3 Creative Ways for Restaurants to Boost Sales This July 4th

The 4th of July is a great time to get together with friends and family to celebrate the nation’s founding over food, drinks and fireworks. After a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants are back in action and diners are flocking to their old neighborhood haunts like never before. 

Restaurant operators have learned a lot over the last year. Most notably, they’ve learned how to drive revenue and operate a restaurant online — some for the first time. In doing so, restaurants have established stronger relationships with their diners by getting creative with their offerings. This 4th of July weekend is no different. From special, holiday-edition catering packages to ticketed events, these examples show how restaurants are getting creative and promoting their offerings over the holiday weekend. Here are a few ways to flex your creative muscle.

Catering is a quick and easy way for a restaurant to boost its bottom line. The off-premise catering industry has grown 2.3% on average year-over-year since 2015 and as cities around the nation have reopened, off-premise catering is another revenue stream with great potential. 

Diners are looking to celebrate seeing friends and family this July 4th over food and drinks. It’s a great time to maximize that potential with creative catering options. 

Craft, a New York City restaurant from Executive Chef Tom Colicchio, created Craft at Home — a curated collection of seasonal to-go items — during the pandemic. Today, the restaurant offers a variety of meals including the holiday special “Tom’s 4th of July BBQ Party” — a $275 catering package that guests can order directly online for pickup. Each box serves 8 people and includes a healthy mix of barbecue, sides and greens. Guests can even complete their order with a “Backyard Punch” cocktail kit for 4 or 8. It’s a fun, engaging way to offer something special to diners who are looking to support their favorite restaurants and chefs.

As another great example, Big Pig Barbecue & Catering in Peabody, Massachusetts, optimized their online catering store to feature “4th of July Pre-Order” packages last July 4th. Guests could schedule and purchase “Party Packs” in advance for pickup to take home and grill out with friends and family. 

While an online catering store is a great revenue tool for restaurants, online ordering is an alternatively great channel to feature holiday specials. 

Restaurants that haven’t opted into online ordering are missing out on a large stream of revenue potential, especially during the 4th of July. The food delivery market is expected to grow 20% annually to $365B by 2030, up from $35B, and 82% of consumers plan on continuing to order online for pickup and delivery post-pandemic. Online ordering is a powerful way for restaurants to capitalize on demand while boosting their bottom line. 

As cities have fully reopened, events are back. Holding holiday-specific events can be advantageous for restaurants and offer a way for guests to engage with a brand. This July 4th is a great opportunity to do just that.

Alibi is a whimsical rooftop bar and restaurant in downtown Tempe, AZ. To celebrate the fourth, the restaurant is hosting a pool party all weekend long, featuring DJs, poolside cabanas and food & drink specials throughout the day and night. Alibi uses the website to host more information about the event under the “Happenings” section, prominently placed in the website’s navigation. 

Restaurants can even take event happenings to the next level by selling tickets directly through the website. Event tickets are another example of a way to increase sales and engage with brand loyalists over the holiday weekend. Whether it’s a cooking class, indoor or outdoor event, it’s an easy cash flow opportunity for restaurants. 

Located in the Claremont Club & Spa in Berkeley, CA, East Bay Provisions offers an innovative dining experience in a venue that represents a fusion of flavor, traditions and styles. Guests can purchase tickets to the restaurant’s “4th of July Cookie Decorating” class for $40 per person. The event is held outdoors and is a fun way for guests to get together and learn while having a delicious treat.

Depending on local laws and regulations around alcohol sales, restaurants should consider ways to bring knowledge and the hospitality experience to a guest’s backyard. For example, restaurants around the country are batching special 4th of July cocktails and selling curated wine and beer selections.

At Cork Wine Bar & Market in Washington D.C., the bar curates wine for you. Through the website, Cork offers a large selection of curated wine packs perfect for a variety of occasions. For the holiday weekend, restaurants can emulate the “BBQ Season 6-pack”, a mix of weather-appropriate wines to sit back and enjoy with food and friends — perfect for a backyard barbecue, countryside picnic or rooftop party.

We’ve highlighted the ways in which other restaurants are optimizing their offerings to encourage diners to order with them this 4th of July. Getting the word out is an equally important part of the equation. Here’s how restaurants are marketing their new offerings accordingly.

Ina Mae Tavern is a New Orleans-inspired, chef-driven restaurant in Chicago, helmed by renowned chef & co-owner, Brian Jupiter. This 4th of July, the restaurant is throwing a crawfish boil — a low-country event tradition. For $39, guests receive a crawfish plate featuring 3 lbs of boiled crawfish, corn and potatoes. The event features live music and all-day drink specials. For a country that’s been largely shut down for over a year, events like these are in high demand from consumers.

Another way to market 4th of July specials is by sending a series of marketing emails to subscribers. For BentoBox users, subscriber information lives in the backend of the BentoBox website and integrates with a variety of email marketing platforms for an easy way to reach loyal diners.

• Write about new holiday offerings and specials. 

• Be sure to include captivating photography to further engage the audience. 

• Last, add a prominent CTA to prompt the reader to take action, such as start an online order, browse catering options or purchase a ticket to an event. 

A restaurant’s social media channels are a great way to drive traffic to the website and increase the potential for more orders and revenue this 4th of July. Use this opportunity to post about the latest specials and include a way for guests to purchase the promoted offerings.

A great example is New York City’s, Craft, which promotes its “Tom’s 4th of July BBQ Party” catering package on Instagram. It’s a great way to extend the visibility of the special, driving traffic back to the website to purchase orders for pickup and delivery.

Restaurants can start thinking now about more ways to encourage loyal customers to purchase directly from the restaurant this 4th of July. As eCommerce is now a solid revenue source for restaurants, it’s important to learn about what consumers are looking for and how best to optimize offerings, to not only fulfill their hunger but also boost the restaurant’s bottom line in the process. To learn more ways to get creative this holiday weekend, get in touch with your Customer Success Manager or sign up for a free demo today.