With the ever-changing landscape of recent times around us, it’s hard to believe that spring has arrived. If you blinked you might have missed it, but May is already here, and that means Mother’s Day is right around the corner.
Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 9th) is a big deal in the US. In fact, in 2019 alone, it was estimated that US consumers would spend over $25 billion celebrating the holiday 1. That’s a lot of love for Mom. To no surprise, food is a big part of this. Last year, it was estimated that around 55% of consumers celebrated the holiday by taking Mom out to eat 1.
While it seems like COVID-19 is interrupting all avenues of life the past year, there is one thing that will not change: consumers will still want to celebrate this holiday and honor the special moms in their lives – and there is opportunity for restaurants to provide patrons with a great experience to make their Mother’s Day special.
More and more operations are opening their doors, but the truth is that many customers may still want to celebrate their moms primarily through take-out and delivery. For restaurants relying heavily on takeout, consider creating a Mother’s Day meal kit that will give customers all the elements needed to recreate that “dine-in” experience at home.
Create your Own Happy Hour
Is your establishment known for a signature drink? Measure out enough of each ingredient to make two drinks and include in a Cocktail-to-Go kit with an easy-to-follow recipe card! Premium bar mixes from Mr & Mrs T offer a great solution to restaurants looking for labor-saving drink solutions, and to-go beverage cups and lids from Fabri-Kal make it easy to package and transfer your liquid ingredients. In some states you may even be allowed to send along wine, beer or spirits! Double check your state’s listings for the most up to date information.
Mother’s Day Dinner Special
Create a signature menu item special for your Mother’s Day meal kit that customers can make at home. Include a main dish and side options. Package all ingredients your customers will need to make the meal at home in the kit and provide an easy-to-follow recipe guide. Also, be sure to consider what will travel well and be memorable for your guests! A prixe-fixe dine in menu can quickly become a three part meal kit that your customers will enjoy. For a limited time, Dining Alliance members can access big savings on select products they need from manufacturers like Tyson, Conagra, Idahoan, Keurig Dr Pepper, Hormel, and more.
Dessert, anyone?
Nothing ends a “holiday” quite like dessert, and this year’s Mother’s Day should be no different. Include a few slices of individually packaged pies or an entire pre-sliced baked good in your Mother’s Day meal kit . There are some great pre-wrapped and pre-sliced bakery items available from Sara Lee to help offer your guests a sweet ending to their “dine-in” experience.
Avoid the cleanup
Just like a true dine-in experience, let your guests forego some of the cleanup of their meal. Package drinks in to-go cups, and include individually wrapped, disposable cutlery. Fabrik-kal offers versatile and high-performance drink cups, while manufacturers like Georgia-Pacific provide great options on individually-wrapped, disposable cutlery. Customers are also going to be considered extra with sanitation this year so ensure you look into tamper proof bags and delivery containers to ensure that your dishes make it from door to door safely.
Partner with local businesses
Looking for a way to take your Mother’s Day meal kit to the next level? Consider partnering with local businesses in your area to provide something extra for Mom! Add some flowers from a local florist, or chocolates from a local candy shop. It will make your “dine-in” experience stand out to your customers and will help make mom’s day even brighter!
Get social!
You have a great offering and now it’s time to let your customers know about it! Promote your Mother’s Day meal kit on your social media channels to help spread awareness and ask your customers to share the posts with their network. Once Mother’s Day arrives, ask your guests to tag you in their photos of their completed Mother’s Day meals. Check out some other great tips and tools your operation can implement to raise awareness.
However you craft your Mother’s Day meal kit, allocate it a set fee and add to your take-out, delivery, and third-party service menus. If you haven’t yet gotten set up with delivery services.
Don’t let COVID-19 prevent your operation from delivering the great dining experience your customers have come to love. With a little prep work and some creative thinking, you can offer customers a great “dine-in” experience to celebrate the Mother’s Day and all other upcoming occasions and holidays.
