By Matt Plapp
A few weeks ago, I took my wife, son and our three dogs to a restaurant on National Pet Day. We were excited that this place had promoted a dog-friendly event, and we were ready for a great experience.
Instead, what we got was three confused employees and zero recognition of the event. No signs. No hype. No clue.
It was a giant letdown, and it was a light bulb moment.
Why Most Restaurant Promos Flop
Let me be blunt: Too many restaurants treat promotions like an afterthought. Most restaurant promos are half-baked ideas thrown together at the last minute with little to no planning. You think posting it on social media a day or two before is magically going to make a difference.
Here’s the truth: When you fail to plan, you should plan to fail! Your team needs to be behind every promo—they should be highly educated and excited. And then you need a bulletproof marketing plan.
Promotions like this can and will become an extension of your brand. So when you do get someone to bite, as I did, and they walk into a dead atmosphere, you’ve lost their trust. And trust is everything in local marketing. When you promote an event, your customers should know that it’s going to be a banger!
Related: Matt Plapp: Why Most Pizzerias Are Failing at Marketing (and How to Fix It in 2025)
Why Should You Do These Promos—and How Often?
If you depend on your restaurant’s menu and the national holidays (that everyone else does) to be your only sales driver, you’re screwed. People love an excuse to celebrate at their favorite restaurants, especially if it’s tied to another passion of theirs—like my dogs, in this case. Whether it’s a one-off promo like National Pet Day or a weekly event like Taco Tuesdays, if you build it right, they will come.
Your restaurant should have your regular promos and a one-off event every two to three weeks. Think about it this way: Not every promotion will land with every customer. By having a solid variety of promos, you’ll be giving most of your customers something to get excited about every two months, on top of their regular visits.
The Power of Owning It and Not Owning It: A Real-Life Example
This is a story about a one-off promo that became a mainstay. In 2012, our client, Quaker Steak & Lube in Colerain, Ohio, decided to host a The Walking Dead watch party. They had a few employees who loved the hit cable TV show, and with Sunday evenings being a ghost town, they thought, why not try something new? What started as an experiment with a passionate employee quickly became a mainstay.
The Walking Dead watch parties became a weekly event, and they were a hit! But it wasn’t because they made one Facebook post and sent an email.
Their team owned it! They wore Walking Dead gear a few days a week, spoke to all their regulars every day, invited friends, distributed postcards throughout the week, and fully immersed guests in the event. They didn’t just run a promo—they became the event. And guess what? Every Sunday was packed.
My company handled the digital side of it with weekly Walking Dead trivia posts, targeted Facebook ads, and occasional emails and texts, but the real secret wasn’t the ad spend; it was their buy-in. Their team owning it amplified their promo.
But on the other side of that was failure. This owner had two other stores, both of which thought, “We want more sales on Sunday evenings, so let’s do Walking Dead nights.” At first, the nights went OK, because we had a solid marketing plan to drive customers there. But within a month, they were a flop.
Why? Because customers walked into a promo that no one really cared about. The teams at the other restaurants didn’t care about The Walking Dead, and the in-store experience was subpar.
Related: Every Month’s a Moneymaker at Robert’s Pizza Co.: A Deep Dive Q&A With Robert Garvey and Dana Hokin
The Blueprint for a Promotion That Wins
Let me walk you through what should have happened and what your restaurant should do every single time you run a one-off promotion.
First, you need the promo planner one-sheet. I’ve created this to help you easily and seamlessly plan your promotions. Go to mattplapp.live/promo to get your free download. This one-page PDF is designed to help you avoid failing to plan.
1. Internal Hype Comes First
Your staff should be briefed two weeks in advance. Every shift meeting should include:
- What the promotion is
- When it’s happening
- Why it matters
- What they need to say to guests leading up to the event
Back that up with a printed one-sheet and a message in your team’s group chat or app.
2. Visuals Sell the Story
Your walls, tables and doors should all reflect the vibe of the upcoming event. If it’s Dog Day, consider using posters, table tents or window clings that tease the promotion. Make it impossible to miss. Most restaurants can get these items printed for free from their food and alcohol distributors, as long as you plan and provide them with the graphics well in advance of the promotion.
And here’s the kicker—tell your team to reference the signage in every conversation: “Hey, if you’ve got a dog, make sure you bring them in Friday! We’ve got a cool treat lined up.”
As a side note, while we’re on the topic of working in advance: No promotion is worth doing if you’re not going to plan it at least a month in advance. Ninety-nine percent of these special days aren’t a surprise, so stop waiting until the last minute. I’m so tired of hearing about restaurants planning for Valentine’s Day on February 7. Come on, you already know when Valentine’s Day is—it happens every year!
3. Dress the Part
On the day of the event, your team should wear something that reflects the promo. Even if it’s just silly hats, pins or custom shirts, it shows guests that you give a damn. Better yet, start wearing the swag a couple of days early to build buzz.
4. Market It Like You Mean It
Your promo doesn’t start the day before; it starts a week ahead. Here’s an example for Dog Day:
- Sunday: Post a social-media video with the owner and their dog.
- Monday: Run a teaser post.
- Tuesday to Thursday: Crank up the in-store graphics and team talk.
- Friday: Energize the event.
Save paid ads for bigger promotions or to reach new audiences. But don’t rely on them as a crutch for poor internal execution.
Here’s Your Wake-Up Call
Stop doing lame one-off promotions with no planning, no accountability, and no one actually caring. Pick 12 to 24 killer ideas per year and sprint like hell on each one. You don’t need a million different promotions; you need a few that you own.
Start Here: Delegate and Document
Not sure how to begin? Do this today:
- Pick one person on your team to own your next promotion.
- Meet with them every week in the lead-up to the event.
- Use my promo one-sheet to track all the pieces. I’ve made it easy for you!
Final Thought: This Is What Will Separate You
The difference between average and unforgettable isn’t budget—it’s attention to detail, excitement and execution. You’ve got customers ready to fall in love with your brand again. Don’t waste their attention; own it!
Oh, yeah, and want to win $100 cash? Find the funny “Easter Egg” I hid in this article and text me at 859-743-2408. I’ll pick one winner from the correct guesses.
My name is Matt Plapp. I’m the CEO of America’s Best Restaurants. I’ve worked with thousands of restaurants since 2008 when I started this company, and over the next 12 months, we will help 2,500-plus restaurants with their marketing. This is the latest article in a new weekly column for PMQ to help restaurant owners understand the gold mine we have to market in 2025—and beyond.
