Restaurant Marketing Ideas for December

December Marketing Ideas for Restaurants

The holidays are well and truly here, but this time around they’re looking a little different with COVID-19. Family and friend gatherings may be smaller with social distancing, but regardless there is always something to be grateful for and celebrate. 

As an early Christmas present, here is a list of December marketing ideas for restaurants to help see you through to the end of the calendar year.

The best time to properly prepare for the holidays was in August or September. That’s the best window to create catering packages, gift card programs, and other holiday promotions. But if you are behind in your marketing, don’t sweat it. We have some last-minute December marketing ideas that you can implement today.

The Christmas season is a time for sweets, and this month’s list is desert-intensive, with brownies, pies, and lemon cupcakes all covered. There are some more general days as well with National Comfort Food and National Get on the Scale days.

What can you do to take advantage of any of the below December marketing ideas for your restaurant?

What Foods are Celebrated in December?

December marketing ideas - eggnog

There are four types of foods that are celebrated throughout the month of December. December is:

  • National Eggnog Month
  • National Fruit Cake Month
  • National Pear Month
  • Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruit Month

It might be hard for you to celebrate national pear month, but with Christmas only a month away you shouldn’t have any problems serving up Eggnog to your customers.

Food Days in December:

December 1

  • National Pie Day
  • National Eat a Red Apple Day

December 2

  • National Fritters Day

December 3

  • National Peppermint Latte Day

December 4

  • National Cookie Day

December 5

  • National Sacher Torte Day
  • National Comfort Food Day

December 6

  • National Gazpacho Day
  • National Microwave Oven Day
  • National Cook for Christmas Day

December 7

  • National Cotton Candy Day
  • Candy Floss Day (Great Britain)

December 8

  • National Brownie Day
  • National Rhubarb Vodka Day

December 9

  • National Pastry Day

December 10

  • National Lager Day

December 11

  • National “Have a Bagel” Day

December 12

  • Gingerbread House Day
  • National Ambrosia Day
  • National Ambrosia Day

December 13

  • National Cocoa Day
  • National Popcorn String Day

December 14

  • National Biscuits and Gravy Day
  • National Bouillabaisse Day

December 15

  • National Gingerbread Latte Day
  • National Cupcake/Lemon Cupcake Day

December 16

  • National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

December 17

  • National Maple Syrup Day

December 18

  • National “I Love Honey” Day
  • National Roast Suckling Pig Day

December 19

  • National Hard Candy Day
  • National Oatmeal Muffin Day

December 20

  • National Sangria Day

December 21

  • National French Fried Shrimp Day
  • Humbug Day

December 22

  • National Date Nut Bread Day

December 23

  • National Bake Day
  • National Pfeffernuesse Day

December 24

  • National Eggnog Day

December 25

  • National Pumpkin Pie Day

December 26

  • National Candy Cane Day

December 27

  • National Fruitcake Day

December 28

  • National Chocolate Candy Day

December 29

  • National “Get on the Scales” Day
  • National Pepper Pot Day

December 30

  • National Bacon Day
  • National Bicarbonate of Soda Day
  • Baking Soda Day

December 31

  • National Champagne Day
  • National Vinegar Day

Four Restaurant Marketing Ideas for December 2019

December Christmas Party.jpg

If you are looking for some specific December marketing ideas, try out these three below.

Instagram Gift Cards

Restaurants are the nation’s favorite place to purchase gift cards and a great way to get guaranteed spending and increase cashflow ahead of a traditionally quiet January. But just because you haven’t printed gift cards doesn’t mean that you can’t sell them as thoughtful gifts. Instagram provides restaurant owners with a fast and easy way to sell digital gift cards. Three steps are all it takes to get selling gift cards on Instagram and we cover those steps in detail in our dedicated article which you can access here.

Work Christmas Parties

Do you advertise the fact that you take work Christmas party bookings? If you don’t it’s not too late! There will be plenty of offices still looking for a great place to host their Christmas and they’ll be willing to pay a lot for it — especially if you offer the option to hire out your entire restaurant. You don’t even have to serve a traditional menu, either. Plenty of people will be sick of turkey by the time the office Christmas meal comes around and dying to try a Mexican, Italian or Asian take on a festive meal. With large parties, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Eggnog Specials

There isn’t a restaurant in America that couldn’t introduce an Eggnog special into their menu for the month of December. For some, it will be a case of serving straight-up Eggnog. Others may be able to put a culinary twist on the drink or perhaps serve it in a cocktail. Everyone feels obliged to drink a glass at this time of the year, and what better time than when you’re having a meal with loved ones? It’s a great opportunity for restaurants to cash in on this divisive drink.

Dress up

One way to attract new customers to your restaurant is to display a fun attitude. It’s that time of the year when you can take out your ugly sweaters or your reindeer antlers! You can redecorate your restaurant to give that festive spirit. Moreover, the holiday cheer can be seen not only in your restaurant, but also in the digital space. Add a new banner on your landing page and incorporate Christmas colors and patterns. Announce it to the world with proper holiday hashtags.

Get a Jumpstart on the New Year

There’s no better time like the present. If you’re planning on making a New Year’s Resolution to improve your restaurant marketing, why not start today? Sign up to our restaurant marketing platform NGAZE — the leading marketing platform in the industry. Get in touch today to find out more.

General FAQs

⛄ What are some 12 days of Christmas restaurant ideas?

“On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me…” For 12 days of Christmas, your restaurant can surprise your customers and bury your competition if you take advantage of the holiday cheer. Here are some restaurant marketing ideas you can implement during the 12 days of Christmas: offer a discount for your signature dish; consider a three- course special; gift cards; host Christmas events; redecorate your restaurant; redesign your website; multichannel promotion; loyalty exclusively incentives; charity events; order one item of the menu, get one free; happy hours.
In the 12 days of Christmas, there are plenty restaurant ideas you can experiment.

⛄ What are some examples of Christmas offers in Restaurants?

To no surprise, during the winter holidays, restaurants see an increase in traffic. Make sure you promote your holiday offers as early as possible. Higher traffic requires more staff and your restaurant should be prepared. Examples of Christmas offers can include sending your customers a Christmas card or setting up an email campaign where you can include an incentive for them to visit your restaurant.
Boost your sales thanks to a cheerful and effective Christmas email marketing campaign.

⛄ What are some examples of unique restaurants promotion ideas?

In December, your restaurant should take advantage of the Holiday promotions. You can turn each day into a special event for your customers and spread the news on your social media channels. One unique restaurant promotion idea would be to give more to your local community and involve your customers. You can organize a local event and giveaway the earnings to those who are in need.
Optimize your local SEO to promote your unique ideas

⛄ What are the best Christmas marketing ideas for restaurants?

One of the best Christmas marketing idea is to make use of your social media leverage and build brand awareness. Promote your events and special items on your menu on your Facebook or Instagram. Using the right hashtags, your promotions might gain the right traction. Another idea would be to organize a contents via social media and offer the winner a free appetizer or maybe a digital code for their next visit.
Spread Cheer on Social Media

⛄ What are some tips for holiday marketing for restaurants?

There are various tips and tricks that your restaurant can use to boost sales in December. No matter what your restaurant chooses to offer, one of the major tip of holiday marketing for restaurants is multichannel reach. Craft an offer that would be of interest to your desired customers and then make sure you promote it on your channels such as social media, push notifications and local SEO.
For more tips for restaurant holiday marketing, check out other ideas to boos your sales.