7 Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas for Restaurants

Thanksgiving dinner used to mean the whole family gathered around a homemade meal. That’s still true for plenty of households, but a growing number of diners want someone else to handle the cooking and the cleanup. Dining out remains a core part of American life, with 61% of adults saying restaurants are essential to their lifestyle.

It’s not just Thanksgiving Day itself that presents an opportunity. The holiday weekend that follows, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and beyond, is one of the busiest stretches of the year for local restaurants. Small business restaurant sales grew nearly 3% on Black Friday alone, and Small Business Saturday spending is projected to climb sharply as more shoppers look to support local businesses over the holiday weekend.

As a restaurant owner, now is the time to build your Thanksgiving marketing plan to reach both new customers and loyal regulars. Here are seven ideas to help you do it.

1. Run a Thanksgiving Promotion

One of the best ways to attract customers during Thanksgiving weekend is a well-timed promotion. But getting the word out takes more than one channel. Reach your audience through email, social media and print, including direct mail.

Plan your holiday campaign at least a month in advance. Hand out flyers to regulars, post signage in-store, engage followers on social platforms and send a reminder to your email list. Every customer has a preferred way of hearing from you, so covering multiple channels matters more than leaning on just one.

Online ordering is worth building into that promotion too. Restaurants that add online ordering see an average 18% lift in sales, making it a natural channel to pair with a holiday offer.

2. Get Creative with Your Thanksgiving Feast

Don’t get stuck on turkey and cranberry sauce. Plenty of diners are “turkey-ed out” by the time Thanksgiving weekend rolls around and want a change of pace. Offer something outside the traditional lineup, whether that’s a vegetarian or vegan spread, or non-American cuisine like Thai, Indian, Mexican or Italian. A menu that stands apart from every other Thanksgiving special in town gives people a reason to choose you.

3. Offer Catering, Online Ordering & Takeout

Catering, online ordering and takeout let you capture sales without needing a table to turn. This channel has only grown more central to restaurant revenue: 81% of operators report an increase in takeout and delivery sales compared to the prior year. After the effort of a home-cooked holiday, many people are happy to take a break from their own kitchen while still enjoying a great meal with the people they care about. Build a Thanksgiving weekend package specifically for that audience.

4. Attract Customers with a Thanksgiving Event

A special event can be the deciding factor in where someone chooses to dine that weekend. That could mean a festive atmosphere, live music or a themed night. A “Friendsgiving” event, for example, gives guests a reason to celebrate the holiday with friends rather than family. Ask attendees to share photos with an event hashtag to extend the reach of your social channels beyond the people in the room.

5. Give Back This Thanksgiving Season

Partner with a local charity to lean into the spirit of the season. Run a canned food drive in the weeks before Thanksgiving and offer a free drink or appetizer for every donation, or commit a percentage of sales from a specific dish to a local nonprofit. Diners tend to feel more charitable during the holidays, and community involvement can turn a one-time visit into a reason people choose your restaurant specifically. Promote it across social media, email and in-store signage so the effort doesn’t go unnoticed.

6. Take Reservations for Thanksgiving Meals

Once your holiday promotion is live, reservations help you gauge demand and manage the rush. Even if your restaurant doesn’t typically take them, it’s worth doing for Thanksgiving weekend. Reservations smooth out service and create urgency. When people know space is limited, they tend to book sooner rather than wait.

Diners are also booking with more spontaneity than in past years. Current dining trend data shows people snapping up last-minute reservations and showing up on a whim, so a flexible booking system that captures both early planners and last-minute diners will serve you well this season.

7. Highlight Convenience and Value This Holiday Season

Thanksgiving weekend is hectic, which makes your restaurant a place where guests can relax without adding to their to-do list. Make that convenience part of your marketing message. At the same time, value is on diners’ minds. Consumers are still eating out, but they’re trading down and spending carefully, watching menu prices more closely than in past years. A clear, well-priced holiday offer that also promises an easy, low-hassle experience gives budget-conscious diners a reason to choose you over cooking at home, or over a competitor down the street.

Get Started on Your Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas

Planning your Thanksgiving marketing now puts your restaurant in position to capture a share of the biggest dining weekend of the year. Contact your local Valpak office to build a Thanksgiving-themed promotion that reaches the right households at the right time.