Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating the love between two people. Couples take advantage to show their love for each other and spend some quality time together. Among all the love declarations, flowers and kisses, there is always one more ingredient: food. Nothing seems to say “I love you” better than a romantic dinner at a posh restaurant.

I was actually talking to a friend of mine about this a few days ago. She’s the adventurous kind, the sort who would consider using human pheromones and the like for her partner. And, well, for Valentine’s Day this year, she is taking her husband to Hamburg in Germany. She has made lots of exciting food-related plans for their getaway, but she has also booked a saucy surprise for her husband. They have always enjoyed an adventurous sex life so she has arranged for an escort to meet them at their hotel! Apparently, she managed to find an escort online really easily using an online escort directory like this one: https://www.escortdirectory.com/escorts-hamburg-198. As far as Valentine’s Day plans go, I think we would all struggle to top that!

But anyway, raunchy anecdotes to one side, for restaurants and pubs Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to celebrate love and make a profit out of it. From simple things to elaborate ones, there are plenty of marketing moves you can make to take a piece of the Valentine’s cake.

Start the celebrations early and extend them

Valentine’s Day is only one, but couples can celebrate their love all through the month, so you can start celebrating early on and extend the offers for the entire month. The earlier you start to plan your Valentine’s special offers and implement them, the better, as you have the chance to attract customers before 14th of February. You can advertise your promotions starting from January and offer special discounts to a number of couples who book their dinner first.

Add something extra on the menu

Special offers can help you attract lovebirds, so don’t be afraid to add something extra on the menu. From ingredients your chef doesn’t use every day to entire meals which are being prepared only for Valentine’s Day, there are many foods you can add to be one step ahead of your competition. Designing something extra for your clients on Valentine’s Day is going to make your business more popular among the locals.

Offer freebies

Nothing beats freebies, even if people are ready to spend some money on the dinner. Stock up on fine champagne or other sparkling wine and offer a couple of glasses to each couple. Roses are a universal symbol of love, and they hold special importance on Valentine’s Day. Consider getting a bunch of single roses, or bouquets, from a Bayswater florist (or one in your locality), to offer to customers when they walk in or as they walk out. You can also use chocolates as freebies or offer free entrees for the Valentine’s dinner.

Don’t go overboard with the prices

Everyone knows that a night out is going to be expensive, but don’t go overboard with it. Keep the prices affordable, especially if you cater to a small community. This is going to encourage locals to visit your venue multiple times, not only on Valentine’s evening. At the same time, everyone is going to remember the restaurant where they didn’t have to break the bank to afford a special romantic dinner, so they will visit you in the future as well.

Create special meals filled with aphrodisiacs

Love is in the air, so add foods known to be aphrodisiacs on the menu an create special meals, just for couples. There are plenty of foods which can be used to create attractive meals, so your chef’s creativity is going to be put to test. Some of the popular aphrodisiacs are oysters, strawberries, asparagus, almonds, honey, chocolate and bananas, but there are more foods you can stock in preparation for Valentine’s. To make sure you get to buy the freshest products you need to buy them early and rely on a high quality commercial refrigeration system to keep it fresh.

Display romantic, themed cakes

When you see something that looks delicious you are bound to buy it to take a bite. This is even more true when it’s the love month. Use refrigerated cake displays from FFD to promote themed cakes and other sweets that complete a romantic dinner. You can advertise special offers for cakes and chocolates to attract more clients and capitalize on Valentine’s Day.

Chocolates, chocolates and more chocolates

One of the universal signs of love is chocolate, so nothing says “I love you” better than a box of chocolates. Fill your chocolate display cabinets with the finest chocolates and wait for your clients to gather in your venue. Even if chocolate is pretty common, you can’t go wrong with it, especially during February. Stock your freezer with multiple types of chocolate, from chocolate cake to chocolate bars, chocolate chips and chocolate ice cream. You can also sell chocolate-flavored drinks and here the options are unlimited, as there are plenty of craft beers, spirits and cocktails which contain the delicious ingredient.

Free wine tasting event

Pubs and restaurants can host special events and one idea is to host a free wine tasting party for couples. The atmosphere is going to get hot right away and everyone will have a good time. Another great advantage is that most people need to eat a good meal after a glass of wine, so you can continue the event with your regular business, but offer themed meals, filled with aphrodisiac ingredients and other delicacies.

Romantic music

This is last, but not least, as it creates a great mood. Romantic, but not sleep-inducing music is going to attract clients for the atmosphere and complete the picture for those who are already in the venue. If you can invite someone to play live music you will definitely have an advantage in front of your competition. The music will create a cozy, intimate feeling, which is exactly what couples are looking for when they dine out on Valentine’s Day. Dimming the lights and putting some flowers on each table is going to impress your clients, so don’t forget to decorate your venue a little for this special evening.

Valentine’s Day is known as one of the busiest nights for restaurants all around the world, as couples enjoy a dinner for two to celebrate their love. To make the most out of this evening you can start planning the special day in advance and create special promotions for couples, as well as special recipes and decorations. Stock up with aphrodisiacs and cakes, to entice all your clients to take a seat and enjoy a romantic dinner in the company of their partner.

Anna Jones
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