With Valentine’s day just around the corner, stores, social media and conversations are overflowing with all things pink and red, flowers, hearts and fluffy teddy bears. But we all know there’s nothing more swoon worthy than a romantic dinner with that special someone.

According to a recent survey, Aussies spent $415 million on Valentine’s Day last year. That’s a whole lotta love and potential revenue!

Restaurants, if you haven’t already embraced your inner cupid, it’s time to switch into romance mode, there’s never been a better time to woo your customers with your latest offering.

To help you get started, here’s our favourite Now Book It tips to create a Valentines dinner event that your customers will fall in love with:

• Use your customer data and create the perfect event to invite your customers to. Sharing a meal together is an ideal way to celebrate the special occasion.

• Create a Valentine themed dinner experience for the lovebirds to share. Ask the kitchen to create special menus items with shades of pink, ruby red, raspberries, dark chocolate and anything with a touch of romance. Don’t forget to spice things up with some chillis if you’re game!

• Don’t forget when you’ve set up your event in the system, it creates a unique URL link to take your customers directly to your valentine’s event. You can add this to your EDM’s, Websites, socials and standard Now Book It messaging and emails.
• What’s Valentine Day without a single red rose to set the scene. Use the upsell feature to allow customers to have a rose delivered to the table, pink champagne on arrival, oysters, or a touch of romantic table theming. Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to increase your spend, whilst at the same time, offering unforgettable experiences to your guests.

Finally, don’t forget to promote your special event through your socials and invite your guests to share their special experience afterwards.

Love always,

So, it’s January again, the beginning of a brand-new year and time to make good on your new year’s resolutions.

If you only stick to one, make sure its levelling up on your 2023 social media content plan. Keeping your feed fresh and interesting is a sure-fire way to attract and engage new followers.

We all know that customers visit your restaurant to experience the amazing food, but they’re also interested in what makes your restaurant unique and different.

If your lacking inspiration here’s some ideas to kickstart your marketing planning!

Tell your Story

Most restaurants have a great story of how they came to be. Use videos and photos to share the story across your social media channels. Let people know how you came to be, it’s a fantastic way to show people what dining at your restaurant will be like. Be authentic – people will be engaged and interested wanting to find out more.

Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek

People are nosy by nature – take advantage of it and share a sneak peek of what happens behind the scenes at your restaurant. Share some snips of your chef creating a signature dish, handy food prep tips, your barista creating latte art or your bartender mixing the perfect martini. Don’t over complicate it, short snips are best for social media.

Keep it Fresh

Make an effort to always keep your content feed fresh. Customers like to be updated, so post content such as seasonal menus, chef specials, promotions, special events and anything newsworthy for your customers. The average adult spends more than an hour a day on social media, so it’s important to keep things interesting.

Encourage the Conversation

Social media is the perfect way to engage with your customers. Encourage them to leave a review, share their dining experience online, post pictures of their food and ask questions. Whatever you do…. don’t leave your guests hanging! It’s important that responses are being managed. The good news is, if you get this right, it’s a fantastic way to build rapport with your customers.

Highlight your Employees

Chances are, working in hospitality; you’ve got a few extraverts in your team. Why not profile a team member every month on your socials. Let your customers experience a ‘day in the life’ of your chef, servers, bartender, or barista. It makes for engaging video content and lets your customers experience your unique culture.

The more frequently you post, you’ll start to see what resonates with your online audience. Remember to have fun and get creative.