Special Events & Theme Nights: 4 Ways to Generate Restaurant Buzz

Promote your special events and themed nights to both current customers and your target audience.

The restaurant space is crowded, and you want to set yourself apart from the competition. One way to do this is with special events and theme nights.

It’s so important to boost your foot traffic and get more people in your door. Not only do these special events bring in new people, but they may also help you gain back customers who haven’t dined with you in a while.

In addition, special theme nights and exciting events increase customer loyalty by creating a sense of community. Customers who attend your special events feel like they’re part of the in-crowd and are more likely to be repeat customers.

You can boost your restaurant’s profile, increase brand awareness, and generate more revenue simply by getting creative with events. (tweet this) In this article, we look at special events and theme nights and four ways to generate restaurant buzz.

#1: Host Themed Dinner Nights

These are tried-and-true ways to attract diners to your restaurant. According to payment app, Square, more than 55% of diners want new experiences at local restaurants. Special events fall into this category, and they can help set your restaurant apart from the competition.

Here are some ideas for themed dinner nights:

• Taco Tuesday – offer tacos and margarita specials.
• Wine and Cheese Wednesdays – this is a great time for wine tastings paired with artisanal cheeses and charcuterie boards.
• Sushi Saturday – select several variations for customers to taste paired with special artisan beers.
• Have era-themed events like 90’s Night, Disco Fever, or even the Roaring 20’s. Do a little research and serve food that was popular during that particular era.
• Vegan Night – showcase the wonderful food you can prepare that’s meat and dairy-free.
• Organic Farm to Table – this is your chance to partner with local farms and growers. This enables you to also tap into their audiences for marketing.

Do consider your audience and marketing appropriately. For example, you could market Wine and Cheese Wednesdays to local offices in your area.

Promote themed dinner nights through your email marketing, your website, social media platforms, paid ads, and traditional print methods.

#2: Host Culinary Classes and Workshops

Many people love to learn, and hosting classes and workshops is a great way to cater to this part of the population. In addition, you may be surprised by how many people don’t know how to cook and would like to learn.

This provides you with the perfect environment to advertise your restaurant and host new and current customers.

You can host classes focused on any of the following:

• Chef’s favorite dish
• A special cuisine
• Seasonal dishes
• How-to on cooking techniques – for example, offer a class on the Sous Vide method.
• Unique bakery techniques

Your own chef can offer these classes, while providing expert advice and personalized attention to each of your guests.

You can promote the workshops and culinary classes through local community boards, schools, online platforms, your own email list, and social media platforms. Offer a special discount for group bookings to encourage friends or families to book together. This makes for a fun, vibrant atmosphere.

Be sure to offer perks, especially if your guests paid for their class. For example, send them home with food and perhaps even a special cooking utensil or apron with your logo on it.

Engaged event-goers turn into loyal restaurant customers that eat with you regularly.

#3: Host Entertainment Nights

Entertainment is a great draw for your loyal patrons as well as new ones. Incorporating live entertainment into your restaurant’s schedule can significantly enhance the overall customer experience. (tweet this)

Here are some great ideas for entertainment nights:

• Bring in live music. You can feature local musicians or even bring in ones from outside your area. You can also have an open mic night for local musicians. This can encourage music lovers who may not have dined with you before to give your restaurant a try.
• Host local comedians or have a stand-up comedy night. Your guests can enjoy food and have a good laugh.
• Game night. This goes far beyond the traditional bingo nights, although, depending on your target market, they can work, too. These can be trivia games or even board games.
• Karaoke is always fun, and your customers can take an active role after they eat their dinner.
• Murder mystery parties are fun as well. Create a meal that works with your mystery theme, and your guests will enjoy their interactive dining experience.

When you provide entertainment, you up the ante on the value proposition at your restaurant. Guests enjoy a superb dining experience as well as some cultural enrichment.

Do consider the needs and desires of your target market when choosing the entertainment. For example, if you are a family-friendly restaurant, karaoke might be fun.

#4: Host Seasonal and Holiday Celebrations

People love a party, and they can celebrate seasonal themes and holiday celebrations with you. These are also times for your chef to get creative and cook dishes that may not be on your menu.

Here are a few ideas:

• Have a Halloween party.
• Host a summer barbecue.
• Create an autumn harvest feast event.
• Celebrate the holidays with a holiday event.
• Host a Valentine’s Day wine pairing and dinner.

The menus for these events should be inspired by the season or the holidays. Consider partnering with other local vendors so that you can take advantage of their customer lists to market your event. You can also use all of the marketing methods mentioned earlier.

Do be sure to decorate your restaurant to reflect the season. This adds to the customer experience and can make for great photo opportunities. Provide a hashtag so customers will tag you in their posts. This gives you even more brand awareness after the event and encourages others to dine with you.

Final Thoughts on How to Generate Restaurant Buzz

You can boost your brand awareness, increase customer loyalty, foster a sense of community, and enhance the overall dining experience at your restaurant through special events and theme nights.

Get creative and plan out a calendar in advance. Advertise it and post it in as many places digitally and locally as you can to create a sense of excitement.

You want to create a unique experience for your patrons and provide them with consistent events and experiences they can’t get elsewhere.

You’ll soon notice your revenues rise and your customer base increase with a little pre-planning and ingenuity.

Is your website ready to help your restaurant succeed? Do you have a landing page set aside for special events and theme night notices? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a website for you that has the right keywords to land you at the top of search engine results pages and bring guests to your doors and your special events. Your website is the centerpiece of your online marketing, and it needs to look and perform well. You can count on us to create an amazing website that presents a unified brand for your restaurant and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your new business using website data!  

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Images: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 and Samantha Gades on Unsplash