How to market your Valentine’s Day restaurant special
💋 Time your email campaign
For the best chance of success, make sure guests know how your restaurant fits into their Valentine’s Day plans—and tell them at the right time. Email is one of the most effective ways to reach guests who are deciding where (or how) to celebrate.
Many diners make last-minute decisions, so plan to send one email about two weeks before Valentine’s Day and a follow-up just days before February 14. Use these messages to promote your Valentine’s menu, special events, takeout packages, or limited-time offers like gift cards or date-night add-ons.
Toast Email Marketing makes it easy to promote Valentine’s Day offers without adding extra work. Toast customers generate up to $2,300 in revenue from a single email campaign using automated email tools—no marketing expertise required.*
Restaurants using Toast’s full Marketing Suite, including Email Marketing, see 63% more sales than those without it.* For Valentine’s Day specifically, Toast Email Marketing helps you:
Promote limited-time menus and events before reservations fill up
Re-engage past guests with timely reminders and holiday offers
Drive pre-orders for takeout meals, add-ons, or gift cards
💋 Engage your social media following
Holidays like Valentine’s Day are a prime opportunity to increase visibility and engage your social media audience. Guests often turn to social platforms for dining inspiration, last-minute plans, and ideas for celebrating special occasions.
Use social media to showcase your Valentine’s Day menus, special events, décor, and limited-time offers in the weeks leading up to February 14. Posting consistently and reminding followers how and when to book can help drive reservations, pre-orders, and buzz around your restaurant.
💋 Update your website
According to a Toast study, 65% of diners go directly to a restaurant’s website to book a reservation, so make sure your promotions are impossible to miss. Start by adding your Valentine’s Day menu, events, or specials directly to your online menus, and clearly note availability dates and reservation requirements.
Toast Websites makes it easy to update and promote Valentine’s Day offerings without extra tools or manual work. Restaurants can launch a fully customizable website that stays in sync with menus, online ordering, and POS data in real time, so updates happen instantly.
With Toast Websites, you can:
Publish Valentine’s Day menus and pricing that auto-sync with your POS—no manual edits or developer needed
Go live in minutes with an AI-powered website built for restaurants
Use built-in SEO to help guests find your Valentine’s Day offerings first
Add pop-ups or banners and connect Toast Tables, Online Ordering, and Catering for a seamless guest journey from search to checkout
Spread the love
Valentine’s Day presents a massive opportunity for restaurants to drive revenue and create memorable guest experiences. With the right mix of menus, promotions, and marketing, restaurants can stand out during one of the busiest dining days of the year.
If you haven't gotten started on your Valentine's Day marketing plan yet, check out the following resources to help you get started:
💕Restaurant Marketing Guide
💕Restaurant Social Media Guide
💕Restaurant Email Marketing Templates
💕Restaurant Menu Engineering Worksheet
💕Restaurant Event Planning Checklist
💕 Dessert Menu Templates
FAQs
Should restaurants offer a prix fixe menu on Valentine’s Day?
Yes. Prix fixe menus help restaurants manage high-volume service while increasing average check size on Valentine’s Day. They simplify kitchen operations, set clear guest expectations, and create a premium dining experience couples expect for the holiday.
How can restaurants make Valentine’s Day more romantic?
Restaurants can create a more romantic Valentine’s Day experience by offering curated menus, themed décor, candlelit or enhanced ambiance, and personalized add-ons like flowers, champagne, or handwritten notes. Interactive experiences such as chef’s tables, live music, or cooking classes can also elevate the occasion.
What Valentine’s Day promotions work best for restaurants?
The most effective Valentine’s Day promotions include prix fixe or tasting menus, pre-paid reservations, limited-time cocktails or desserts, date-night add-ons, and takeout or at-home meal packages. Promotions that create urgency or offer exclusive experiences tend to drive higher spend and reservations.
When should restaurants start promoting Valentine’s Day ideas?
Restaurants should begin promoting Valentine’s Day ideas two to four weeks in advance. Early promotion helps secure reservations, drive awareness of special menus or events, and capture both early planners and last-minute diners as February 14 approaches.
*Based on past performance of restaurants using Toast Email Marketing in Q3 and Q4 of 2021. The $2,800 represents average increase in sales in the 14 days following an email sent via Toast Email Marketing. The average open rate for emails sent via Toast Email Marketing is approximately 39%. Individual results will vary.
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