If you’re looking for successful restaurant promotions and ideas to add to your marketing plan and steadily increase sales this year, this post has you covered.

The best restaurant promotions are those that engage your customers and the local community at large. They also let you spotlight everything unique about your restaurant’s offers and service. 

👋In this post, we’ve put together 38 restaurant promotional ideas to encourage footfall, drive sales, and reward your frequent customers this year.

38 restaurant promotions to encourage footfall and increase sales

The following are effective restaurant promotions that can encourage footfall and increase your restaurant sales. We’ve put them together in 8 categories to highlight what these types of restaurant promotions specifically target and can help you achieve generally. 

Let’s start with time-based promotions.

1. Time-based promotions

These promotions target specific times of day, week, or year to draw in customers during these periods. Time-based promotions can encourage patrons to dine with you at times they might not have considered before. 

For instance, you can provide these promotions to entice more customers to dine with you on a typically slow afternoon. In this manner, restaurant owners can ensure their establishments stay busy throughout the day. 

Similarly, you can use this type of promotion to capitalize on high customer demand during peak times or seasonal events like holidays. Doing this can help you maximize sales and revenue by offering the following enticing deals. 

Examples of time-based promotions that increase footfall

Some of these promotions increase footfall during off-peak hours, while others capitalize on peak times to maximize your restaurant sales:

• Happy hour specials. Happy hour specials are a classic way for restaurants to increase sales during off-peak hours. Usually in the late afternoon or early evening. Offer discounts on drinks such as cocktails, beer, or wine and reduced prices on appetizers or other menu items to attract the after-work crowd.
• Early bird specials. Provide special early bird discounts for customers who dine during early hours, typically before the dinner rush. For instance, enjoy a 20% discount on all main course selections if you dine before 6 PM. Who can resist a sweet deal?
• Flash sales. Announce surprise discounts or limited-time offers on social media or via email to create a sense of urgency and drive immediate traffic.
• Weekend brunch special. Host a special brunch with unique menu items or bottomless drinks to create a lively social atmosphere. 
• Seasonal menus. Introduce menus that reflect the season, using fresh, local ingredients, and promote these as limited-time deals.
• Holiday specials. Create special menus or packages for holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Doing this encourages customers to celebrate these holidays at your restaurant.

2. Customer loyalty and retention promotions

Customer retention is one of the most worthy investments a business can make.

Its goal is to retain as many customers as possible. Or seize special, rare opportunities when they come your way and win a customer for life. Offering customer loyalty and retention promotions is one way to go about this. 

These promotions focus on rewarding returning customers and building real, long-term relationships.

What customer loyalty and retention promotions will help you achieve

Customers want to be rewarded for their loyalty. Doing this can result in:

• Increased repeat business. Accompanying your unusually great customer service with exclusive promotional deals can increase repeat visits and boost sales. 

📈 Bain & Company found that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%.

• Stronger customer loyalty and relationships. Sending thank you emails, surprising them on their birthdays, or appreciating them in person are all ways to build real relationships with your customers. They’re less likely to choose competitors if you do this.

💡 See how you can build an email list and make your customers feel valued by going through our guide on restaurant email marketing.

• Sustained growth. Over time, loyal customers contribute to stable, predictable revenue.

Customer loyalty and retention promotion strategies you must try out

The following are unique customer loyalty and retention restaurant promotions to start with:

• Create a customer loyalty program. Implement a program where customers earn points or rewards with each purchase, redeemable for discounts or free items.

💡 Learn how to create a restaurant loyalty program this year with our guide.

• Customer appreciation day. Dedicate a day to thanking your loyal customers with special discounts, free items, giveaways,  or exclusive offers.
• Birthday discounts. Offer a discount or a free dessert to customers celebrating their birthday, making them feel special and encouraging them to celebrate with you.
• Referral program. Encourage customers to refer friends and reward them with discounts or freebies when their referrals visit your restaurant.
• Bring a friend discount. Offer a discount when a customer brings a friend who has never dined at your restaurant before, helping to expand your customer base.

3. Online ordering-based restaurant promotions

Online ordering-based promotions are designed to boost your online sales and make the most of your digital ordering platform.

It is much easier to offer this type of restaurant promotion using a direct online ordering platform instead of a third-party delivery service like DoorDash or Uber Eats. This is because a direct ordering system gives owners full control over online orders, including promotions, menu customizations, etc. 

💡 Check out this guide to add an effective online ordering system directly to your restaurant website. 

More precisely, since you’re directly engaging with online customers and collecting their data, promoting online orders is more streamlined. For instance, you can personalize promotions through emails, send WhatsApp/SMS notifications to their phone numbers, etc. Doing this will make diners aware you offer delivery/pickup services.

Ways to promote online orders to your customers

Most of your loyal customers won’t get their favorite foods on the fly if they don’t know online ordering is live yet.

So, get the word out with the following restaurant promotion ideas:

• First-time order discount. Offer a discount on the first online order to encourage customers to try your delivery or takeout service.
• Free delivery days. Promote free delivery on certain days of the week to increase online orders during slower periods.
• Online-only specials. Create special menu items or discounts that are available exclusively through your online ordering platform.
• Loyalty points for online orders. Award extra loyalty points every time a customer orders through your restaurant website or app. This will incentivize them to order food online repeatedly.
• Exclusive online coupons. Send out online-only coupon codes through email or social media to drive traffic to your online ordering platform.
• Order ahead for discounts. Provide a discount for customers who order their meals ahead of time through your online platform. This will help you prep orders on time and manage deliveries.

More ways to promotional ideas to increase order volume

• Meal kits for home cooking. Sell pre-portioned food ingredients and recipes at a price interested customers can order to prepare restaurant-quality meals at home. Explore additional revenue streams like selling branded merch to diversify your sources of income and target new customer bases.
• Family meal bundles. Provide family meal bundles that can be ordered online, and then offer a complete meal for a set price. This will make it convenient for busy families.
• Curbside pickup promotions. Encourage curbside pickup by offering a small discount or a free item for orders placed online and picked up in person.
• Subscription meal plans. Offer a subscription service where customers can sign up for weekly or monthly meal plans. The meals will then be delivered or made available for pickup.

4. Product and menu-specific promotions

One of your biggest marketing tools is your restaurant menu. You can make it work harder in several ways with product and menu-specific promotions, new menu items, and limited-time offers that push potential customers to buy before the deadline. Or bring back longtime customers who dine in again and again.

Examples of product and menu-specific promotions for your restaurant menu

Generally, product and menu-specific promotions focus on specific food items or categories within your menu. For instance:

• Feature a chef’s special. Highlight a unique dish created by your chef that is available only for a limited time. This can be done daily or weekly when the chef offers something unique that isn’t on the regular menu. For example, select a popular menu item and put a new, unique spin on it, such as a slider trio with three types of burgers and three types of fries.

💡 See how to highlight product and menu-specific promotions by reading our guide on how to add product labels.

• Daily themed promotional specials. Make each day of the week special with promotions such as spaghetti Sunday, margarita Monday, taco Tuesday, wine-down Wednesday, three-course Thursday, and farm-fresh Friday.

Tip: Include meal-specific specials like breakfast, lunch, and dinner specials if possible.

• Create limited-time offer menu items. Introduce dishes that are available only for a short period, such as the popular McDonald’s McRib. Doing this will encourage customers to try them before they’re gone or bring back fans.
• Breakfast Club. Offer a special discount or deal to target early bird customers who frequently visit for breakfast. This will create a loyal morning crowd.
• Seasonal menu items. Introduce dishes that are only available during certain seasons like a summer salad or winter stew. This keeps your menu fresh and gives customers a reason to return.

Tip: Always research existing and upcoming trends to determine which could be a fit for your menu.

Why are product and menu-specific restaurant promotions important?

Using on-the-menu specials to promote unique or new menu items engages customers and keeps the menu fresh, unique, and exclusive. It can build brand loyalty and inspire new and existing customers to visit you again.

This restaurant marketing strategy can help you highlight food items that go unnoticed and drive sales by sparking interest in trying something new.  

Note: Consider teaming up with other chefs, local artists, or charities to bring excitement to restaurant promotions like limited-time offers. Or reach out to local press and social media influencers to spread the word.

5. Experience-based promotions

Experience-based promotions use real-life experiences or events that allow locals to engage with your brand tangibly – not just the food alone. For example, pop-up food trucks, gamification events, tasting/sampling events, etc.

Why is this important?

It lets you enhance the customer’s dining experience, making it more than just the food.

Besides, delivering an unforgettable event can win customers over and turn them into loyal fans within the community. Therefore, stir up emotions in your target audience. Whether it’s joy, excitement, or surprise, ask yourself what you want your target audience to feel, then craft a memorable experience around it.

📈 Memorable experiences will get people talking about your business in town.  Note that every new customer you acquire by word-of-mouth has a 16-25% higher lifetime value than those acquired from other sources. 

Most importantly, experience-based restaurant promotions allow you to increase your brand awareness. Align your marketing ideas with your brand values to keep them consistent with your overall marketing strategy.

Be authentic. Don’t create an experience just for the novelty value.

Note: Measure the success of your experience-based promotions with metrics like foot traffic, social media engagement, and conversions.

Examples of rewarding experience-based restaurant promotions

Here are some marketing ideas for experience-bassed promotions to get you started:

• Arrange live music events. Invite local artists/stars to perform live music performances during dinner service on specific nights. The vibrant atmosphere can draw in crowds.
• Trivia or game nights. Host interactive trivia or game nights where customers can enjoy food, drinks, and a chance to win prizes to foster a sense of community.
• Start cooking classes. For instance, if you’re a coffee shop, teach customers to create their own art designs like hearts, tulips, rosettas, etc. These are simple enough to do.
• Food and wine-tasting events. Organize tasting events that pair small bites with different wines. This will let customers explore new flavors and culinary pairings.
• Pop-up food trucks. Set up a small pop-up restaurant in places like food markets, music events, craft festivals, etc.

💡 For more restaurant industry-specific marketing ideas, read this guide on 48 fresh ideas for restaurant events. 

6. Community and social media engagement

Community and social media engagement are strategies restaurants use to connect with their local community and engage online followers through social media platforms.

This engagement typically involves participating in local events, reaching out to community leaders, supporting community causes, acknowledging customers of the month, etc. It also includes actively engaging customers online by sharing content, directly responding to comments, promoting special events, etc.

Why is community and social media engagement important

The goal is to build audience loyalty. Local customers feel connected to your restaurant if you constantly connect with them. In return, their word-of-mouth can amplify your reach exponentially. 

📈 Nielsen found that 84% of customers all over the world trust recommendations from friends and loved ones.

Tip: Give more than you receive. People will always show loyalty to responsible businesses. They want to see you giving back to the world, not just taking from it.

On the other hand, social media marketing builds brand awareness, increases customer interactions, and grows your follower base. This will increase your online visibility in the community. 

💡 Read our guide on local SEO for restaurants to find more ways to increase your online visibility.

A few effective tactics to engage the local community and online followers

Here are a few ideas for engaging with your community and online audience to increase visibility and brand loyalty.

• Run social media contests. During these contests, followers can win a free meal or gift card when they share your social media posts, tag friends, etc. Or create a hashtag and offer a prize for the most comments or shares of an image of your restaurant or food. 
• Influencer partnerships. Collaborate with local influencers to promote your restaurant to their followers, write about you, tweet about your business, etc. Leveraging their reach can attract new customers.
• Discount for following on social media. Offer a discount to customers who show they follow your restaurant on social media, encouraging more online connections.

7. Special offerings and add-ons

Special offerings and add-ons are promotional strategies restaurants use to give customers something extra and special during their stay. This includes unique experiences that should make their visit more enjoyable and memorable. 

Generally, add-ons or special offerings are components diners don’t see on your regular menu but are hugely popular with them. They can potentially add value to their dining experience.

Some of the best examples of special offerings and add-ons customers love

The following are some of the best examples of special offerings and add-ons to offer:

• Bottomless drinks. Offer bottomless drinks at a price when a customer buys an entrée during specific hours or events. Bottomless mimosas and coffee can do. Make them more profitable by providing bottomless brunch packages at a fixed price. The term ‘bottomless’ implies no limit to how many refills you can get during that period. 

📈 Unsurprisingly, bottomless drinks are hugely popular with customers. When asked what they’d like to see adopted at restaurants, 22% of customers ranked bottomless drinks as their second preference.

• Bring your own bottle (BYOB) nights. Allow customers to bring their own bottle of wine if there’s no alcohol on the menu. You can offer corking services at a small fee. Or waive the corkage fee on specific nights to make dining out more affordable.
• Free coffee with breakfast. Offer free coffee or other giveaways with any breakfast purchase. Such incentives can encourage customers to start their day at your restaurant.
• Gift card bonus. Provide a bonus gift card with a certain amount in gift cards, encouraging gift card sales.

What do these special offerings and add-ons achieve?

These promotions make dining out more attractive to customers who prefer, for example, their own selection of wine. Offering complimentary glassware can add a touch of elegance to the dining experience so guests can fully enjoy their beverages.

Generally, offering these add-ons can encourage:

• Longer stays and potentially higher spending. Customers may order more food or other drinks to complement their bottomless option.
• Larger groups or special celebrations at the restaurant, increasing your footfall. 

Note: If possible, provide guests with bartending supplies, including bottle openers, corkscrews, cocktail shakers, and ice buckets. Try to offer a variety of cocktail mixes and garnishes. This will allow guests to get creative with their drinks and personalize their experience.

8. Family and group restaurant promotions

Finally, as part of your marketing campaign, target families and different groups through family and group promotions. 

For instance, events like birthdays, holidays, vacations, and graduations are important to children, and they’re equally important to parents. Even if money is tight, most parents will do what it takes to ensure their children have amazing memories of big moments. So, use promotions to target these occasions.

At the same time, they target various groups from all walks of life. For instance, offer group promotions that incentivize date nights, wedding anniversaries, sports teams, Valentine’s Day, etc.

Examples of family and group promotions

The following are some examples of family and group promotions to get you started:

• Kids eat free. On certain days, offer free meals for kids with the purchase of an adult entrée to attract families.

Tip: Sometimes, knowing what kids want is not always easy. So, work with dine-in parents to create some of the best deals possible around these family events. Or provide offers that guide parents to the hottest deals.

• Date night specials. Create a date night package that includes a set menu for two with wine or dessert. This can appeal to couples looking for a special evening out.
• Group discounts. Offer discounts for larger parties, such as a percentage off the bill for groups of six or more, to encourage group bookings.

Why is targeting families and groups important?

In the case of families, there is one thing parents share: to do the best for their children. This includes finding family-friendly dining options that offer good value. 

You can build strong relationships with these customers by offering special deals on important family occasions, such as kids-eat-free nights or discounts on family meals. 

In return, this will bring in more sales and encourage repeated visits. 

The same principle applies to other groups like couples, friends, and colleagues. Restaurant promotions like date night specials or group discounts make your restaurant appealing for social gatherings. 

💡 To streamline your table service, read this guide on how to set up an effective restaurant table management system. 

Get started with your restaurant promotions plan today

Now you have 38 unique restaurant promotion ideas to boost your marketing efforts in online ordering, around customers’ dining experience, during specific periods, families, and more.

If perfectly executed, you can increase impulse buying and average spending, create exciting experiences for patrons, etc. You can also connect with your community in meaningful ways, bring in more new customers, etc. 

The final result is more and more restaurant sales as your business expands.

💡 The ball is now in your court. Make your restaurant promotions plan easy to execute with an action plan to increase restaurant sales this year.