December food holidays your restaurant

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If you’ve ever spent time scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, you know social media marketing can be incredibly effective for restaurants. A single glimpse of a juicy burger or a decadent dessert can leave you with a craving that lasts all day.

As a restaurant owner, you can put this power of suggestion to work for your business. December food holidays are the perfect place to start. Food holidays celebrate different cuisines, dishes, and seasonal ingredients. December is packed with days devoted to delicious treats—bacon, noodles, candy canes, champagne, and more.

Food holiday marketing is a great way to stand out from the crowd during the December rush. Whether you’re running special promotions or highlighting your chef’s best dishes, these fun and unexpected celebrations can attract new customers and keep your loyal diners on their toes.

6 ways to promote food holidays on social media

December food holidays are lighthearted and silly, which makes them a perfect fit for your restaurant’s social media marketing strategy. They often trend on platforms such as TikTok, creating a rush of interest and views. Here are some ways to capture some of that traffic to boost social media conversion rates and increase orders.

Show off your cuisine

As you’re considering different food holidays, look for options that align with your restaurant’s menu. Then, use the celebration as a way to highlight specific dishes or ingredients. If you run a French restaurant, for example, National Bouillabaisse Day (December 14) is the perfect time to make your chef’s signature bouillabaisse the center of attention. A bakery might come out with special flavors for National Cupcake Day (December 15).

Run limited-time promotions

The holidays can be an expensive time, which means customers are always on the lookout for a good deal. Cater to diners’ thrifty sides—and boost business in the process—by celebrating a national food holiday with a one-day-only discount. On National Cocoa Day (December 13), you might convince people to come in out of the cold with a $1 hot chocolate special.

Encourage online ordering

Once you decide how to celebrate a food holiday, try to include takeout and delivery in your marketing campaigns. When posting on social media, for example, include a link to your online ordering website. If your restaurant is listed on Grubhub, you can run promotions on the platform to increase visibility. These tactics give customers a convenient way to participate in the fun, even if they don’t have time to come in for a meal during the busy holiday season.

Utilize social media templates

December can be a busy time for restaurants. If you don’t have room in your schedule to design custom social media posts, Grubhub has you covered. We offer free social media templates—all you need to do is download and customize them. Add your restaurant logo, pop in a photo, and change the text to match your food holiday messaging.

Grubhub’s social media templates are all built in Canva, so they’re a breeze to use. Canva accounts are free, and the platform features a simple drag-and-drop interface for quick editing.

Want to publish multiple posts for a food holiday promotion? Simply swap out the photo in the template. You can even reuse the templates throughout the year to celebrate holidays, including National Ice Cream Day, National Cheese Day, National Chocolate Day, and National Taco Day.

Leverage user-generated content

Amplify your restaurant’s marketing by encouraging your customers to participate in the food holiday fun. First, create a special hashtag for the holiday. Then, ask diners to share a photo of their meal on social media, include the hashtag, and tag your restaurant. Consider offering a prize to a random participant as an incentive to post.

This strategy can generate a flood of customer photos, which gets your brand in front of a larger audience. Repost your favorites to the restaurant’s social media page to generate interest and send positive engagement signals to the platform’s algorithm.

Create countdowns or teasers

Build anticipation for your food-holiday promotion by counting down to the event on social media. Each day, you might unveil a special menu item or discount. If you’re debuting an exclusive holiday dish, consider revealing a small part of a photo every day until the entire image is visible. The mystery and excitement keep customers engaged—and as a bonus, it’s an easy way to generate a week’s worth of social media posts.

Ring in the new year with Grubhub

New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest delivery days of the year for restaurants—customers often order food when they’re getting ready for a party or ringing in the new year at home. To make sure you’re set up to create the best possible holiday delivery experience, prepare your restaurant for the demand before the big day arrives.

Here are a few ways to prepare your restaurant:

Prepare a New Year’s Eve menu. Give your customers something to look forward to by creating a special menu for the holiday. Set your chef free to create a decadent dinner lineup, for example, or offer a prix fixe seasonal menu that includes an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. Choose foods that are easy to pack and transport so your takeout and delivery diners get the same fantastic experience as in-house guests.
Post about your New Year’s promotions on social media. Whether you’re hosting a party, offering delivery promotions, or preparing a one-night-only New Year’s Eve menu, make sure to start posting about them on social media well in advance. Ramp up your restaurant marketing immediately after Christmas to attract customers who are making last-minute holiday plans.
Stock the kitchen in advance. Stock up on essential ingredients well before New Year’s Eve arrives. With a kitchen full of food and drinks, you won’t need to worry about holiday or weather-related delivery days.
Create an area for delivery orders. To make sure your food pickups run smoothly during the holiday rush, designate one area for delivery orders. Mark it clearly for employees and delivery drivers to avoid a backup on December 31.
Schedule extra staff. Analyze your restaurant’s order data from past New Year’s Eve events, and schedule enough employees to meet the demand. Consider bringing in an extra staff member to package to-go and delivery orders.
Train staff to package food. Make sure everyone on your team knows how to prep and pack takeout and delivery orders securely. That way, there’s always someone available to help out if order volume rises higher than expected.
Offer special promotions or discounts. After spending money on Christmas, your customers will likely be more price-conscious than usual by New Year’s Eve. Discounts can help them feel good about ordering from your restaurant. Offer a date-night deal for two, a family meal special, and a group dinner bundle to accommodate a range of people. Alternatively, create discounted platters packed with your restaurant’s best-selling appetizers.
Create festive packaging. Take the customer experience to the next level with decorative delivery order packaging. Add a beautiful bow to your takeout bags, for example, or order custom containers with a festive print. It’s a small surprise that will delight customers and make your brand more memorable.
Promote contactless delivery. Encourage delivery customers to establish a drop-off location and select contactless delivery at checkout. They won’t have to listen for the doorbell, and they can retrieve the food when it’s convenient. This option is particularly helpful for people who want to minimize contact during cold and flu season.
Organize a designated pickup area. Chances are, some of your customers will want to collect their own orders. For speed and convenience, set up a clearly marked pickup area.