Stand Out with Weird Holidays: April 2022
by David Klemt
Want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Then commit to keeping it weird.
Several “holidays” are set against every date on the calendar, and April is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to “weird.”
Pay attention to the latter to raise eyebrows, carve out a niche for your restaurant or bar, and attract more guests. Why do what everyone else is already doing?
Of course, you shouldn’t try to celebrate every holiday, weird or otherwise. And this month’s list in no way includes every odd holiday.
Focus on the days that are authentic to your brand; resonate with your guests; and help you grab attention on social media.
For last month’s list, click here.
April 1: National One Cent Day
Please, please, please tell me you’re not going to indulge in an April Fool’s Day “prank” today. Instead, consider—if your jurisdiction will allow it—getting rid of dead stock for a penny with a purchase of a food and/or beverage item. You won’t get rich doing it but you also won’t be sitting on stock that’s just taking up space.
April 2: National Handmade Day
An easy riff on “handmade” is “housemade.” So, on this crafty holiday you can easily promote the housemade items on your menu. Make your own bitters? Promote it. Craft your own sauces? Let the world know.
April 6: National Tartan Day
No, it’s not “weird” to wear tartan. And no, it isn’t weird to celebrate anything and everything Scottish. However, this isn’t exactly the best-known holiday, so we’re including it on this list.
This is an easy one: Encourage your guests to wear tartan, take photos, and post it on social media (tagging your business, of course). Create a promo highlighting a Scottish whisky and/or gin and you’ve got a winner.
April 13: National Make Lunch Count Day
It’s fairly easy to celebrate and program on this holiday. The entire point of this day is to make lunch the best meal. Operators, you should know exactly what to do to execute a promo for this holiday.
April 15: National Take A Wild Guess Day
Who among us hasn’t taken a wild guess for a prize? We all know how this works: A jar or a convertible (why not, right?) is filled with jelly beans, gumballs, etc. People guess how many of said item are in said container. The person who guesses the closest wins a prize.
April 19: National Hanging Out Day
Talk about the perfect day to encourage your guests to spend a morning, afternoon, evening or night at your business with their friends. This holiday can be as simple as coming up with a few F&B promotions that will keep butts in seats for a while.
April 23: National German Beer
Hey, can you guess how you should celebrate this day? Hint: The clue is in the name.
April 24: National Pet Parents Day
If you allow dogs and other pets inside your venue or on the patio, this is the time to celebrate pet parents. Just remember when creating your promo that you need to include pet-safe F&B items.
April 27: National Tell a Story Day
As an operator, you know the importance of telling a story. Whether that story is that of your brand’s, a brand you feature, or a food or beverage item, it’s a powerful engagement technique. So, you can use this holiday to tell your brand’s story or encourage your guests to engage by telling their own stories. In fact, this is a great day to help facilitate connections between guests.
April 30: National Sense of Smell Day
Experts estimate that anywhere from 70 to 90 percent of taste is smell. Creating a promotion focusing on our sense of smell can be complicated but the payoff can be huge. So, activate your reps and see how they can help you show your guests the power of their sense of smell.
Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash