Ideas for restau­rant adver­tis­ing and pro­mo­tions for every month of
the year

Jan­u­ary
New Years Res­o­lu­tion Month. This is a time when many peo­ple vow to stop
eat­ing out to lose weight and stick to a stricter bud­get. Not the best con­di­tions
for many restau­rants. Depend­ing on where you are located you may be able
to adver­tise to win­ter vaca­tion­ers, skiers, snow­mo­bil­ers or in warmer cli­mates,
those look­ing to escape harsh win­ter con­di­tions. Offer up week­end spe­cials,
and mid-week spe­cials such as two for one deals. A lighter-side options for
those New Year’s dieters is another way to draw in extra business.

Feb­ru­ary

Valentine’s Day. Unequiv­o­cally one of the best (if not the best day)
for many restau­rants. Pro­mote your Valentine’s Day spe­cials in the local paper.
Focus your din­ner menu on cou­ples meals and deca­dent desserts that can be
shared by two. Many schools have a win­ter vaca­tion in Feb­ru­ary, so run­ning
some lunch spe­cials and din­ner spe­cials that week can also help bring in extra
business.

March

Cabin Fever Month. Not warm enough for out­door din­ing and not cold
enough for win­ter sports. Con­sider adver­tis­ing a spe­cialty din­ner, like a wine
tast­ing or nightly prix fixe menu. Adver­tise your restau­rant pro­mo­tions, like
ladies night, two-for-one din­ners or a wine tast­ing din­ner . Local cham­ber of
com­merce or other local busi­ness orga­ni­za­tions begin putting together sum­mer
tourists’ guides in late win­ter or early spring. If you hope to draw from local
tourism in the sum­mer months, be sure to place an ad for your restau­rant
now.

April

Spring has arrived. Adver­tise your spring­time spe­cials, focus­ing on
lighter fare, like sal­ads, new veg­eta­bles and fruity desserts. If you have
out­door din­ing, adver­tise that the deck/patio is open for busi­ness. Noth­ing
draws a crowd like the promise of a warm, sunny out­door lunch after a long
winter.


May
May has great poten­tial for restau­rant adver­tis­ing. It is the start of
wed­ding sea­son, prom sea­son, and col­lege grad­u­a­tions. If your restau­rant has
a ban­quet room or does any kind of cater­ing, pro­mote it! May is the time to
gear up for sum­mer­ing cater­ing as well. It is never to early to adver­tise your
cater­ing ser­vices for sum­mer pic­nics, wed­dings, or barbeques.

June
If you are open on Fourth of July, be sure to adver­tise for it in June. Replen­ish
take-out menus at local hotels, cham­ber of com­merce, and any other places
they are likely to be picked up by vaca­tion­ers. With school out for the sum­mer,
you should look at ways to improve your kids menu and offer kid-friendly
specials.

July

Sum­mer is in full swing. If your area has a large tourist draw in the
sum­mer months, run pro­mo­tions in the local paper. Con­sider part­ner­ing with
local hotels to give dis­counts to their guests.

August

Along with sum­mer tourism, many areas have sum­mer fes­ti­vals that
draw large crowds. Con­sider spon­sor­ing fes­ti­vals or other com­mu­nity activ­i­ties
for some easy adver­tis­ing. Now is the time to start think­ing about revamp­ing
your hol­i­day cater­ing menus and get­ting ready for the change to autumn. Start
think­ing about back to school ads and other fall adver­tis­ing ideas.

Sep­tem­ber

Labor Day marks the unof­fi­cial end to sum­mer. Some restau­rant
adver­tis­ing ideas include back to school pro­mo­tions and har­vest din­ner menus.
Part­ner with local farm­ers for some organic, farm-to-table fare which you can
adver­tise and offer in a prix fixe menu.

Octo­ber

Get into the Hal­loween spirit with scary pro­mo­tions. If you have a bar
or pub, con­sid­er­ing throw­ing a Hal­loween cos­tume con­test. This is also a good
time to start send­ing out hol­i­day fly­ers and encour­ag­ing peo­ple to book their
hol­i­day par­ties early. If you pro­vide any off-site cater­ing, now is the time to
adver­tise it.

Novem­ber

Many peo­ple opt out of cook­ing their own Thanks­giv­ing din­ner. If
you are open on Thanks­giv­ing, adver­tise it well in advance. Other adver­tis­ing
for your restau­rant includes hol­i­day party pro­mo­tions and New Years Eve
reservations.

Decem­ber

Pro­mote your New Year’s Eve menu through local papers, radio
spots and your web­site. Even if you don’t nor­mally take reser­va­tions, New
Year’s Eve (and Valentine’s Day) is a good exception.

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