November can be a quiet month in your restaurant’s marketing calendar. If you’re looking for creative ways to boost orders and promote the business in the weeks before Thanksgiving, start with November food holidays. These fun, unofficial events celebrate everything from individual foods to entire cuisines — they’re a great excuse to run promotions that give diners an extra incentive to try your restaurant.

National food holidays often trend on social media, creating an exciting marketing opportunity for your establishment. Apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are a powerful driving force in the restaurant industry — 50% of U.S. customers are influenced by social media when deciding which restaurant to choose. Your online presence can also impact repeat business; 22% of people have come back to a restaurant based solely on its social posts.

If you’re a restaurant owner, it’s more important than ever to add an effective social media strategy to your marketing plan. Participating in trending topics such as national food holidays can drive additional traffic to your restaurant’s profiles and build excitement around your food. After all, everyone loves a reason to celebrate.

20 November food holidays

If you’re considering adding a food holiday to your marketing calendar, November offers plenty of options. Here are just a few of the November food holidays your restaurant can celebrate:

• Nov. 1: National Calzone Day
• Nov. 2: National Deviled Egg Day
• Nov. 3: National Sandwich Day
• Nov. 4: National Candy Day
• Nov. 5: National Doughnut Day
• Nov. 6: National Nachos Day
• Nov. 7: National Pad Thai Day
• Nov. 9: National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day
• Nov. 9: National Cappuccino Day
• Nov. 10: National Vanilla Cupcake Day
• Nov. 11: National Sundae Day
• Nov. 12: National French Dip Day
• Nov. 14: National Pickle Day
• Nov. 16: National Fast Food Day
• Nov. 17: National Baklava Day
• Nov. 18: National Apple Cider Day
• Nov. 20: National Peanut Butter Fudge Day
• Nov. 26: National Cake Day
• Nov. 28: National French Toast Day
• Nov. 28: Thanksgiving

Using social media: How to utilize templates in your November food holiday marketing strategy

Posting about November food holidays on social media is an effective, affordable way to connect with customers. Food day posts add an element of fun to your marketing strategy and show your restaurant is up to date on the latest trends.

If you’ve ever maintained a busy content calendar and a social media marketing strategy, however, you know it takes time to create and publish posts. In addition to photographing or recording food, you must write captions, choose hashtags, and post at a time when your audience is most active.

Grubhub can make your job easier — we offer free Canva social media templates you can use to streamline the posting process. All you need to do is download the template, customize it to coordinate with your brand identity, and publish it on the social media platforms of your choice. Using the same colors and fonts as the rest of your marketing materials maintains the same aesthetic, so customers can identify your posts at a glance.

As you’re using templates to streamline campaigns for November food holidays, bear in mind that food photography is critical for restaurant marketing. In fact, 82% of people say they would order a dish because of the way it appears in a photo, whether or not they actually wanted it. Getting your food in customers’ social media feeds can directly increase order volume, and to help, we’ve designed each template to feature your restaurant’s photos.

Want to expand your reach even further? Add the hashtag #GrubhubPartner each time you use a template for a chance to be featured on the Grubhub for Restaurants Instagram account. 

Marketing national food holidays: Tips and tricks

Ready to start building a marketing strategy around November food holidays? Use these tips to create promotions that will turn customers’ heads:

• Celebrate your cuisine. As you’re selecting the November food holidays that are right for your restaurant, look for celebrations that work easily with your menu. If you run a diner, National French Toast Day (November 28) is a natural fit. If your bakery celebrated National Chocolate Day on October 28, you could follow it up with National Vanilla Cupcake Day on November 10. Want to run a promotion for the entire month? November is also National Pepper Month.
• Pile on promotions. With your chosen food day in mind, come up with creative fall promotions to capture attention on social media. Take your cue from holidays such as National Pizza Day and offer lunch specials featuring the food in question. A $10 lunch combo for National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day (November 9) is a surefire way to get people in the door. Another option is to feature a limited-time dish. For National Sundae Day, you could create a caramel apple or pumpkin pie sundae that’s available for 1 day only.
• Spread the word. Create a series of social media posts for each national food day promotion. Photography and video should be the main element — colorful food shots automatically draw viewers in — but it’s also important to add an informative caption and text elements showcasing the promotion. Many social media platforms allow you to schedule posts in advance in the days leading up to the food holiday and let the campaign run automatically. Engagement is critical for social media algorithms, so make sure to respond to comments.

If this is your first time celebrating a food day, don’t be afraid to experiment. National food holidays are an opportunity to flex your creative muscles and try new promotions.

The holiday season isn’t complete without grub

Celebrating November food holidays is a great way to gear up for the end-of-year holiday season. It primes your customers for one of the biggest holidays of all: Thanksgiving. This food-focused celebration is known for family cooking, but many diners opt to book a restaurant reservation or turn to delivery.

The day before Thanksgiving and the day after (Black Friday) are top delivery days on Grubhub. Small Business Saturday is another good opportunity to celebrate your restaurant’s place in the community. These unofficial holidays are tailor-made for social media promotions that build brand awareness and promote your delivery services. Preparing your restaurant for the spike in delivery and take-out orders can help you capture more business and boost revenue.

If your restaurant needs extra marketing and delivery support during the holiday season, turn to Grubhub. Our helpful resources and free social media templates make it easier to promote your national food day campaigns, and our professional delivery services help you handle the rush. You can also take advantage of promotions tools to share special deals with Grubhub customers and boost your restaurant’s visibility.Ready to boost business with November food holidays? Get started with Grubhub today.