Mother’s Day Restaurant Ideas: Promotions, Menus, and Marketing Tips to Drive More Diners

One of the busiest days of the year for restaurants is Mother’s Day! Since over half of U.S. diners plan to celebrate this day by dining out, you’ll want to ensure you have proven Mother’s Day restaurant ideas, promotions and menu strategies to help you boost sales, increase reservations and stand out from the competition.

How to Create a High-Converting Mother’s Day Restaurant Menu

Having a special, limited time menu for Mother’s Day will create FOMO that drives in customers. Choosing a menu doesn’t have to be hard either. These options are sure to wow moms.

• Mother’s Day Brunch Menu – Whether you choose to do a Mother’s Day buffet or a standard a la carte menu, brunch is sure to have moms flying in. Brunch hours typically run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. so you can get both breakfast and lunch crowds. You can offer everything from signature waffles or pancakes with specialty toppings to a mimosa menu with custom add-ons to try.


• Family Style Meals – Since it’s a family-focused holiday, try creating a menu with family style options. Shareable foods like pasta and meatballs or beef and potatoes are sure to make customers feel comfortable and relaxed while they enjoy their meal in your restaurant. This is also a perfect option when looking to offer a catering menu for Mother’s Day.


• Prix-Fixe Dinner Promotions – Not only is this a great menu idea but they’re also amazing Mother’s Day specials for restaurants that you can offer to drive sales. You can create a gourmet and affordable prix-fixe dinner menu. Keep it simple with a three-course meal that includes a soup or salad option, an entrée and a dessert. Or you can do a more casual version and swap out the soup and salad for one of your best-selling appetizers. Set a fixed price that’s an incredible deal, and the customers will be running in.

Mother’s Day Restaurant Deals That Increase Average Check Size

Creating a promotional deal for customers to come in on Mother’s Day will easily drive sales. So what deals are worth exploring to get mom and the family to your restaurant?

• Bottomless Mimosas – If you go the brunch menu route, then this is the perfect offer for your establishment. Offer bottomless mimosas during the brunch hours of your choice. It’ll also help keep customers at your establishment for a while which could encourage them to order more food.


• Wine Deals – Whether you offer the discount by glass or by bottle, you’re going to increase liquor sales for the day. Try giving mom a happy hour she’ll love with half-price or discounted wine. Plus, if you offer deals on bottles, you’ll encourage bigger groups to come in.


• Freebies for Mom – Whether you make appetizers or desserts a freebie or half off, making this offer for all moms is bound to have them coming in. Plus, offering a free dessert to just mom will make the rest of the family pay for their own and drive more sales.


• Special Catering Package – If your restaurant offers catering, then you can also take part in offering a special catering deal for moms. For example, it could include pasta trays and a few salads and sides that are sold at a special price. That way, customers can enjoy your food from the comfort of home.

Go With Grand Giveaways

Aside from deals and discounts, give away some great gifts to the moms who choose to order from you. Partner with some local businesses to create some sweet gift bags. Make a spa day bag filled with lotions, scrubs and a coupon for a free massage, or give away coupons or gift cards to a nearby movie theater.

You also could hold a raffle online where all mothers are eligible to win a gift card to a local shop or a redeemable voucher to host a party at your restaurant. Whatever giveaway you go with, make sure it somehow includes some type of coupon or gift card to your place. That always gives customers an easy way to return for another visit or order again.

Decorate for the Mother’s Day Theme

Make your facility taste and look like it’s Mother’s Day. You can do this with a variety of options. From window décor advertising you’re open and have deals for Mother’s day, to floral and candle lit centerpieces, these are sure to wow moms and make them enjoy sitting down in your restaurant. You can also try simple touches like table linens to subtly impress your customers.

Operational Tips for a Successful Mother’s Day Service

Staffing considerations

For a day of celebration such as Mother’s Day, you’ll want to make sure you have a few extra staff on hand so no one is getting crammed with tables to serve. If you won’t have enough people to cover the day, consider hiring temporary help.

Reservation management

There are a lot of reservation management programs out there. Take a look at the different kinds and choose one that can offer what you need in your commercial space. This will not only help you keep track of reservations but also help you avoid overbooking.

Inventory planning & Equipment Prepping

• Prep high-demand menu items in advance to reduce ticket times


• Ensure critical equipment is serviced before the holiday rush


• Limit custom modifications on prix-fixe menus to maintain speed