Program for Unique Holidays: July 2023
by David Klemt
Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your July holiday promotions.
Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.
Pay attention to the “weird” or unique holidays to raise eyebrows, carve out a niche for your restaurant or bar, and attract more guests. Why do what everyone else is already doing? Why program only around the same holidays as everyone else?
Of course, you shouldn’t try to celebrate every holiday, strange or otherwise. Focus on the days that are authentic to your brand; resonate with your guests; and help you grab attention on social media.
You’ll find suggestions for promotions below. However, the idea behind our monthly holiday promotions roundup is to inspire you and your team to get creative and come up with unique programming ideas.
For our June 2023 holidays list, click here.
July 5: Workaholics Day
Great bars and restaurants offer escapes from the drudgery and negativity of the rest of the world. On this day, encourage those who can step away from work to actually do so.
Barring getting workaholics to play hooky, come up with an LTO menu that’ll inspire them to at least pop by to unwind after a hard day’s work.
July 6: World Kissing Day
There are quite a few cocktails with “kiss” in the title, and these are the drinks you should use to program for this holiday.
The Kiss cocktail, for example, is a gin cocktail with Dubonnet, sweet vermouth, and Luxardo maraschino liqueur. The Widow’s Kiss consists of apple brandy, Yellow Chartreuse, Bénédictine, and Angostura bitters. In other words, it’s not difficult to celebrate this holiday through your drink menu.
July 7: Dive Bar Day
It’s difficult to beat a dive or neighborhood bar when you’re looking for a great time with friends. If you’re a dive or neighborhood bar operator, this is your day.
July 11: National Cheer Up the Lonely Day
Look, the past few years have isolated far too many of us. People are lonely, and this isolation isn’t doing anyone’s mental health any favors.
Bars and restaurants are cornerstones of their communities, so this is an excellent day to encourage people to come in, grab a bite and a drink, and try to make some new friends.
July 13: National French Fry Day
When a French fry is done right, when it’s hot with a crunchy exterior and creamy interior, it’s a perfect food. If you think your team makes amazing French fries, brag about it on social and prove it to your guests.
Better yet, this is a great day to show off your French fry skills with signature loaded versions.
July 14: National Nude Day
Unless you’re running an incredibly niche concept with excellent community and guest support, please don’t celebrate National Nude Day with nudity.
Instead, draw guests in through an enticing LTO menu. You can, for example, highlight your bar team’s prowess for creating the Naked & Famous cocktail, a mezcal cocktail made with Aperol and Yellow Chartreuse. Of course, there’s also the Porn Star Martini, along with other cocktails with names that imply nudity.
July 20: National Moon Day
It may seem like this holiday is related to the previous one, but please behave. You and your guests can celebrate Earth’s sole natural satellite via cocktails.
Not only are there drinks like the Moon cocktail (made with gin and sherry), you can also offer blue, purple, and black cocktails served with large ice cubes.
July 25: Culinarians Day
Are you proud of your kitchen team? Proud of the culinarians that are working hard to make your restaurant a success? This is the day to highlight the mastery of their craft and your signature menu items.
Alternatively, if you can afford to do so, you can also go dark on this day to give your culinary team a break.
July 28: National Get Gnarly Day
If you have some “out there” menu items, this is the day to highlight them. Do you have a food challenge? Promote it! Have some “interesting” bottles in your inventory? Promote them!
Image: Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels
