Program for Unique Holidays: September 2024

by David Klemt

Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your September holiday programming.

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?

To provide a handful of examples, September boasts celebrations of the cheeseburger, the double cheeseburger, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, beer, and guacamole. Those are fantastic F&B holidays sure to appeal to your guests. However, you can still celebrate some “out there” holidays to get people’s attention and draw them to your business.

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 August 2024 holidays list, click here.

September 4: Eat an Extra Dessert Day

You know what’s better than selling one dessert? Selling multiple desserts.

One approach that may perform well for you, depending on your concept and menu, is to create new, smaller versions of desserts so people won’t be too stuffed to enjoy more than one treat.

September 8: National Ampersand Day

Ah, the ampersand. This is perhaps my favorite logogram, since it means “and,” and it looks cool when stylized. Since this symbol represents “and,” this is the perfect day to feature a menu of food-and-drink pairings or shot-and-beer pairings. I recommend a tiered LTO menu, with a few options for each level: Beam & Bud Light, Woodford & Guinness, etc.

September 9: National Wiener Schnitzel Day

This dish comes to us from Vienna. It’s so good and comforting that it’s one of Austria’s national dishes. Germans, of course, love wiener schnitzel as well.

To leverage this holiday, consider making a traditional version made with veal cutlets, served with French fries, mashed potatoes, or Hasselback potatoes. If you want to build an LTO menu, though, look to other versions of this dish. For example, there’s a non-breaded wiener schnitzel variant served with a cream sauce called rahmschnitzel. One can also argue that Japanese tonkatsu (pork, not veal), Danish skinkeschnitzel (made with pork rather than veal), and American chicken-fried steak will work for this holiday.

September 14: National Eat a Hoagie Day

The humble hoagie is an institution. Depending on where you operate, these iconic sandwiches may be known as heroes, grinders, submarines, subs, po’boys, bombers, or torpedoes. However, if your guests know them as hoagies, you better come correct. Hell hath no fury like a Philadelphian presented with a hoagie with mustard on it, for example.

September 15: National Crème de Menthe Day

Crème de menthe enjoys a deep history, which you can read about here. The main takeaways are the two most-famous cocktails that feature this legend among liqueurs: the Grasshopper, and the Stinger. Both classics are great for an LTO menu celebrating the final days of summer.

September 17: National Table Shuffleboard Day

Does your bar, restaurant, or eatertainment concept feature table shuffleboard? If it does, you’re poised to leverage this holiday.

One of the most effective approaches is to organize a tournament. Of course, you can also feature other contests, like Closest to the Edge.

September 21: Escapology Day

Okay, this one is a bit specific. If your restaurant or bar is located in the same market as an escape room (or several, as is the case for a city like Las Vegas), consider partnering with them if it makes sense to do so. You and your team can recommend your guests check out a particular escape room. Conversely, the escape room can recommend your restaurant or bar for post-escape food and drinks. To solidify the partnership, both businesses can offer a discount or other benefit to each other’s guests.

Really, we want you to think about local businesses that can serve as strong partners.

September 23: National Great American Pot Pie Day

Two weeks ago we tackled comfort foods. In particular, transforming traditional comfort foods into soups. This holiday is the perfect time to make an LTO soup (or, if it performs well, a permanent menu item, or recurring LTO from fall through winter) out of one of the best-known comfort classics, the pot pie.

September 24: Innergize Day

Summer is coming to a close. Traditionally, this means vacation and relaxation time is over as people return to offices, and children return to school.

Innergize Day is about relaxing and disconnecting. It’s quite likely your concept can facilitate relaxation, escaping devices, and slowing down.

September 25: Better Breakfast Day

Is your concept open for the early morning daypart? Do you serve brunch? More importantly, is your concept committed to serving healthy food and drinks, or are you interested in updating your menu to feature healthier items?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, this could be the day for you. Use social media and other marketing channels to promote your healthy menu. Create items like healthy breakfast bowls and smoothies if it’s time for an update, and promote your new, healthier menu.

Image: Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels