Restaurants & bars
How to increase restaurant sales on slow nights
Monday is quiet. The special is good. Nobody knows. Pick one night, one offer, and tell the people who already like you. Copy the four-week plan and the promo lines below.
A digital loyalty card is optional. The plan works with a chalkboard and a text list.
The four-week plan
Pick one night, run it, track it
Pick one night. Run it 4 weeks. Track it. Week 0 Pick ONE slow night (Monday is fine). Pick ONE offer you can actually make money on. Write one lock-screen / text line. Tell the floor the offer and the hours. Weeks 1–4 Same night. Same offer. Same wording. Send the note to people you already have permission to reach. Chalkboard and Instagram are backup, not the plan. What to write down Date, weather, covers that night, whether you sent the note. A notebook is enough. Don't chase a percentage. After 4 weeks: keep it, tweak the offer, or pick a different night.
10 promo ideas with message wording
Keep the offer cheap to run and easy to say out loud. Rewrite the prices for your room.
Slow-night / Monday ideas
Slow-night / Monday promo ideas (offer + wallet wording) 1. Nacho Monday Offer: $6 nachos at the bar till 9. Message: Kitchen's slow tonight. $6 nachos at the bar till 9. 2. Industry night Offer: Staff discount with a current pay stub, 8–close. Message: Industry night. Show a pay stub, 8–close. 3. Two-for-one wings Offer: Two-for-one wings after 8, bar only. Message: Two-for-one wings after 8. Sit at the bar. 4. Neighborhood night Offer: First fries free with a drink if you walk here. Message: If you can walk here, first fries are on us with a drink. 5. Pasta Monday Offer: One pasta, one price, bar seating. Message: Pasta Monday. Sit at the bar. We'll take care of you. 6. Burger + beer Offer: Burger and a draft for a set price till 9. Message: Burger + beer till 9. That's the Monday deal. 7. Half-price apps at the bar Offer: Half-price apps 8–close, bar seats only. Message: Half-price apps at the bar, 8–close. 8. Wine or beer flight Offer: Three small pours, one price, Monday only. Message: Monday flight. Three pours, one price, till 9. 9. Bring a neighbor Offer: Second entrée a set amount off, same table. Message: Bring a neighbor. Second entrée $10 off tonight. 10. Soup + bread on a wet night Offer: Bowl and bread at the bar when the weather is ugly. Message: Ugly night. Soup and bread at the bar. Write one line. Don't stack three offers in one note. Send it to people who already like you.
Helpful free resources
Official help pages you can use this week, whether or not you ever book a demo. Each opens in a new tab.
- Google Business Profile: posts (opens in a new tab)
Business Profile → Posts → Add post. Use Offer or Event for a weekday special so it can show on Search and Maps. Add a start and end date so it doesn’t sit there after the night is over.
- SBA: marketing and sales plan (opens in a new tab)
A short official outline: who you sell to, why they pick you, how you’ll tell them, and how you’ll measure it. Use it to pick one channel (a weekday note, a Google post) instead of five half-done ideas.
- SBA: marketing plan example (download) (opens in a new tab)
A fill-in template from the Small Business Administration. Use the target-customer, promotion, and “how you’ll know it worked” sections. Skip anything that doesn’t fit a one-location shop.
- SCORE: free mentor (opens in a new tab)
SCORE mentoring is free for U.S. business owners. Enter your zip to request a mentor — they typically reply within 48 hours. Bring one question (slow Monday, rebooking, reviews) so the first hour is useful.
- Virginia SBDC: free advising near you (opens in a new tab)
No-cost, confidential advising for Virginia shop owners. The office list includes Greater Roanoke & NRV SBDC (Roanoke and the New River Valley, 540-632-1174). Book a session and bring the one problem you want help with — rebooking, a no-show rule, or a slow-night promo.
- Canva: front-desk sign templates (opens in a new tab)
Open the sign maker, pick a simple template, and put your reward or late-cancel rule in large type. Download a PDF and print it for the desk so the same wording as your booking page is in front of people at check-in.
If you want the note on their lock screen
A digital loyalty card that reaches regulars
Same promo. Staff scan from a phone. The card sits in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Lock-screen notes have no per-message text fee. Year one is $1,997, or $499 per quarter for year one (4 payments). Package shops renew at $149/month after year one and keep the top-tier features (normally $249/month). We'll have your card live in 3 business days.
- Scan at the table, the bar, or with the check
- A stamp they don't leave in a jacket
- One-line notes when you have room
- Works alongside the register you already have
