Practice has started, school is back, and football season is upon us. Get your restaurant ready for the influx of fans by giving them fun, seasonal options, while maximizing your value.
Scoring Points and Profits
If local colleges or pro football teams are having a game, to-go orders may be the most popular options, so fans don’t miss the opening kickoff. Select items for your takeout menu that travel well and are easy to prepare, so you can quickly get orders out the door and on the field.
Entice® White Cheddar Cheese Curds are big-play products to boost your to-go menu (or even make them available in house, too!). These delicious, frozen cheese curds are two-thirds cheese and one-third breading in two delicious flavors — Original White Cheddar and Seasoned White Cheddar with a blend of Cajun spices.
A great way to bolster sales in person is by offering a happy hour special during the game only. Include customizable snack items such as Entice Stuffed Bites™, packed with craveable flavors like cinnamon and sugar, apple pie, jalapeno sausage, and burrito-style fillings. You could also offer discounts to fans post-game if they are wearing their favorite jersey to encourage more orders.
Overtime doesn’t happen often, so go big! Keep fans glued to the tv (and menus) by offering a special deal if the game goes into overtime. Run it back by extending your happy hour until the official end of the game, serve special “overtime” themed shots, cocktails, and snack items that are only available during that window of time, or engage the crowd with fan challenges featuring quick games or trivia to earn prizes or discounts.
Bundles That Won’t Fumble
Bundles can be a great way to attract a crowd and maximize your budget. Have fun during the season and highlight limited time combo offers. Some ideas to get you started could be Kickoff Combo, Field Goal Feast, Touchdown Tacos, or Halftime Platter, just to name a few! You could even get creative with the name of your town, college, or local team in the bundle title.
For a fan-favorite shareable, Roma® Ready-to-Cook Peppered Breaded Chicken Breast Tenders — Touchdown Tenders anyone? — are premium, hand-trimmed, whole-muscle chicken tenders. Pair these with some of your favorite side options for the ultimate combo package.
Cater the Tailgate
If you want to go even bigger than a bundle, try offering the whole tailgate. If you already provide catering, try changing up the menu to incorporate common football game tailgate favorites like branded hot dogs, wings, sliders, or dips. If you don’t already offer catering, look into creating a limited-time, football season-only catering package. This option can get the word out about your restaurant, score big with your biggest fans, and support your local team all at once.
For both catering and bundles, consider offering easy POS methods with a special section for these selections. You could even provide special parking spots to make picking up as quick as snapping the ball.
Fourth Down Marketing
Social media coverage, strategic emails, and signage at your brick-and-mortar location are great ways to market upcoming deals and LTOs. Promote your specials ahead of time on social media and even try offering a calendar of events or deal days in advance.
If you have your loyal fans on an email list, send out your upcoming offers and even special codes for those exclusive to your emails. Consider giving out a fun punch card that features each of the gamedays; if someone punches them all they could get a free item or discount at the end of the season! As the summer game clock winds down, get ready to incorporate some fun new plays this football season and watch the fans pour in.
