St. Patrick’s Day Restaurant Marketing: Make More Green with Promotions
If you own or manage a restaurant, St. Patrick’s Day presents a golden opportunity to boost revenue through targeted marketing initiatives. This holiday has become an increasingly popular celebration, with spending steadily rising year over year. In 2024, U.S. consumers planned to spend a record $7.2 billion on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, averaging $44.40 per person. This marked a 4.34% increase from the previous year and a 22% rise compared to 2022. This year the upward trend in participation and spending suggests that consumer expenditure on St. Patrick’s Day is likely to continue growing.
To maximize your restaurant’s success on this festive day, use customer data to segment and target your marketing efforts. While the holiday has deep Irish roots, its appeal extends far beyond Irish-Americans—many of your guests will be looking for a fun place to celebrate. Consider marketing to your regulars who enjoy themed events, as well as those who appreciate craft cocktails or unique dining experiences.
Leverage your website, social media, and email campaigns to promote holiday specials, such as festive Irish-inspired menus, signature cocktails, live entertainment, or exclusive discounts. A well-planned St. Paddy’s Day campaign can help your venue stand out and attract more customers. To inspire your strategy, we’ll share examples from Tripleseat customers who have successfully created fun and engaging promotions for the holiday.
Is Saint Patrick’s Day a Busy Day for Restaurants?
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the busiest days and the highest-grossing day of the year for U.S. bars and restaurants. Patrons start celebrating early in the day and continue into the late night, and restaurants are packed with people looking to enjoy Irish-themed food and drinks. Many restaurants offer special menus and promotions for the holiday, which only adds to the excitement and demand. It’s not uncommon for restaurants to have long wait times and for staff to be working non-stop to keep up with the rush. This surge in revenue is fueled by a combination of factors:
- Increased traffic: One-third of U.S. consumers visit a bar or restaurant on St. Patrick’s Day, making it a major dining-out holiday.
- Higher spending: The average person spends around $44 on St. Patrick’s Day, with a significant portion going towards food and beverages at restaurants.
- Alcohol sales: Beer sales can surge by 174%, and spirits sales by 153% compared to a typical day, driving significant revenue growth for establishments.
- Special menus and promotions: Many restaurants offer Irish-themed dishes and drinks, attracting more customers and encouraging higher spending.
Overall, St. Patrick’s Day provides a significant financial boost to restaurants, making it one of the most profitable days of the year.
St Patrick’s Day Restaurant Ideas and Inspiration
The Dead Rabbit
We love the St. Patrick’s campaign that The Dead Rabbit in NYC put on for St. Patty’s Day! Or should we say, St. Paddy! A creative and light-hearted spin allows them to promote multiple days of comedy, music, live sports, and more. Displaying your restaurant’s unique personality in its marketing efforts significantly contributes to building a devoted customer base.
City Works
With locations in Florida, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, City Works promotes St. Patrick’s Day with fun menu items available for a limited period featuring a breakfast buffet called “Kegs n’ Eggs.” We love their Instagram post that promotes the shenanigns of the day:
The Dawson
Next is The Dawson, located in the heart of Chicago, which certainly celebrates Irish fare, specialty cocktails, whiskey tastings, and live bagpipe music! Their restaurant marketing for St. Patty’s is a wonderful example of thinking outside the box of green beer and corn beef and cabbage alone. We think their addition to making a portion of the proceeds to benefit a non-profit organization is a proven way to encourage patrons and their loyalty.
Make More Green with Tripleseat
Now that you know how to attract customers for St. Patrick’s Day, use the best event management software to manage your events during the season and beyond. Schedule a demo at a time and date that works for you to learn more about how Tripleseat can help you build and streamline your events and private dining business.
