So you have made it through those January blues and the first really big commercial holiday of the year is almost here! And what a money spinner it is, not to be too unromantic about the whole thing. This is your chance to offer your customers a lovingly prepared evening that they just cannot miss, so why not take a look at our top five fluffy ideas for the big night for inspiration?
Spread the Love...
Valentine’s Day is traditionally the one day in the year when partners are supposed to make a real effort in declaring their love for their other half. But it is also the day that historically, most tend to forget even though the supermarkets are already full with special chocolate offerings and fluffy bunnies!
Make sure then, that when you offer a dinner package, dance package, valentine ball, whatever it may be, that you offer all of the trimmings – at a cost of course! This may mean that there are red roses on the table, or champagne chilling in the fridge. Do your best to offer bespoke services and make sure you sell them to your customers via your marketing material and when they make a booking. “Yes, I am sure she will love the meal, sir. But have you thought about flowers and chocolates? We can supply these at your table… for an additional fee!”
Adding those little extras will make it a night to remember. Why not tie your menus up with some red ribbon. Tailor your menu to make your food more romantic. Offer Valentine cocktails and wine deals. Present a love treat chocolate or sweet hearts with the bill. Decorate your venue with balloons and table confetti. All these things will help to create that perfect romantic ambience.
Make sure when you know what you are doing that you really shout about it. You can visit our Marketing Guide for lots of help and advice here but the basic principles are simple, decide what you want to offer, and put all of that information out into your community by means of posters, flyers, word of mouth and any other marketing tools you have at your disposal. barbox.com has a great Tools Section that can help you with making your posters come to life!
Don’t forget…
We are not pointing any fingers here but it is usual for men especially to forget the cards, chocolates or flowers on this and many other important calendared days of the year. Why not help your customers along by selling a range of romantic gifts behind the bar? You could sell cards, teddies and other lovingly pink items, so that your clientele can go home with something a little more sophisticated than a soggy bunch of daffodils from the nearest petrol station.
Romantic Tunes
There is no time like Valentine’s Day for a right old dance or sing along. Why not offer your customers a ticketed dinner and dance or get the old vocal pipes warmed up with a love-song-only evening on the Karaoke? Whatever you do, there’s nothing that warms people up and brings them closer than music.
Only the Lonely
Why not also cash in on the singles too and run a Valentine Delivery Service for the night. Those interested in an attending patron should submit their interest at the bar, purchase either a valentine message (the card for this you could design yourself), a classic valentine card from a selection, or other little delight of a treat such as a rose or chocolate with their proclamation of love.
Or if your pub is made up mainly of singles rather than couples why not cash in on the ever-growing singles market the whole hog and hold your very own singles night. If you want to develop the night you could add a disco or food options although to start with it is wise to see how much response you have.
So get your thinking caps on and really try and maximise the event, as you can see by our ideas there really is a lot you can do whatever type of venue you are!