There’s a cool, crisp feeling in the air, which can mean only one thing: Fall will be here before you know it. The change of seasons is an opportune time to kick your restaurant promotions into high gear — many establishments experience a slowdown in business in the months before the autumn and winter holidays. With the right fall marketing ideas, you can bring in more customers and boost revenue.

Why fall promotions are essential to your small business

Fall is one of the most beloved seasons. Cool weather has replaced the heat of summer, and customers are in the mood to celebrate. Capitalize on these good vibes with fall marketing ideas that capture the magic of autumn.

A thoughtful fall marketing strategy can have a variety of benefits for your small business:

• Seasonal appeal. Autumn inspires enthusiasm and excitement among customers, due in part to the classic flavors of the season. You can participate in the fun by introducing seasonal treats like pumpkin spice lattes, hot apple cider, and hearty stews — these warm, comforting treats are particularly attractive on a cool October day. If you want to lean into the fall energy, create a festive atmosphere in your restaurant with autumn leaf garlands, pumpkin centerpieces, and flickering candles. A cozy and inviting ambiance enhances the meal and encourages customers to stop in again. 
• Boost in sales. Customers often celebrate autumn holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving by dining out with friends and families. This tradition is a valuable opportunity to develop creative fall marketing ideas and increase sales. Boost orders by hosting a Halloween party, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, or a Black Friday/Small Business Saturday lunch celebration. Make sure to send out email marketing messages early, and encourage diners to book in advance for holiday meals — that way, you’ll fill the tables in advance and increase cash flow.
• Higher customer engagement. Your small business can capitalize on customers’ love of autumn with fall marketing ideas that increase engagement. Focus on fall trends; they have the potential to bring more traffic and get your brand in front of a large audience. Whether you’re offering special discounts, hot cocktails, or a seasonal menu that’s only available for a limited time, these promotions facilitate repeat business. They also provide compelling content for social media, which can boost your engagement online and increase takeout and delivery orders. 

Fall promotion ideas

The fall season lends itself beautifully to an impactful restaurant marketing strategy — it’s associated with strong imagery, a sense of nostalgia, and popular foods. And because customers are always looking for ways to enjoy the autumn, they tend to be highly receptive to promotions, fall events, and seasonal specials.

Use these fall marketing ideas to create a positive customer experience and increase revenue:

1. Pumpkin palooza. Autumn is all about pumpkin — you’ll find this mild squash in everything from lattes to pies. As soon as September hits, customers start looking for pumpkin dishes at coffee shops and restaurants. Give the people what they want by creating a special menu featuring pumpkin-based dishes and drinks. You can whip up batches of pumpkin soup, serve pumpkin ravioli for dinner, or add a pumpkin spice latte to your drink menu. Don’t have the bandwidth to develop new fall menu additions? Try adding slices of roasted pumpkin to salads, quesadillas, or flatbread pizzas.
2. Harvest festival. Partner with a local grower to host a farm-to-table dinner featuring ingredients that are in season locally. It’s a wonderful way to build relationships with local farmers and introduce customers to fantastic local fruits, vegetables, and meats. This is a particularly effective fall marketing idea if your restaurant has a socially and environmentally responsible customer base; sourcing food from your region supports the local economy and creates fewer emissions than ingredients that are delivered from across the world.
3. Autumn wine and dine. The rich, hearty flavors of fall pair beautifully with a range of red wines. Help your customers learn how to create the perfect combination by hosting a wine-pairing event. Bring in a sommelier to work with your chef to create small bites. During the event, explain how each wine brings out the unique flavors of the food. For extra impact, use wines from a local vineyard. You might even work with the winery to offer special deals for customers who want to purchase full bottles.
4. Seasonal drink menu. As the temperatures drop, many customers start to order more hot drinks and fewer frozen margaritas. To ensure they have plenty of options to choose from, create a special seasonal menu of fall drink ideas. Help diners warm up with hot drinks such as spiked apple cider and mulled wine, and embrace seasonal flavors with pumpkin martinis or cranberry Moscow mules. If you’re looking for fall marketing ideas that play well on social media, look no further — photos of colorful cocktails and videos of steaming hot toddies are sure to capture users’ attention.
5. Fall food holiday celebrations. Spice up the months between summer and Halloween with a fun food holiday celebration. Look at your past sales data to find weeks that are typically slow. Then, check the national food holiday calendar to find an event during that week. Our favorites include National Bacon Day on September 2 and National Taco Day on October 4. Build a few fall marketing ideas around the holiday; you might create special discounts or run a social media campaign to bring in more orders.

Whether you’re hosting parties or creating seasonal dishes, social media is an important part of any fall marketing idea. After all, 37% of all diners use TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to find information about restaurants. You can use these platforms to boost awareness by:

• Creating Facebook events for fall celebrations
• Posting photos and videos of your fall menu items
• Participating in relevant seasonal trends
• Showcasing your restaurant’s autumn decorations
• Taking out platform ads to boost your content

Leave nothing on the table 

With Grubhub, it’s easy to get the most out of your fall marketing ideas. Whether you need help with promotional performance analysis or want to offer fast, professional delivery and takeout services, we have you covered. The Grubhub platform even comes with built-in promotions tools, so you can create specials that increase visibility and bring in more orders throughout the fall season.

Partner with us today to see the benefits for yourself.