Holidays are a busy time for restaurants. Customers often choose to dine out with family and friends after attending festive events. Plus, with the regular lineup of Christmas parties, concerts, and winter festivals, many people don’t have time to cook at home. In other words, it’s the perfect time to kick your restaurant’s promotional strategy into high gear. Holiday marketing campaigns can capture the joy of the season and encourage customers to indulge in a special meal.

Creating a solid holiday marketing strategy

A consistent holiday marketing strategy can build a steady revenue stream for your restaurant. Use these holiday marketing tips to create a plan of action:

• Set clear goals. Decide what you want to accomplish with your winter promotions and set achievable goals for the upcoming season. It can be helpful to look to previous holiday seasons for ideas. For example, you might want to increase foot traffic, increase online orders, or build brand awareness. Make sure to calculate the impact on profit margins for each promotion and create specials that support your restaurant’s efforts to manage food inflation.
• Plan seasonal menus and offers. Customers are always looking for an excuse to celebrate around the holidays — it’s the perfect opportunity to develop special menus or festive dishes that showcase seasonal ingredients and holiday favorites. Is your restaurant located near a mall? Bring in weary holiday shoppers with lunch specials. Limited-time items or prix fixe menus can also attract customers who are searching for a unique dining experience.
• Create a set schedule. During the busy holiday season, it can be challenging to run promotions and manage marketing activities. A publishing schedule helps you stay organized and on track. Map out your holiday marketing and advertising campaigns on a calendar, including tasks such as photoshoots, social media posts, graphic design deadlines, ad submission dates, and press releases. Don’t forget to add experience-based marketing events, such as live music or a visit from Santa.

Holiday marketing involves a great deal of content, especially if you’re investing in digital marketing strategies. Batch-creating photos, text, and videos in advance can streamline your publishing process.

15 holiday marketing ideas

The festive season is overflowing with opportunities for creative holiday marketing campaigns. These holiday marketing ideas can jump-start your strategy:

1. Create a holiday menu. Give your customers an extra reason to book a reservation by creating a special holiday menu filled with traditional festive dishes; old favorites give diners a pleasant sense of nostalgia. Alternatively, develop a seasonal menu featuring ingredients that are ripe in your region. Consider partnering with local farms or vendors to underscore the importance of community.
2. Run a holiday promotion. Amid the rush of holiday spending, many customers are looking for ways to save money. Holiday promotions can help them enjoy a restaurant meal without guilt. Update your menu with family meal deals, a dinner-drink-dessert special, or festive happy hour discounts.
3. Push a holiday marketing campaign on social media. Meet customers where they are with a social media campaign promoting your restaurant. Highlight your holiday specials with beautiful food photos and videos, or show off the festive ambiance in your restaurant. Posts that capture the joy and warmth of the season can inspire diners to stop by for a cocktail or a meal.
4. Promote your restaurant gift cards. Help customers with their holiday shopping by advertising your gift cards. Put a banner on your website, post about the cards on social media, and place small signs on each table. Include a QR code that links to the online ordering page so diners can order quickly while they’re waiting for their meal.
5. Update your website. Whether you’re planning a seasonal menu or a Christmas party, make sure to update your website to reflect upcoming events and your next holiday marketing campaign. Use a banner or a photo that catches customers’ attention when they stop by to check out your holiday hours or book a reservation. Encourage people to sign up for your email marketing list and become the first to find out about new holiday promotions.
6. Create holiday meal kits. The holidays are often filled with parties and dinners with friends and families. Help your customers host delicious dinners by providing holiday meal kits that include appetizers, entrées, drink mixers, desserts, and preparation instructions. Customize the kits for specific group sizes for easy ordering, and use them as the foundation of a holiday campaign.
7. Treat your loyal customers. Thank your loyal customers for their ongoing patronage with a special holiday gift. Hand out gift cards to your regulars, for example, or send out an exclusive discount code to the people on your email marketing list. You might even host a VIP holiday party for frequent diners and top delivery customers. Going the extra mile to recognize and appreciate your best guests can strengthen the relationship and guarantee their business for years to come.
8. Throw a holiday event. Get into the festive spirit with a fun, engaging event. Sell tickets to a holiday party that includes live music and a three-course meal, or host an ugly sweater evening with prizes for the best and most creative outfits. Alternatively, give your customers a chance to serve others by hosting a food drive or fundraising event that benefits people in need. For a more lighthearted approach, celebrate one of the winter holidays on the national food calendar — National Comfort Food Day (December 4) and National Cocoa Day (December 12) both embrace the cozy vibes of the season. This type of event lends itself naturally to a fun, colorful holiday marketing campaign.
9. Don’t forget the decorations. Make every meal feel like a magical experience by going all out with the decorations. Create a winter wonderland with a white and silver color scheme, or keep it classic with green pine garland and red bows. No matter your theme, twinkle lights are a must; they create a warm, welcoming ambiance that invites guests to linger over drinks and dessert.
10. Buckle down on delivery. The holiday season is a high-demand ordering period; customers often grab meals to go at the end of a busy day of events and holiday shopping. Encourage more orders by promoting your restaurant’s delivery service in your email marketing campaigns, social media posts, and print holiday marketing campaigns. Platforms such as Grubhub also allow you to create limited-time delivery promotions to get your restaurant in front of more customers.
11. Offer holiday catering services. People who are planning large holiday parties don’t always have time to plan and prepare food. Holiday catering is an efficient solution — one that brings in additional revenue and increases brand awareness for your restaurant. It’s also a great opportunity for servers who are looking to make extra income and potential tips.
12. Host themed pop-up events. Stand out from competitors by planning pop-up events with foods customers can’t find anywhere else in town. Bring in a well-known chef or food influencer to create a one-night-only menu, or give your own chef the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen for a themed dinner. Alternatively, collaborate with another local business for an event to remember — work with a bakery to host a family-friendly cookie-and-cocoa party, or partner with a beloved bar for a happy hour packed with holiday cocktails and appetizers.
13. Run a 12-days-of-Christmas promotion. Keep customers coming back with a different deal every day in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This fun throwback to the classic song will automatically attract attention, and the promise of a new special or discount will pique customers’ curiosity. You can publish all the deals at once or unveil them the day before to build interest and engagement on social media.
14. Promote corporate holiday parties. Attract local business owners with holiday party packages. Include drinks, food, and music for a fixed price — an all-in-one offering makes it easy for companies to plan memorable end-of-year celebrations for their employees. Streamline the planning process by offering a selection of menus and music options, and set a festive vibe by decking the party area with lights and seasonal decorations.
15. Create a holiday countdown on social media. Countdowns draw customers in; it’s hard to resist the pull of the final number. Treat it like an Advent calendar and reveal a special treat every day. Create a lighthearted music video with your employees, reveal an unexpected discount code for delivery orders, showcase a festive cocktail, or share a follower’s social media post.

Get into the holiday spirit with Grubhub

Holiday marketing is one way to get into the festive spirit and help your restaurant maximize revenue during the end-of-year holidays. Here’s the trick: Include both dine-in and delivery customers in your holiday marketing strategy to boost participation and profits.Make sure you’re ready for the spike in demand by signing up for Grubhub today.