3 Thanks Giving Marketing Strategies For Your Restaurant

This forthcoming holiday long weekend will be a very unique one for families all over the country. The COVID-19 pandemic is calling upon us all to practice social distancing. This involves limiting gatherings to very few people. Thanksgiving dinners aren’t known for being small. So many Canadians are now faced with difficult decisions about how to celebrate the annual holiday.

As a restaurant owner, this is a problem you can help to solve. While you can’t impact the rules and regulations set forth by the government in your province, you can help ease tensions that are currently being felt. How can your restaurant make this Thanksgiving a special one?

Here are three Thanksgiving marketing strategies for your restaurant:

1. Offer to cater a Thanksgiving dinner.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many families will choose to avoid restaurants this weekend. But that doesn’t mean your business should suffer. Promote the fact that your restaurant offers catering. As Kayla Border notes on Valpak.com, catering gives you an opportunity to increase sales without customers having to sit down to eat at your restaurant.

“After all the effort that goes into preparing Thanksgiving dinner, people are happy to take a break from cooking for the weekend while still wanting to enjoy great food with loved ones,” she writes, “Try offering special Thanksgiving weekend catering packages geared toward customers in need of a break from their own kitchens.”

2. Launch a contest on social media.

Part of picking up people’s spirits is giving them something to look forward to. Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t find joy in getting something for free? Utilize your social media platforms to offer a prize through a Thanksgiving-based competition. It can be as simple as asking people to submit what they’re thankful for. Choose a winner and offer a free meal.

As Holly Everett points out on Upserve.com, your contest will help to grow word of mouth promotion for your eatery. “Ask (your customers) to share what they are most thankful for, create your own hashtag and keep track of which customers use it to select your winner,” she proposes, “You’ll see a growth in your follower and engagement numbers while leveraging word-of-mouth marketing from your loyal customers.”

3. Host a “Friendsgiving” event.

It’s so important to remember that not everyone has a family to celebrate Thanksgiving with. There are many Canadians who may wish to get together with friends, this weekend. Offer them the opportunity to share in the joy of friendship at your restaurant. Don’t forget to highlight the precautions you’re taking at your place of business to keep all of your patrons safe.

“You might host a ‘Friendsgiving’ event to provide guests with an opportunity to celebrate the holiday with friends,” suggests Everett, “You can offer a traditional menu or create a specialized menu. Ask your guests to share photos of their dinners using a special event hashtag to drive engagement for your social media channels.”

Don’t forget the importance of making it easy for customers to pay for their meals. At Canadian POS, we proudly offer Canadian restaurant owners the Poynt Smart Terminal. It’s a revolutionary wireless terminal that makes paying a restaurant bill easier than ever! For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost. Happy Thanksgiving!