Meet me at the bar – March holidays are the biggest beer and bar profit makers.
March is historically a major month for beer and alcohol sales, thanks to the perfect storm of March Madness and St. Patrick’s Day. According to restaurant insider upserve.com, St. Patrick’s Day is the top holiday for beer, with sales being an average of 18 percent higher than on New Year’s Day, and 22 percent higher than Valentine’s Day.
March Madness is part of American culture, and it is an out-of-the house event. Customers want to be at a place that has several televisions and plenty of beer.
Just last year, the highest beer sales took place between March 14th-20th and averaged 10 % higher than the rest of the year, due mainly March Madness game viewing. Many restaurants in the Northeast and the Midwest saw this spike in beer consumption, but also witnessed a decline in food orders. The focus tends to be more on pints than appetizers. However, everywhere else in the U.S. saw an increase of approximately 4% in food orders throughout March in previous years.
March Madness restaurant promotion ideas:
Discounted beer pitchers with appetizer purchase: One restaurant advertises a 1 cent beer pitcher if guests buy 3 sliders ($4 each). This is a great idea for bars near college campuses.
Discounted domestic beer and chicken wing combos: Adding cheap wing options (60-cent wings, price per wing) along with discounted beer bottles (like $3 and under) is a great way to increase both appetizer and beer sales.
Craft beer specials: Craft beer does well during March madness. Research from the Brewers Association has shown that craft sales (on premise and off premise) jumped $3 million in March.
Food menu bracket contest: Creating a simple menu bracket by putting two sections of your menu against each other (beer vs. apps) is a great way to engage customers and have them return to your establishment during March Madness. Those who participate can be entered in a prize drawing.
Social media: Engaging patrons on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter is a great way to bring in more business. Try using a unique hashtag (i.e. #MarchRadness) and give guests a deal if they check in on social media or take a photo while at your establishment.
Along with having the right promotions to get the most from this holiday, it’s important to have the right keg cooler for your bar. The pros at ACityDiscount recommend investing in Turbo Air two door and three door commercial keg coolers, which fit anywhere from 2 to 3 beer kegs depending on your capacity needs.
The best option is the Turbo Air direct draw beer dispenser, features include:
- Stainless interior door liner and floor
- Black exterior laminated finish
- Capacity: Holds (4) 1/2 size barrels
- 3" diameter stainless beer columns
- Side mount compressor
- 3 swing doors
- LED interior light
Another good option to consider is the Turbo Air direct draw beer keg cooler, features include:
- Stainless interior door liner and floor
- Laminated black exterior
- Club top unit (Combined function cabinet of direct draw beer dispenser and glass chiller. Provides easy access to interior storage area for chilled beer glasses.)
- Capacity: Holds two 1/2 size barrels
- Side mount compressor
- 2 swing doors
- Interior light
The other holiday that gets the most mileage for the month is St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, which falls on a Tuesday this year.
Like March Madness, this holiday tends to be celebrated over a few days and patrons usually plan to visit a bar or restaurant on the holiday. Since St. Patty’s lands in the beginning of the week, many restaurants promote celebrating on the previous weekend, and tend to get more out of the holiday by promoting it from Friday evening till Tuesday.
So, what makes a successful St. Patty’s celebration? Aside from the usual decorations involving shamrocks, beads, magic hats, and light sticks, there are many ways your restaurant or bar can offer something unique and special that sets it apart from the rest.
St. Patty’s Promotion Ideas:
Special Irish menu: The traditional Irish dishes and appetizers prepared at many restaurants include corned beef with cabbage, onions, celery and baby carrots, Irish soda bread and potato soup. Try a more inspired take, experimenting with the Irish classics, like making fried corned beef and cabbage egg rolls or even add a special brunch item to your Sunday menu with a corned beef hash topped with a dreamy poached egg. Have fun with dessert by making a chocolate cake with stout or port and coffee (the Irish coffee cake), or a Guinness float with butter pecan or coffee ice cream. Go all out and don’t forget to share photos of the dishes on Instagram, leading up to the holiday, and make mouths water.
Consider making your own ice cream with the Waring countertop ice cream maker and make fresh batches of ice cream in as little as 30 minutes.
Here are some classic Irish recipes to experiment with, via bonappetit.com.
Clever discounts: Patrons love a fun holiday promotion that includes liquor. Try offering a percentage off all green drinks served at your restaurant, including Apple Martinis, Grasshoppers or even green beer (easy to make)! Some restaurants and bars could even offer a prize or on-the-spot discount to anyone who has the best St. Paddy’s outfit or to whomever is wearing the most green.
Scavenger hunts are also a popular St. Patty’s party activity. Why not host a scavenger hunt and place four-leaf clovers in random areas around your restaurant or bar. When guests discover them, they earn a discount or prize written on the clover to redeem. Let guests know via social media so if they come in, they’ll have a chance to participate and win. If you can partner with other businesses in the area, invite them to join in your promotions by providing products for prizes or extending the scavenger hunt to their places of business as well, for a combined prize for the winner.
Encourage rowdy celebrations: Think about hiring a band for the night that knows a few good Irish rock tunes – think Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” — or feature Celtic music for the days prior to generate interest. Traditional and inspired Irish music is a great way to get your guests to dance, be merry, and continue ordering drinks. It’s a unique way to keep patrons coming back to your bar for their St. Patty’s partying.
Ensure safe travels for guests: On St. Patrick’s Day people will obviously become too intoxicated to drive. Perhaps your restaurant can sponsor a free meal or dessert to designated drivers and offer free services to assist patrons under the influence in arranging rides home. Partner with Uber and Lyft to offer special promo codes for your business, or partner with a local cab company, so your restaurant will have plenty of sober drivers ready to take intoxicated patrons home – your customers will appreciate the effort taken to ensure their safety.
Products to consider:
With increased business during this time of the month, it’s important to have the right equipment to provide the best service for an increase in restaurant traffic.
Browse our bar and beverage equipment for the best deals on bar supplies including bar glass washers, portable beverage carts and more… Shop here.
March is all about the bar! Shop our top commercial bar equipment and deep fryers below:
