As families and friends come together on Memorial Day, they often seek out dining experiences that combine great food and atmosphere. Crafting a well-thought-out restaurant marketing strategy for Memorial Day can help your restaurant stand out and draw in both regular and new customers.

Join us as we explore 7 effective Memorial Day marketing ideas designed to make the most of this holiday, with special promotions, themed menus, community events, and more. 

Offer attractive deals and discounts

Make veterans, active military personnel, and their families feel special with exclusive discounts and deals on Memorial Day. You can offer them a percentage (e.g., 10-20%) or a specific dollar amount off their total bill. For instance, Denny’s offered $5 off all orders above $20 plus free delivery for Memorial Day.

If your budget allows, you can even give out a free appetizer or dessert, just like Wendy’s locations in Miami offered a small Frosty per customer on Memorial Day in 2016.

Specify what form of identification is required to claim the discount. Acceptable IDs can include military ID cards, veteran ID cards, or other forms of proof of service. Train your staff to verify eligibility respectfully and discreetly to ensure a positive experience for veterans and military personnel.

Promote your deals with your social media posts and ads, email newsletter, and in-house promotional material such as digital signage and table tents. The goal is to reach out to existing and prospective customers. 

Create a dedicated Memorial Day menu

Get creative this Memorial Day and curate a special menu for the holiday. A menu with BBQ dishes, family deals, and patriotic-themed foods will be perfect for embracing the spirit of the holiday.

With PosterMyWall, you can design a menu for Memorial Day in minutes without any prior design experience or skills. Just browse through the professionally-designed menu templates, select one that matches your restaurant’s personality, and customize it to reflect your Memorial Day offerings. 

Use a red, white, and blue color scheme and patriotic symbols like stars and stripes to give a patriotic feel to your design.

Introduce special takeout options

Traditionally, families and friends gather on Memorial Day for cookouts and barbeque nights at home. To cater to customers who prefer to celebrate at home, you should introduce takeout and ready-to-cook options for Memorial Day weekend. 

For barbeque enthusiasts, you can introduce ready-to-grill kits with marinated meats, vegetables, and detailed grilling instructions. This way they can satisfy their penchant for cooking and enjoy the rich flavors of your restaurant’s barbeque at home.

Consider incorporating patriotic-themed complementary items to the takeout orders, such as red, white, and blue salads, or star-shaped cookies.

Facilitate customers in placing in receiving their orders by offering convenient delivery and pick-up options, including:

• Curbside pickup. Set up a designated area for curbside pickup with clear signage and train staff to quickly identify and deliver orders to waiting cars.
• Reliable third-party delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Grubhub
• In-house delivery service for better maintenance of quality.

Make sure to offer large portions that can feed families or groups: for example, BBQ platters, taco kits, or burger packs.

Treat your loyal customers

Show your appreciation for your restaurant’s biggest fans by giving exclusive perks to your loyalty program members this Memorial Day. Treat them with discounts on the Memorial Day menu, free delivery, or bonus points for orders placed during the holiday weekend.

We recommend sending emails with personalized offers (based on past orders and preferences) to your loyalty or reward program members. For instance, if a member frequently orders tacos, offer them a special taco deal. This is a highly effective way to boost sales and reward loyal customers.

Promote your Memorial Day offerings

Spread the word about your restaurant’s preparations and offerings for the holiday with a strong Memorial Day marketing campaign. We recommend utilizing a mix of digital marketing techniques to maximize your restaurant’s reach.

Here are some ways to effectively conduct digital marketing for restaurants on Memorial Day:

• Create a prominent banner or section on your website’s homepage showcasing your Memorial Day specials and takeout options.
• Post teasers on your social media leading up to Memorial Day and announce your special offerings with engaging visuals and captions. You can easily create eye-catching teaser content for your socials by customizing PosterMyWall’s restaurant social media post templates.
• Use Instagram and Facebook Live Stories to showcase behind-the-scenes preparations, special dishes, and staff messages.
• Add relevant hashtags, such as #MemorialDayDiscount, #MemorialDaySpecials, and #MemorialDayTakeout, to your social media content so that people looking for Memorial Day deals and discounts can find out about your restaurant’s offerings.
• Run a special email campaign for Memorial Day weekend. You don’t have to design emails from scratch; simply customize PosterMyWall’s restaurant email templates, add your mailing lists to your PosterMyWall account, and send out your emails. 

Change up the decor and music

As you might already know, your mouth-watering food is only one part of the restaurant experience; the ambiance matters just as much. So, to get your restaurant in the spirit of Memorial Day, you must all create a patriotic and welcoming environment at your restaurant with your decor and music. 

Here are some ways you can change up your restaurant’s decor and music this Memorial Day:

• Display American flags and Memorial Day banners at the entrance and around the exterior.
• Give your customers flags or flag pins at the entrance. 
• Decorate tables with flowers, tablecloths, and centerpieces in red, white, and blue. You can also add themed decorations like miniature Uncle Sam hats. 
• Create a tribute wall where customers can post pictures or notes honoring veterans and active military members.
• Play a mix of patriotic songs and classic American tunes to enhance the festive atmosphere.
• Hire a local band to play patriotic music.

Donate to local charity or non-profit

Service and giving back to society make up the essence of Memorial Day. You can make a meaningful impact this holiday weekend by collaborating with a local non-profit, like a veterans’ organization, food bank, or a charity supporting military families. 

Consider donating a portion of your restaurant’s Memorial Day and weekend sales to them. Alternatively, you can organize a fundraiser event at your restaurant or a nearby park and donate the proceeds to the non-profits.

These generous efforts will also help build your customer’s trust and loyalty toward your restaurant.

Marketing your restaurant this Memorial Day

While many people choose to celebrate Memorial Day with home cookouts and barbeque, it still presents a great opportunity for restaurants to connect with their community and boost sales through well-planned marketing strategies. 

By implementing the Memorial Day marketing ideas discussed in this blog, including digital marketing strategies, special menus, promotions, and local partnerships, you can reach out to people interested in dining out or ordering in this Memorial Day. In other words, you’ll be catering to your customers in every way possible.

Let’s make this Memorial Day memorable for your customers!