A holiday that encourages partying and eating tons is a perfect excuse to get people into your bar or restaurant. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last day before Lent begins, so people are encouraged to load up on food. It’s a day dedicated to food and fun—so how can you capitalize on Mardi Gras and get customers into your bar or restaurant? Here are a few ideas and tips.
1. Make sure you decorate in the distinctive colors of Mardi Gras—green, purple, and yellow. Think tablecloths, centerpieces, wall decorations, napkins, balloons, and plates.
2. Encourage your customers to get into the spirit of the holiday by inviting a little competition. Whoever shows up in the best Mardi Gras gear wins a discount or other prize.
3. If you normally offer trivia, try creating some trivia questions to relate to the holiday’s history.
4. Offer “fat” discounts for Fat Tuesday, such as drink specials or other great deals.
5. Get your servers or hosts in on the action by having them wear Mardi Gras masks.
6. Create a special Mardi Gras menu for the day by featuring traditional dishes like jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, gumbo, or shrimp and grits. This is a great day to promote some of your unhealthiest, heaviest dishes, since people are encouraged to go all out!
7. When most people think about Mardi Gras, they think of one iconic decoration: beads. Make sure you have plenty of brightly colored beaded necklaces throughout your restaurant to get everyone in the Mardi Gras mindset.
8. Switch out your typical music for something more festive that creates a party atmosphere. You might even consider bringing in a live band to really step up your party.
9. King cakes are a traditional Mardi Gras dessert. There’s a plastic baby hidden in each cake, and whoever finds the baby is Queen or King for the day. Give the customer who finds the baby a free meal or a discount.
10. And what about your customers who aren’t so into eating tons of unhealthy food? Take a cue from Long John Silvers a few years ago and offer a “Skinny Tuesday” menu for customers who are trying to cut calories.
Mardi Gras is a great excuse for customers to have fun and eat a ton. By trying out a few of these ideas, you can create a Mardi Gras party that your customers will love, and one that they’ll look forward to next year.
Article provided by Buzztime.
For daily tips, ideas, and concepts for your bar or restaurant, please visit
http://www.BuzztimeBusiness.com/smarts
Trusted by over 3,200 bars and restaurants in North America since 1985, Buzztime integrates trivia, card and sports games with in- and out-of-venue messaging and communication tools. With over 4.2 million player registrations on the Buzztime platform and over 52 million games played each year, Buzztime players spread the word and invite friends and family to their favorite Buzztime location to enjoy an evening of fun and competition.
