7 May 2010
Celebrating Mother’s Day at Your Restaurant
Posted by Crystal under: News; Restaurant Business .
Mother’s Day is one of the most popular occasions to eat out, and a large percentage of Americans choose to dine out on this day at some of the best US restaurants. In fact, taking a mother out for dinner is one of the most popular gifts on Mother’s Day, after flowers and holiday cards. On Mother’s Day many restaurants offer special menus, bargain prices, free drinks, and other excellent deals. Here are a few tips on how to best celebrate Mother’s Day at your dining establishment:
Festive Brunch. Brunches are so popular on Mother’s Day; they often get sold out well before the actual holiday. Providing your diners with a great Mother’s Day brunch experience will not only increase your sales – it will ensure future strong bookings and increased customer retention. Make Mother’s Day brunch an enjoyable and relaxing experience for your patrons by proper planning and preparation. Decorate your restaurant, using flowers, centerpieces, ribbons, and other decorative items. The brunch menu can contain traditional items, such as waffles, pancakes, omelets, French toast, or Eggs Benedict. You can also offer an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet, with carving stations and complimentary Champagne. Alternatively, you can offer 3 or 4 course brunch, including more sophisticated items, such as oysters, Eggs Benedict Florentine, prime rib, or King Crab.
Mother’s Day Dinner. Depending on your restaurant concept, Mother’s Day dinner can be made into an intimate and relaxing event, or it can be a grandiose experience. Restaurants usually offer three-course dinner menu for a fixed price, while also providing an option of a full dinner menu. Traditional Mother’s Day dinner items include popular choices, such as duck, filet mignon, salmon, halibut, and scallops. Provide wine pairings and treat your guests to complimentary glasses of Champagne. Popular desserts are chocolate or lemon soufflés. Some restaurants offer dinner specials, such as free desserts or Mother’s entrée for free for large parties of guests.
Decorations. Decorate the restaurant with flowers and scented candles to create an especially inviting and relaxing, home-like atmosphere. Use a variety of spring flowers, including daffodils, tulips, and iris. Don’t be afraid to mix colors, utilizing a wide color range, from white to yellow to red. Arrange some of the flowers in a vase in the center of each table. You can also display flowers in short glasses, or make a centerpiece with stems from different flowers. Use festive table linens to match the flowers. You may also use beautiful tall candles on tables to further enhance your restaurant’s atmosphere on Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day Drinks. Be sure to add special drinks to your menu on Mother’s Day. Some of the most popular drinks are Bellinis, Mimosas, Cosmopolitans, and Martinis. Mothers will love fruity drinks, such as cranberry, raspberry or strawberry Flirtinis. Serve these classic drinks in festive champagne glasses, flutes, or martini glasses, rimmed with sugar and orange slices. Mix Champagne with various fruit drinks, frozen juices, or even ice cream, to create original festive drinks.
Kids Menu. Many restaurants create kids-friendly special menus on Mother’s Day in line with a growing trend that mothers or grandmothers bring kids or grandkids with them to celebrate Mother’s Day. Create a special dinner menu for kids, or provide a reduced fixed price option. Consider creating a fun kids’ drink station, which will dispense juices and festive kids-friendly mixed drinks. To make it even more fun, decorate kids’ drinks with orange slices, maraschino cherries, using toothpicks and festive drink umbrellas.
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