Restaurant Event Ideas

Restaurant events are great ways to bring people into your restaurant so that you can make more sales. If you aren’t sure what to do beyond wedding receptions or big game promotions, this list of restaurant event ideas will help you find new ways to draw people into your restaurant.

Parties

Throwing parties is so much work that hosts don’t really get a chance to enjoy themselves. Offering to do the cooking and cleaning would make your restaurant popular for parties like:

• Birthday Parties – Let your guests bring the cake so that they can make it more personal.


• Graduation Parties – If your restaurant caters graduation parties, why not suggest that customers hold the graduation party at your restaurant so that the food stays hot and fresh.


• Cultural Milestones – Whether it be a Sweet 16, Quinceañera or baptism reception, your restaurant would be a good place for friends and family to get together and celebrate life.

Holidays

Like parties, holidays can be a lot of work. If you’re looking for good days to hold a holiday event at your restaurant, consider:

• Thanksgiving – Serving a turkey dinner with all the trimmings would be very popular with people who can’t cook.


• Halloween – Spooky decorations, a costume party and a fall-themed menu would be a hit, especially with children.


• Mardi Gras – Transport your guests to New Orleans by decorating your restaurant with colorful beads and playing jazz music in the background. If you need Fat Tuesday menu ideas, red beans and rice and king cake are great options.


• Mother’s Day – In addition to a late-morning brunch, consider adding fruity drinks or other special additions to your Mother’s Day menu.


• Cinco de Mayo – If you have a Mexican restaurant, a lunch or dinner buffet of tacos, fajitas, and quesadillas would be popular. 

National Days

Did you know that National Waffle Day is August 24? You’d be surprised by how many national food days there are that could inspire restaurant events, such as:

• Spaghetti Day (January 4) – People are sick of cooking after the holidays, so why not serve a spaghetti dinner in early January. We even have some helpful pasta cooking tips to achieve the perfect texture and consistency consistently.


• Pi Day (March 14) – A favorite of high school geometry teachers, March 14 would be the perfect time to showcase your restaurant’s dessert options.


• Ice Cream Day (July 19) – An ice cream social on a hot summer day would be sure to draw a crowd.


• Dessert Day (October 14) – Even if people just want a half-price dessert, they’ll probably order a meal, too.

January 4 is National Spaghetti Day, so it would be the perfect day for a spaghetti dinner at your restaurant.

Dinner Theme Nights

Phrases like “Meatless Mondays” and “Tacos Tuesday” are more than just good examples of alliteration: they’re great opportunities for events at your restaurant. Although you might have to make some changes to your menu, possible restaurant event ideas include:

• Monday – Meatless, Mediterranean, or Meatloaf would be good ways to start the week.


• Tuesday – Although everyone knows about Taco Tuesday, consider celebrating TV Tuesday by serving food in TV dinner trays while playing retro TV shows.


• Wednesday – Breakfast for dinner would be a great idea on Waffle Wednesday.


• Thursday – If people start craving stuffing and cranberry sauce in June, your restaurant could do Thanksgiving Thursday.


• Friday – Half-price fish and chips would be popular on Fish Fry Friday.


• Saturday – If your restaurant has a special sauce that everyone loves, why not promote it on Saucy Saturday.


• Sunday – Everyone loves comfort food, so serve pot roast, mac and cheese and peach cobbler on Southern Sunday.

Entertainment

Although restaurant guests want to eat good food, they also want to have a good experience. Good ways to give your guests fun memories are:

Live Entertainment

• Live Music – Restaurants and bars that double as music venues always attract crowds.


• Comedy – Everyone loves a good laugh, so think about allowing up-and-coming comedians to tell jokes at your restaurant. 


• Karaoke – People love singing along to their favorite songs. Even if you don’t serve Japanese food, a karaoke night would still be very popular–and profitable.

Games

• Video Game Night – Games like Mario Kart can be a lot of fun. Why not allow guests to compete against each other for free food.


• Trivia – Not everyone can be on Jeopardy!, so a trivia night would let them put their knowledge to good use.


• Board Games – Putting a board game on every table would take guests back to their childhood and help them socialize while enjoying your food.

A wine tasting at your restaurant would be sure to draw a crowd.

Slow Nights

All restaurants have at least one stubbornly slow night per week. If you’re looking for ways to get more customers on those nights, consider holding a special event, such as:

• Special Dish Night – Consultant Ryan Gromfin recommends serving a special dish on your slow day to entice people to stop by. In fact, in a YouTube video he says that one of his clients used this strategy and turned their slowest day into their busiest.


• Cooking Class – If your customers rave about your food, why not teach them how to make it? Even if people come to learn, they’ll also buy drinks and appetizers.


• Beer or Wine Tasting – Everyone wants to learn about–and sample–beer and wine, so consider asking a cicerone or sommelier to lead a teaching and tasting event. 


• VIP Night – If you have a loyalty program, hold an official VIP night so that guests can feel special when they redeem their points. Although you’ll serve food at a discount, research shows that customers will buy other items when they redeem their points.