Holidays | KRG Hospitality

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November 1, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: November

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: November

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 November is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream—Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving, anyone?—to food-centric 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 October’s list, click here.

November 1: World Vegan Day

Obviously, this holiday isn’t weird for vegans or vegetarians. There are, however, those who still find this particular diet odd. Well, this is the perfect holiday to learn more about vegan cooking and eating. Pass on that knowledge by adding delicious vegan dishes to your menu.

November 4: National Candy Day

Do you have a surplus of candy now that Halloween is over? Trying to fight the temptation to eat it all yourself? Various candies perform well as garnishes for cocktails. There’s also another way to approach this holiday, like featuring starters such as candied bacon.

November 6: National Nacho Day

So, this holiday is more fun than weird, really. However, you can probably see the potential to deviate from the standard nacho builds. Instead, ask your kitchen staff to get creative and come up with intriguing takes on nachos that will grab the attention of your guests.

November 9: National Scrapple Day

One of the best ways to cut back on food waste in restaurants, bars, and hotels is to utilize as much of a given ingredient as possible. Scrapple, of which our Philadelphia audience will no doubt be very well aware, consists of pork scraps. Guests outside of Pennsylvania may have never tried scrapple before, so this holiday is the perfect time to tempt them with a new taste sensation.

November 12: National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

It’s not this pizza that’s weird, of course. It’s the very specific pizza this holiday is celebrating. I’m guessing that you know exactly what to do to celebrate this holiday with your guests.

November 14: Pickle Day

The (in)famous Pickleback. Bloody Mary made with pickle juice. A Dill Pickle Martini. Pickle appetizers and starters. If you’ve got pickles and some degree of creativity, it’s pretty clear what needs to be done on November 14.

National 15: National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day

This is another very specific holiday. This cookie, the Spicy Hermit, features flavors that couldn’t be any more perfect for fall: cinnamon, clove, allspice, and nutmeg. You can Google a recipe, of course, but we found this one and it seems delicious.

November 17: National Take a Hike Day

We’re big fans of encouraging guests and staff to get outside. There are thousands of trails throughout the United States and Canada, ranging from the easy-peasy to the truly treacherous, so the sky’s the limit. Encourage guests to take a hike and grab a bite and drink at your establishment to rest and recover. Have them tag your spot and their meal, of course.

November 28: Red Planet Day

It seems like billionaires and millionaires can’t get enough of Mars. Over the past few years, space travel has focused almost exclusively on the idea of reaching the Red Planet and figuring out how to live on it. So, if you’ve got dishes and drinks that are predominantly red in color, put them at the forefront on November 28.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash

October 1, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: October

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: October

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 October is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream—Halloween, anyone?—to food-centric 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 September’s list, click here.

October 3: National Boyfriend Day

I’m pretty sure you understand exactly what this holiday honors and how to encourage guests to celebrate it. Invite people into your restaurant or bar to treat their boyfriend to a bite, drink, and good time.

October 6: National Noodle Day

Do you have noodles? Like to sell them to guests? Enjoy creating LTOs and specialty noodle dishes? This is the holiday to celebrate all of your favorite things with your guests.

October 8: National Fluffernutter Day

Ah, Fluffernutter. Marshmallow fluff resonates with a lot of people, particularly ’80s and ’90s kids. National Fluffernutter Day is the perfect holiday to leverage nostalgia, creative cocktails and desserts, cooling temperatures, and candy.

October 9: National Motorcycle Ride Day

One of the best parts about cruising in a group on motorcycles is stopping to refuel at a restaurant or bar. Encourage your bike-riding guests to begin, take a break during, or end their group ride at your venue.

October 11: National Kick Butt Day

No, this isn’t a day about literally kicking any butts. Instead, this holiday is about motivating people to take the necessary steps to realize their dreams and achieve their goals. Encourage your guests to take steps to reach their goals and celebrate doing so at your business.

October 13: National Emergency Nurse’s Day

Nurses always deserve our thanks. However, I think we can all agree that the past 18 months have been particularly difficult and overwhelming for nurses. Offer the emergency room nurses (all nurses, really) an amazing food or drink promotion to thank them for all they do.

October 15: National Grouch Day

While this holiday focuses on letting people let their grouch flag fly, operators can take a different direction. Why not offer people a place and promotion to get out of their funk through great food, amazing drinks, and a fantastic time?

October 17: Wear Something Gaudy Day

I mean, this holiday is two weeks out from Halloween—people are willing to make any excuse to dress up.

October 21: Get to Know Your Customers Day

Do you really want to boost your bottom line? Get to know your customers. Really, this holiday is for you. Use this day to implement guest data-collecting practices and train your team to obtain this valuable information. Learn more about why and how to build a guest database on episode 51 of Bar Hacks with Matt Plapp.

October 25: Sourest Day

There are multiple ways to approach Sourest Day. Some say it’s about eliminating the “sour” people in our lives. Others use it to enjoy sour candies which, admittedly, is perfect for Halloween month. For operators, promoting sour beers and cocktails is likely a winning strategy.

October 29: National Breadstick Day

Unless someone is counting their carbs strictly, everyone enjoys a breadstick. In reality, not many people have the discipline to enjoy just one. If you’ve got breadsticks on your menu, you know what to do on this holiday.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash

September 3, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: September

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: September

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 September is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to food-centric to weird.

Focus on 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.

September 3: National College Colors Day

There are a few ways you can go about celebrating this holiday. If your bar or restaurant supports a particular college team, create a promotion that encourages guests to wear that team’s colors. You can also ask guests to wear their favorite college team’s colors…if there’s no risk of rivalries getting out of hand, of course.

September 4: World Beard Day

An entire day dedicated to celebrating facial hair? Sign us up! There’s a lot you can do with this holiday, even if that means going the other way and rewarding the clean shaven among us.

September 6: National Read a Book Day

It’s not exactly a secret that we love a good book, whether it’s about leadership, business, history, cocktails, food or fiction. Create a new promotion focused on inspiring people to read books or bring back last month’s Book Lover’s Day promo.

September 10: National TV Dinner Day

Delivery and takeout aren’t going anywhere. Even before the pandemic, these two lifelines helped many operators generate revenue. Several restaurants have come up with signature TV dinners and you can do the same.

September 12: National Hug Your Hound Day

People love dogs. People love other people’s dogs. If your business is dog-friendly, this is the day to encourage guests to bring their pooches to your restaurant, bar or hotel.

September 19: National Talk Like a Pirate Day

I doubt I have to tell you what to do this day. Brush up on your pirate and nautical lingo, feature themed cocktails like the Dark & Stormy, and if you have the capability, show a pirate movie or two.

September 22: Car Free Day

If it’s authentic to your brand and will resonate with your guests, create a promotion that encourages people to walk, ride their bikes, or otherwise get to your place by means other than traditional petrol-powered vehicles.

September 25: National Comic Book Day

Break out the comic book character-inspired cocktails and your favorite comic book movies on this day.

September 27: World Tourism Day

This is a great day to seek out partnerships with hotels and local tourism boards to drive out-of-town guests through your doors.

September 28: National Good Neighbor Day

We’ll always suggest that operators show their communities that they support them and are members in good standing. This is the perfect day to pay back the support you receive from the community.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash

August 2, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: August

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: August

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 July is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to food-centric to weird.

Focus on 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.

August 3: National Night Out Day

It may sound like this holiday is just an excuse for restaurant and bar crawls. However, this day is actually about bringing communities together and making them safer. This is an excellent time to strengthen your ties to the community and support local organizations.

August 5: National Underwear Day

We’re not entirely sure what to suggest you do for this holiday but there’s definitely something here. Get creative but be tasteful, is all we recommend.

August 6: National Fresh Breath Day

Certain herbs help freshen breath: Mint, basil, rosemary, cardamom, and tarragon, for example. These same herbs also make great cocktails, so tie them into a drink promotion.

August 7: National Disc Golf Day

With mask mandates being re-issued, some people will likely be looking at outdoor sports as an escape. Encourage and reward people for getting out and playing disc golf on this day.

August 8: National Dollar Day

Have a menu item or two you can offer for $1? Perhaps a “buy one, get another for one dollar”? You know what to do on National Dollar Day.

August 9: National Book Lover’s Day

There are several ways you can celebrate this holiday with your guests. For example, you can host a book drive, encourage guests to trade books, or even create a free community library space inside your business. Tap into your creative side.

August 10: Lazy Day

I mean, come on… This day was practically invented to encourage people to spend all day eating and drinking in your bar or restaurant. People can be responsible another day.

August 14: National Bowling Day

Remember National Disc Golf Day from way up higher on this page? Of course you do. Well, it shouldn’t be difficult to come up with promotions focused on bowling, like offering promotions for bowling teams who pop into your bar or restaurant.

August 21: National Honey Bee Day

If we lose our bees, we lose our agriculture. And if we lose that, we lose our food supply. Highlight the importance of honey bees with menu items that feature honey (local sources are ideal), and promote the need to protect these valuable insects.

August 27: National Just Because Day

A promotion focused on doing whatever you want just because you feel like doing it? The sky’s truly the limit with this one.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash

June 30, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: July

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: July

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 July is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to food-centric to weird.

Focus on 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.

July 1: International Joke Day

Kicking things off this month is a fun one: International Joke Day.

July 7: National Dive Bar Day

This category of bar is one of our favorites. Whether you operate a dive bar, neighborhood bar or corner bar, this is your day.

July 8: Video Games Day

This is not to be confused with National Video Game Day, which takes place September 12. This bar holiday is perfect for all the barcades and eatertainment venues out there. Or, for cool restaurants and bars that have a video game system or arcade game or two inside.

July 11: National Cheer Up the Lonely Day

Nearly the entirety of 2020 and the first half of 2021 have been challenging, to say the absolute least. It’s safe to say that we’re all quite a bit lonely. On this holiday, provide a fun and safe environment for people to get back out there, socialize, and meet new friends.

July 12: National Simplicity Day

There’s nothing wrong with complex cocktail builds. However, today is the perfect holiday to highlight the simpler two- and three-ingredient cocktails on your menu. Simple, speedy, and delicious.

July 13: National Delaware Day

Of course, this isn’t a weird holiday to people who live in Delaware. For those outside the Diamond State, this is the time to showcase Delaware brands like Dog Fish Head.

July 15: National Give Something Away Day

We’re not huge fans of outright giveaways unless said giveaway items come from a partner or sponsor. However, operators can certainly come up with a creative food or beverage giveaway that requires a purchase.

July 17: National Tattoo Day

Operators can prepare for this holiday by partnering with a local tattoo shop and creating a traffic-driving promo with them.

July 20: National Pennsylvania Day

Again, this isn’t weird to Pennsylvanians. Operators outside the Keystone State should feature brands like Philadelphia Distilling and Victory Brewing Co.

July 22: National Refreshment Day

If it’s cold and refreshing, shout it from your rooftop. It’s July, it’s hot out, and people need to know you’ve got ice cold beer, cocktails, and soft drinks.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash

June 2, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: June

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: June

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 June is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to food-centric to weird.

Focus on 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.

June 3: National Egg Day

How are your sour cocktails? Celebrate the egg on this day by featuring your egg white-powered drinks.

June 7: National VCR Day

Leverage nostalgia by showcasing an outdated way to enjoy movies and TV shows. If you really want to immerse yourself and your guests in this holiday, find a VCR and some movies on VHS, come up with some themed cocktails, and lure in nostalgia-thirsty guests. (Make sure you have the proper licenses in place to play music, movies, TV shows, etc.)

June 8: National Name Your Poison Day

Talk about a perfect holiday for a bar! This is an excellent day to design a call promotion around or to highlight your bar team’s ability to create delicious cocktails on the fly based on guests’ spirits preferences.

June 13: International Axe Throwing Day

Are you one of the operators who has introduced axe throwing to your restaurant, bar or eatertainment venue? Then do we have the holiday for you and your guests…

June 16: Bloomsday

This holiday honors revered Irish writer James Joyce. The story goes that Joyce’s favorite dram was Jameson, so get those bottles and specials ready.

June 18: National Splurge Day

Have some high-dollar spirits, beers, wines and dishes? Promote them loudly on this day and encourage your guests to truly treat themselves.

June 24: National Bomb Pop Day

There’s more than one way to celebrate this fun, refreshing and nostalgic holiday. For instance, there are various versions of the Bomb Pop cocktail. Another example is offering housemade boozy Bomb Pops. And then you can always simply garnish drinks with Bomb Pops.

June 25: National Take Your Dog to Work Day

If you have a dog-friendly restaurant, bar or lounge, encourage people who have brought their dogs to work to pop in for a well-deserved bite and drink.

June 30: Social Media Day

Feel like your social media savvy could use some work? Want your guests to plaster your business all over social? Use this holiday to improve your social media skills, add followers, and increase engagement with the help of the people who support your business.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash

May 5, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: May

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: May

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 food-centric to weird.

Focus on 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 5: National Totally Chipotle Day

It’s not just Cinco de Mayo today, it’s National Totally Chipotle Day! Two guesses as to what pepper this holiday celebrates…

May 6: World Password Day

This holiday exists to encourage people to consider their privacy and make sure their passwords are secure. Of course, operators can make this holiday more fun than mundane. One simple way is to come up with and share a password guests can use for food or drink specials. Speakeasy operators, today’s your day!

May 9: National Sleepover Day

What pairs well with sleepovers? Food, drinks, pajamas and movies. And what pairs well with warming weather and the comfort levels of today’s guests? Patios and other outdoor areas. Show a movie outside, encourage pajamas, create fun and comforting F&B offerings… This is a fun one.

May 20: National Pick Strawberries Day

The perfect day to feature cocktails that call for strawberry garnishes. And if there was ever a holiday practically built for featuring Snoop Dogg‘s new strawberry-flavored Indoggo Gin, this is it.

May 21: National Bike to Work Day

As the story goes, the radler was invented in the 1920s by a Bavarian tavern owner. A group of cyclists stopped by looking to quench their thirsts with beer. The tavern owner didn’t have enough, so he added sparkling lemonade to his kegs. Eurkea, the radler was born.

This is the perfect day to pay homage to the radler and reward people for biking to work.

May 22: National Craft Distillery Day

One of the best days to program promotions around local and hyper-local spirits.

May 25: National Brown-Bag It Day

Looking for a simple and fun way to celebrate this weird holiday? Offer a special featuring tall boys served in brown paper bags along with hangover-curing comfort foods.

May 30: National Creativity Day

I mean…what a blank canvas! This is the day to execute your most creative promotions. Ask your team members for their most creative ideas to boost staff engagement.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash

April 13, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: April

Stand Out with Weird Holidays: April

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. They range from mainstream to food focused to weird.

Focus on the latter to raise eyebrows, carve out a niche for your restaurant or bar, and attract more guests.

Of course, you shouldn’t try to celebrate every holiday, weird or otherwise. Focus on the days that are authentic to your brand; resonate with your guests; and help you grab attention on social media.

April 14: National Reach as High as You Can Day

This is a holiday that will likely work best on social media. Just like there’s always a holiday and people like to say “there’s always a tweet,” there’s always a hashtag.

Use this day (and its accompanying hashtag) to highlight staff who want to participate, along with your venue.

Of course, if you want to involve your guests in person, go for it. Put your head together with your staff and get creative.

April 15: National Take a Wild Guess Day

You can take promotions centered around this day in several directions. The simplest way is to use the holiday to engage with followers on your social channels.

Consider borrowing from the “wrong answers only” posts on Instagram. Post a blurred, pixelated or “censored” item, like a bottle. In the caption, ask followers to “guess” what it is—wild guesses only.

This holiday also works well with blind tasting events.

April 16: Wear Pajamas to Work Day

I’d say this holiday is fairly self-explanatory. Let your front-of-house staff participate by wearing pajamas, with full team buy-in. Or, encourage your guests to wear their pajamas to your restaurant or bar.

If this holiday fell on a Saturday or Sunday, this would be a great day for a brunch promo. Of course, there’s nothing to say you can’t execute a Friday brunch.

April 16: National Bean Counter Day

In the United States, this holiday is taking place a month before the Tax Day deadline. If you’re so inclined, you could offer a deal to all the tax preparers and accountants in your area.

Although, you can also go a completely different direction. You can fill a large jar with beans—coffee would be great—and have guests guess how many there are. You can even post the jar full of beans to social, encouraging follower engagement. Closest guess wins a prize.

April 22: National Jelly Bean Day

Oh, hey… Remember that bean-counting holiday from way up there? I wonder if that bean-guessing idea would work for this holiday…

April 23: National Talk Like Shakespeare Day

If you think you or your social media manager can handle it, encourage your followers to describe your restaurant or bar as though they’re the Bard himself.

Or, as a Shakespearean translator would explain it, “Encourageth thy followeth’rs to describeth thy restaurant ‘r bar as though those gents’re the Bard himself.”

April 25: National DNA Day

Yesterday, I shared how our DNA plays a significant role in how we perceive bitter flavors. National DNA Day would be a great time to plan and execute a PTC strip and cocktail event.

April 27: National Tell a Story Day

How well do your loyal guests know you and your brand? How well do they know your staff?

National Tell a Story Day is an excellent time to leverage the story features on your social channels. Show off the venue and tell your brand’s story. If you have team members who want to participate and tell share a story, that’s a great way to engage with followers and guests.

April 28: National Superhero Day

If there was a ever a day to encourage your staff and/or guests to dress up for a fun time… National Superhero Day also leverages Shudder’s “Halfway to Halloween” event.

To take this holiday in another direction, you can also celebrate members of your community who give back to others by giving back to them.

“Weird” holidays aren’t just a dynamic way to engage with guests. Asking your team for ideas for holiday promotions is an excellent way to keep them engaged, which is a smart way to retain staff.

Image: Dan Parlante on Unsplash