Photo: The Joinery’s seasonal winter salad: APPLE HEIRLOOM SALAD with seasonal greens, shaved apple, pomegranate, celery, crushed hazelnut, pepitas, sharp cheddar, apple cider vinaigrette.
February presents a unique opportunity for restaurant owners to attract diners with engaging themes and seasonal specials, even during a typically slower month. Here are 15 creative ideas tailored to involve only the staff on-site, making them simple yet effective in drawing customers:
- Staff Favorites Menu: Dedicate a week to featuring dishes curated by your staff, showcasing their personal favorites or family recipes. This approach personalizes the dining experience and connects customers with your team.
- Jazz Nights: Enhance your restaurant’s atmosphere with live jazz evenings, using local talent to provide entertainment. Pair these nights with a special menu crafted by your chefs to make the evenings even more special.
- Street Food Fair: Introduce a diverse menu inspired by street food from the region your cuisine is based on. This can be easily managed by your kitchen staff and spices up the usual dining routine.
- Valentine’s Day Specials: Go beyond the traditional couple’s dinner and offer themed menus for “Galentine’s” brunch or singles mixers, creating a fun and interactive environment.
- Winter Comfort Food Evening: Host a special dinner celebrating comfort foods like hearty stews, thick soups, and indulgent pastries, all of which your kitchen staff can prepare in-house.
- Mushroom and Truffle Dinner: Showcase the rich, earthy flavors of winter with dishes centered around gourmet mushrooms and truffles, such as mushroom bisque and truffle-infused mac and cheese. Have a themed evening.
- Root Vegetable Celebration: Highlight underappreciated root vegetables with a special menu featuring dishes like roasted beet salads, turnip gratin, or parsnip soup.
- Citrus Flavor Burst: Brighten up your menu with citrus-based dishes, which your chefs can integrate into both savory dishes and desserts, like citrus-cured salmon or lemon tarts. Protip: Get citrus from a local farm and co-promote the featured item with them to capture both of your audiences.
- Super Bowl Sunday: Create a game-day atmosphere with themed appetizers and decor. Offer special promotions like discounts when customers wear their team jerseys.
- Winter Weekday Specials: Introduce unique specials during the weekdays to boost slow days, such as “Mystery Menu Monday” where guests enjoy a surprise dish prepared by the chef.
- Wine Pairing Evening: Utilize your existing resources to host a wine pairing night, where your staff can guide guests through a selection of pairings, enhancing both culinary and educational experiences. This could be pairings with cheese, desserts, etc…
- Family-Style Dining Nights: Encourage a communal dining experience by offering family-style meals, where dishes are served in large portions meant for sharing among a group.
- Date Night Deals: Offer a special rate for a three-course meal that includes an appetizer, main course, and dessert, perfect for couples looking for a planned night out.
- Local Artist Showcase: Collaborate with local artists to display their artwork within your restaurant, which can be managed by staff and requires minimal setup.
- Art and Dine Night: Combine dining with culture by offering a menu inspired by the artworks displayed in your restaurant, creating a unique thematic experience that resonates with food and art lovers alike.
