Father’s Day is just around the corner and it’s the perfect opportunity to maximise footfall and showcase your hospitality food and drinks offer.

A survey by Premier Foods showed that 55% of consumers eat at a restaurant to celebrate birthdays or special occasions, so Father’s Day is the perfect time to offer something a little bit different, be it a special menu, live music or a even games night^[1].

Father’s Day Inspiration

Create a Set Menu

Creating a set menu with a minimum spend for two courses for special occasions can help to increase average spend (£10+). We recommend creating a set menu, with two and three-course options, so people can trade up if they wish.

Father’s Day Sunday Roast

You can’t go wrong with a roast dinner on Father’s Day. You could even add a few other classics onto the menu to help produce higher margins, such as beer braised beef using a local ale or steak & ale pie, as these dishes often use beef forequarter cuts – and don’t forget to offer some vegan and vegetarian options.

One of the non-negotiables when it comes to a Sunday roast is gravy; People love it. In fact, they love it so much, 65% of consumers say they judge a venue on the quality of its gravy and whether they’d pay a return visit^[2].

Gravy is the key element that marries all the ingredients on the plate together, so here are a few tips to make sure it always hits the spot:

• Add any meat juices from your roast meats to the gravy for extra richness and flavour
• Enrich your gravy with cream, vegetables, fruit and herbs and season well
• Make your gravy ahead of time (or the base at least), and then add additional elements to it during service (great for catering for different dietary requirements)
• Serve gravy as part of the dish but also as a side or serve in a jug on the table – having extra gravy is a non-negotiable for many customers

Pimp your gravy:

• Red, Red Wine: Make a rich red wine gravy by sauteing onions and garlic until translucent, then add leftover red wine and simmer until reduced. Use gravy granules, like Bisto, to thicken and add flavour.
• Miso’mazing: Add a savoury, umami element to your gravy by whisking in miso paste – great with roast chicken
• Fruitalicious: Add a twist with rhubarb and cider gravy, the flavours are perfect with a lamb shoulder roast.
• Tangfastic: Beer and mustard gravy is delicious with pork and chicken, adding a tangy and hoppy twist. Simply add a bottle of beer or a pint of draught ale and reduce before adding granules and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Think about the attributes of the beer and how they may compliment or contrast to the meal.

Host a ‘Dad’s Night’

Families love an activity, and it’s a great way to bring everyone together. Whether it’s a selection of classic and nostalgic board games, a quiz night, live music event, or something fun like skittles, make Father’s Day one to remember with a ‘Dad’s Night’. You could host this on the day before (the Saturday), or make it an afternoon event on the Sunday.

Go Bottomless

We’re not talking the alcohol kind (although you could do free refills for Dad), but rather offerings such as:

• Unlimited refills of vegetables, potatoes and gravy with your Sunday roast
• Bottomless chips
• Bottomless bar snacks
• Bottomless coffee

Father’s Day Brunch

If you don’t have the facilities to offer a Sunday roast for Father’s Day – as many venues do – you could always offer a brunch for the family instead. Treat dad with a free drink of his choice!

Whatever you do, make sure you shout about it on your social channels and in your venue, so people know your offering and get booking!

Contact your local rep for more information.

^[1]  Premier Foods Independent Research – April 2023, 1066 consumers surveyed

^[2]  Premier Foods Independent Research – April 2023, 1066 consumers surveyed