For the restaurant industry, Mother’s Day is the Super Bowl of spring holidays. To avoid the large crowds and elevated prices, many moms prefer to enjoy their special day relaxing at home, sleeping in, and putting cooking and cleaning chores aside. Make your restaurant the go-to spot when it comes to breakfasts in bed, backyard brunches, or dinners on the back porch this Mother’s Day by offering limited-time-only delivery packages and deals.
Stats to Consider
Incentives play a big part in consumer decision making when it comes to choosing a restaurant for takeout and delivery on Mother’s Day. Of 1000 participants:
51% said they would choose one restaurant over another if it offers a free add-in for Mom, such as a special cocktail, dessert, flowers, chocolates, or small gift.
49% said a free or discounted delivery fee will seal the deal.
44% looked for bundled meal packages—e.g., appetizers, entrees, and dessert
41% said Mother’s Day discounts drove their decision on where to order.
29% are looking for options include alcoholic beverages with their orders
To make her day memorable, and her family’s life easier, create Mother's Day restaurant delivery promotions that will make your business stand out from the competition.
1. Family-Sized Meal Deals
Create special family-sized meal packages that are perfect for sharing. Include a variety of dishes to cater to different tastes and preferences, including gluten-free, vegan, and low carb options.
2. Camera-Ready Complimentary Desserts
Sweeten every deal by offering a free dessert with each Mother's Day delivery order. Include Instagramable, indulgent, and mouth watering treats like colorful fruit tarts and individual cheesecake bites that are as photogenic as they are delicious. Use special giftable packaging that is delivery-friendly so every dessert comes camera-ready. Ask customers to post a photo of mom with her free gift in exchange for a free dessert on their next order.
Related Post: “The EYES Have It” - How to Take Mouthwatering Photos for Your Website and Social Media
3. Mother’s Day Eve
Brunch and dinner are both popular Mother’s Day meal options, but some families can’t get out on the actual holiday. Put an entirely new twist on the traditional Mother’s Day celebration by extending your specials to include the “eve” before.
This will accommodate moms who work in the hospitality, healthcare, or criminal justice fields and don’t have the day off.
4. Extend the Celebration
Make Mother’s Day last for more than just one day by extending your offers throughout the weekend. This will not only attract attention from those who can’t celebrate on Sunday, but it’ll make the event last longer than the competition.
5. Be All- Inclusive
Lots of people play the role of “mom” these days and Mother’s Day is a great opportunity for guests to let the people in their lives know that they are appreciated. Demonstrate your business’s inclusivity by honoring everyone’s mom, including families with two moms, aunts, grandmothers, and extended family – and be sure to get the word out on social media.
6. Free Meal for Mom
Offering freebies is always a great way to grab your customer’s attention. Offer a complete meal for mom with the purchase of another meal. If a free meal for the guest of honor is impractical for your restaurant, consider offering moms a complimentary dessert, mocktail, or appetizer; or a steep discount.
7. Second visit
Why should the love only last one day? Given the high volume of traffic your restaurant may see, use the opportunity to entice customers to order from your restaurant on other upcoming holidays like Father’s Day. Encourage guests to place their Father’s Day orders early by offering a $25 credit to anyone who places their order for Father’s Day on Mother’s Day.
8. Early Delivery
Opening for brunch on Mother’s Day, even if you don’t normally open early, allows you to get creative and experiment with new menu ideas. If it’s your restaurant’s first time offering brunch or you’re just looking for something new to offer to your guests, here are a few unique menu options to try:
Challah French Toast
Frittata Stations
Gourmet Yogurt Bar
Keto Pancakes
Vegan Eggs Benedict
Acai Bowls
Smoothie Bar
Gluten-free Banana Pancakes
Veggie omelet station
Sugar-free Decadent Desserts
LEO: Loxs, Eggs, and Onion Omelet
9. Mocktail Hour
Wine sales reach their peak on Mother’s Day, but not all locations allow for alcoholic delivery. To avoid these issues and appeal to those who don’t consume alcohol, creating a few special “mocktails,” (alcohol free cocktails) could be easier to swallow. Here are a few mocktail ideas to try:
Mocktini: Alcohol-free Martini
Virgin Mimosas: Orange Juice, Alcohol-free Wine, and Sparkling Water
Cranberry Spritzers: Cranberry Juice, Lime Juice, and Seltzer
Virgin Bloody Marys: Bloody Mary’s Minus the Vodka
Mockin’ Margaritas: Frozen Margarita Mix Sans the Tequila
10. Breakfast in Bed Basket
Another off-premise option, similar to meal kits, is a breakfast in bed basket to-go that includes everything from french toast, croissants, and bagels to fresh fruit, tea selections, and mimosas.
11. Picnic Basket
Another great delivered special is the picnic basket to-go. Perfect for couples or families, create a picnic basket that includes all the accouterments including red and white checkered napkins and tablecloth, plastic champagne glasses, single wine or champagne bottles, orange juice, nuts, cheese, fruit, croissants, muffins, and mini bagels.
12. Make it Personal
Include a space for customers to add a personalized message to their delivery order so they can send a meal as a surprise to a mom at another address. Let customers know about this gift-giving offer on social media for the entire week leading up to the holiday.
13. Make it a Game
Looking for a unique twist for your Mother’s Day promotions? Give these contest ideas a try.
Who needs a babysitter?: Ask moms to fill out a card explaining why they need a day off from cooking. Request all participants to provide their email address to grow your mailing list and ask the winner for their permission to share their story on social media.
Best Mom Ever: Ask kids and spouses to nominate their mom for the “Best Mom Ever” award.
Hats Off to Mom: Moms wear many hats from chef to chauffeur. Invite moms to enter their photos wearing their funniest hats and award all participants with a free dessert.
Funny Juggling Contest: Moms are the best jugglers on earth, balancing work, home, and shuttling everyone everywhere. Hold an actual juggling contest by inviting moms to submit a video of themselves juggling. Award all with a free meal as this is a great way to generate UGC for your website.
Online raffle: Create a raffle for everyone who places an order on Mother’s Day to win a $100 gift card .
14. Exclusive Promo Codes
Incorporate SMS or email marketing strategies to provide exclusive discounts or promo codes specifically for Mother's Day orders to entice more customers to order from your restaurant.
Related post: Getting the Message: SMS Marketing for Restaurants
15. Free Delivery
To add extra incentive and make your restaurant stand out, offer free delivery on all Mother’s Day orders.
By Eileen Strauss
