RESTAURANT MARKETING IDEAS FOR OCTOBER

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RESTAURANT MARKETING IDEAS FOR OCTOBER

With the change in seasons, the weather is getting colder and the days are getting shorter. Many of the major holidays are fast approaching, and it’s a great time to bring in new marketing ideas and to change the menu up.

But it’s not always easy to find new and exciting ways to promote your venue whilst staying true to your brand voice, visions and values. You want to entertain your guests and invite new customers, but still be known and recognised for your specialities.

We’re here to help with a month-long look at October and the events that you could take part in to promote your venue, menu, staff and values.

Just remember, not every date on this list is going to be appropriate for your business, you don’t need to work all of them into your marketing plan. In fact, if you try to incorporate events that don’t add value or mesh with your restaurant ideals, you’ll be doing more harm than good.

As a general rule of thumb:

1. Only take part in events that are relevant to your brand, venue and menu AND don’t go against your values.
2. Make sure you understand what the event is about. You should always do a bit of research on an event before making it part of your calendar. If you misunderstand the point of an event or hashtag, you can end up causing a problem, possibly causing a scandal, and damaging your reputation.

This list brings you the events and days taking place in October. Some of them are National Days (UK, EU, USA, etc) but with social media and travellers connecting across the globe, there’s no problem in getting involved and celebrating the relevant events, even if you’re not based in the nation that’s holding them.

You might look at this list and think, hold on – some of these aren’t related to cooking! But don’t worry, we’ll explain a bit more about that later on!

October is a very busy month, so we’re sure you’ll find some fantastic ideas to boost your marketing potential!

Restaurant Marketing Ideas for All of October

• ADHD Awareness Month
• Black History Month
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Go Sober for October
• National Cholesterol Month
• Eye Injury Prevention Month
• Eat Country Ham Month
• Fair Trade Month
• Dessert Month
• Unblocktober
• Vegetarian Awareness Month

Food Items Celebrated This Month:

• Apple Month
• Applejack Month
• Caramel Month
• Chilli Month
• Cookie Month (not to be confused with National Cookie Day on Dec 4^th)
• Pizza Month
• Pasta Month
• Pickled Pepper Month
• Popcorn Poppin’ Month
• Pork Month
• Pretzel Month (not to be confused with Soft Pretzel Month in April)
• Seafood Month

Weekly Awareness Events in October

• American Beer Week: 4^th – 6^th
• School Lunch Week: 12^th – 16^th
• Bulk Foods Week: 14^th – 20^th
• National Kraut Sandwich Week (starts 17^th October)

Single Day Events for Restaurant Marketing in October

1^st

• World Vegetarian Day
• International Coffee Day
• International Day of Older People
• Homemade Cookies Day
• Eat Fruit at Work Day

2^nd

• Kale Day
• Produce Misting Day
• Fried Scallops Day
• Pumpkin Seed Day
• Coffee with a Cop Day

3^rd

• Caramel Custard Day
• Boyfriend Day
• Techies Day

4^th

• Taco Day
• International Vodka Day
• Body Language Day

5^th

• Apple Betty Day
• Get Funky Day
• Do Something Nice Day

6^th

• Orange Wine Day
• Plus Size Appreciation Day
• Mad Hatter Day
• Noodle Day

7^th

• Frappe Day
• Chocolate Covered Pretzel Day
• LED Light Day
• Inner Beauty Day
• Child Health Day

8^th

• Fluffernutter Day
• Pierogi Day

9^th

• Mouldy Cheese Day
• Pro-Life Cupcake Day
• Emergency Nurse’s Day
• Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work / School Day
• Stop Bullying Day
• Submarine-Hoagie-Hero-Grinder Day

10^th

• Angel Food Cake Day
• World Porridge Day
• Curves Day
• Cake Decorating Day
• World Mental Health Day

11^th

• Sausage Pizza Day
• World Dulce de Leche Day
• World Egg Day
• International Day of the Girl Child
• Coming Out Day

12^th

• Savings Day
• Freethought Day
• Farmer’s Day
• Gumbo Day

13^th

• Yorkshire Pudding Day
• Train Your Brain Day
• Clergy Appreciation (Pastor Appreciation) Day

14^th

• Dessert Day
• Kick Butt Day
• Columbus Day
• Chocolate Covered Insects Day

15^th

• Chicken Cacciatore Day
• Roast Pheasant Day
• Cheese Curd Day
• Grouch Day
• White Cane Safety Day
• Pharmacy Technician Day

16^th

• World Food Day
• World Bread Day
• Liqueur Day
• Dictionary Day
• World Cat Day
• Hagfish Day
• Take Your Parents to Lunch Day
• Medical Assistants Recognition Day
• Boss’s Day

17^th

• Four Prunes Day
• Pasta Day
• Get to Know Your Customers Day (takes place in Jan, Apr, July and Oct)

18^th

• Chocolate Cupcake Day

19^th

• Seafood Bisque Day
• Sweetest Day

20^th

• Youth Confidence Day
• Brandied Fruit Day

21^st

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
• Caramel Apple Day
• Mezcal Day
• Apple Day

22^nd

• Make a Dog’s Day
• Nut Day
• Colour Day

23^rd

• Boston Cream Day
• Canning Day

24^th

• Food Day
• Bologna Day
• United Nations Day
• Good and Plenty Day

25^th

• Greasy Foods Day
• World Pasta Day
• Sourest Day
• Breadstick Day
• Frankenstein Friday
• Chucky, The Notorious Killer Doll Day

26^th

• Tennessee Day
• Day of the Deployed
• Pumpkin Day
• Mincemeat Day
• Make a Difference Day
• Pretzel Day
• Mince Meat Pie Day

27^th

• Potato Day
• American Beer Day
• Black Cat Day
• Navy Day
• Mother-in-Law Day

28^th

• Chocolate Day

29^th

• Oatmeal Day
• Cat Day
• Hermit Day
• World Stroke Day

30^th

• Speak Up for Service Day
• Candy Corn Day
• Buy a Doughnut Day

31^st

• Halloween / All Hallows Eve
• Trick or Treat for UNICEF Day
• Knock-Knock Jokes Day
• Magic Day
• Girl Scout Founder’s Day

As we mentioned earlier, some of these events aren’t related to food – but they could relate to your business or your ethical values.

For example:

Medical Assistants Recognition Day – This isn’t related to food at all, but if you want to celebrate the profession and the people that do what is a very difficult job, then you could consider putting on a special meal or discount for people  in this industry. This type of event is generally better received in an urban, or larger settings (due to the amount of people actually being employed in that position).

Knock-Knock Jokes Day – If your venue has a reputation for being light hearted, fun and engaging, then you may want to consider running a promotion or holding a competition. Ask your customers to tell you their best knock-knock joke, or have your audience vote on the worst joke! This doesn’t necessarily relate to food (although you could always do a prize for the best food related joke) but it builds on your community and brand.

Whichever dates you choose to make use of, make sure that you’re absolutely sure on their meaning, usage and relevance to your business.

Before making your marketing strategy, you need to ask yourself:

• Is this event a good fit with my brand vision and values?
• Can I express this clearly in my brand voice?
• Does it make sense for my venue to associate with this event?
• Does this date help to highlight something? (Menu, Venue, Staff, Brand, etc)
• Do I really understand what this event is promoting and who it’s aimed at?
• Are there any problems associated with the event that might damage my brand if I get involved?
• Will my customers be interested in seeing content based on this theme?

Running through this list of questions will give you a good feel for the event and whether it’s for you. If after you’ve answered these questions, you’re still not sure, then the answer is no. Only spend your time on events that you’re sure are a good match for your business and will bring value to your brand (this could be financial, reputation, trust, etc).

If you’re still not sure, or just don’t have the time to work out the best course of action, we’re here to give you a helping hand!

From working out your digital marketing return on investment (ROI), to researching keywords and optimised content, we provide you with the services you need to make the best impact with your marketing.

From one off campaigns and ‘as you need them’ services to ‘Done for You’ full packages, we’ve got the tools, techniques, training and passion to serve you up the best digital marketing, consultation, training and website development.

Book a call with our experts today and discover what we can do for you.