Stand Out with Weird Holidays: May 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 May 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.
May 3: National Two Different-colored Shoes Day
Promotions don’t need to be complicated to generate traffic, revenue, and social media engagement. Encourage guests and staff to wear mismatched shoes and program around that call to action.
May 6: International No Diet Day
The fact that this holiday comes at the start of the weekend is awesome. It’s Friday, this holiday is all about indulging food and drink cravings, and people want to get back out there after being unable to gather for more than two years. Put your most decadent F&B items front and center!
May 8: National Have a Coke Day
Are you a Coca-Cola account? If so, great—create specialty menu items using Coke and promote them.
Not a Coke account? Well…you can always take a play out of some of the cheeky QSR brands’ playbooks and counter-program on this holiday.
May 13: National Crouton Day
Ah, the mighty-but-mini crunchy treat that is the crouton. Not only are they great in soups and salads, they can be an appetizer or shareable on their own. Better yet, they’re easy to make in-house, such as the revered grilled cheese crouton.
May 16: National Sea-Monkey Day
As we pointed out last week, Datassential has identified drinks that evoke nostalgia are a trend to watch this year. The infamous Sea-Monkeys have been around since the 1960s and also resonate with ’70s, ’80s, and even ’90s kids.
May 17: National Graduation Tassel Day
Most colleges hold their graduations in May. So, if you operate a restaurant or bar in a college town, this is your time to shine. A simple food and/or drink promotion aimed at new graduates is an excellent way to drive traffic and generate much-needed dollars.
May 22: National Craft Distillery Day
You most likely have at least a few products from craft distilleries on your menu. This is the day to highlight them, particularly if they’re local to your business.
May 24: National Scavenger Hunt Day
There are a few ways to program for this holiday. One way, of course, is to focus on your own operation(s) and come up with a scavenger hunt that keeps guests on property.
However, you can also team up with surrounding businesses to create a multi-venue scavenger hunt that engages the entire community and drives business to small operators.
May 25: National Sing Out Day
Do you host karaoke? Are you operating a piano bar? What about a raucous supper club? If your restaurant or bar is set up for singalongs, this is the holiday for you.
May 30: National Creativity Day
Hey, guess what you should do on this holiday? Tap into you and your team members’ creativity and come up with a promotion that’s truly unique.
Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash