-house staff are involved with Father’s Day by running a competition, say, to make up male-oriented names for the dishes on the menu. Give them each a printed T-shirt to wear on the day that promotes your restaurant and Father’s Day with a humorous saying and picture.

Related: 7 Low Cost Ideas to Market a Restaurant

4) Gifts and Add-ons

Hand out free glasses of sparkling wine, fruit punch or small chocolates to all fathers who come in the door. Have some extra T-shirts printed and place them on sale and offer Father’s Day greeting cards for kids to buy for their dads.

5) Cater for the Kids

Remember to offer kid-size items on the set menu. Hand out colouring-in place mats, and if you have the space, set aside a corner of your restaurant specifically for children; fill it with play items and employ a child-carer or two to give parents a break.

6) Photos

Contract a photographer or supply a member of staff with a camera to go round taking shots of fathers with their young or adult children. This is a good way to enlarge your customer base because you can ask for email addresses to send the photo to the family.

Related: Building a Better Guest Experience in Your Restaurant

7) Hold a Mini Wine or Beer Festival

Craft wine and beer is becoming increasingly popular in South Africa, and a good way to promote your restaurant is to hold a mini wine or beer festival on Father’s Day.

8) Sports and Music

Many South African men adore their sport and there are a number of sports events held on Sunday 21 June, including the final day of the 2015 U.S. Open Golf Championship, the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix as well as two matches each in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and the COPA Americas Cup. 

Alternatively, add to the festive atmosphere by inviting a local band or musician in to play popular tunes that your male patrons will enjoy.

According to Statistics South Africa, the public spent around R3.5 billion in the food and beverage industry during June 2014, with a year-on-year increase between 2012 and 2013 of 8.5 percent. A significant portion of that money would have been from Father’s Day sales, so take advantage of these marketing tips to maximise your turnover on that day in 2015.

Now it’s your turn. How are you marketing your restaurant on Father’s Day? Share with us below.

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