“Happy hour specials” – three simple words that are guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any customer that enters a pub or bar at the right time. Better still, clever happy hour ideas are a sure-fire way to get customers to return to your venue time and time again.
With that in mind, let’s talk about why happy hour promotions are important and explore happy hour ideas that can get more customers through your door and add to your bottom line. First up though…
What’s the benefit of happy hour promotions, anyway?
Get people in at quiet times: A key reason for creating a happy hour menu in the first place is to get customers into your establishment at less busy times. Not only does this increase revenue during off-peak periods, but also helps make your venue look more lively for subsequent passers-by.
After all, you don’t want your bar to look like this, right?
Boost customer loyalty: When customers know that your happy hour runs at a certain time, there’s potential for them to create a routine, or better yet, a ritual, around it. Think of a time when you’ve been out with friends, and someone declares, “drink up, the happy hour at PLACE NAME is starting soon!”. You want your venue to be mentioned in conversations like this. The more natural it feels for people to head to your venue, the more loyal they’ll become. An excellent selection of food and drink deals will help achieve that.
Give people a new reason to try your venue: A happy hour is an excellent marketing tool, giving people the perfect reason to pay you a visit. It’s not uncommon, in fact, for people to simply type in “happy hour near me” into their smartphone’s search box – and head to the place with the most appealing drink deals.
Why it’s worth to revise your happy hour offering
If you have a happy hour already, you can’t make the mistake of resting on your laurels, i.e., merely coming up with a handful of basic happy hour specials and leaving it at that. Conversely, here are a few reasons why you should frequently upgrade your happy hour menu.
Your competition: while you might not be trying new things, you can guarantee one of your competitors is – and luring away your customers in the process. Not to mention, any new bars and pubs that open and capture your target market’s attention.
Customers respond to novelty: people tend to notice when things change, but not so much when they stay the same. Use this to your advantage and make sure to regularly update your offering.
Marketing material: Frequently updating your happy hour menu is an also excellent reason to communicate with your customers, both online and offline.
Creative ideas for happy hour promotions
With the above reasons in mind, let’s have a look at creative ways for making sure your happy hours are the best on the block. First up…
1. Create an exclusive happy hours menu
As well as regular menu items, create exclusive items only available during happy hour. Customers that take a liking to the exclusive happy hour items will be compelled to get to your venue for happy hour. Alternatively, you can use your happy hour to test items before you put add them to your regular menu.
2. Create a theme for your happy hours
Pick a theme for your happy hour and base your menu items on it: Mexican, Asian Fusion, Hawaiian, Indian, the list goes on. Best of all, you could periodically change themes so your happy hour menu will change as well. As a bonus, items only available for a limited time will stir up that fear of missing out in your customers and encourage them to visit more often.
3. Don’t forget about food!
You’re missing out on a massive opportunity if you don’t include food in your happy hour promotions. For a start, it ensures that customers don’t have to leave when they get hungry. Plus, food provides another hook to get people into your venue. That said, when promoting food on social media, it’s crucial to ensure the images are as tantalizing as possible – the first bite is with the eye, after all.
4. Devise delicious food and drink pairings
An excellent way to generate more food sales is to find creative ways to pair it with beverages. You can even offer your customers extra value by educating them on why particular food and drinks complement each other.
5. Offer shareable food plates for groups
While on the subject of food, make shareable plates a part of your happy hour promotions. This caters to groups that aren’t that hungry and just want nibbles. Plus, it highlights your venue as a great place for group events.
6. Offer local craft wines and beers
Do a little research and find craft breweries in your area. Not only will you get an opportunity to work with local artisans, but also get access to a more unique selection of drinks, likely not available at other venues. Plus, customers love the idea of supporting local businesses – so it’s a win-win…win!
7. Ask your staff for suggestions
Chances are, your employees will have a few good ideas for your happy hour promotions. Plus, they may come across innovative happy hour deals in places you don’t get to visit.
8. Recognize your regulars and appeal to their tastes
Ask your regular customers for their opinion on what foods or beverages they’d like to see on the happy hour menu and include the most requested items.
9. Promote your happy hour on social media
Once you implement your creative and witty happy hour ideas, make sure to engage with your customers on social media channels. Online marketing has one important advantage: you can easily reach people wherever they are, instead of hoping they happen to walk past your venue.
Do you know what’s also a great idea if you own a bar or pub? Grafterr’s hospitality ePOS software, the ultimate platform for helping you manage your venue (or multiple venues) efficiently. You can add new happy hour menu items in seconds, take customer bookings online, and manage your inventory to make sure you can satisfy the demand for your happy hour drinks sales.
