Lent and Holy Week are times for personal reflection and renewal, as we commemorate Christ and remember His sacrifices. During these 40 days, your Catholic customers are abstaining from eating meat every Friday and throughout Holy Week.
If your restaurant’s most popular dishes are meat-based, do you have to expect a revenue drop in the last week of Lent, from Palm Sunday to Easter?
The answer is nope. You just have to come up with great Lenten and Holy Week food ideas that are appealing to your customers.
1. Make seafood, vegetarian, and vegan dishes available on your menu year-round
Seafood, vegetarian, and vegan meals always sell well during Lent. So why not make seafood one of your bestselling dishes during the rest of the year?
For inspiration, check out McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish. Lou Groen, a McDonald’s restaurant owner in Cincinnati, US, introduced the fish sandwich in 1962. Back then, the franchise was mainly known for its hamburgers.
Groen came up with the Filet-O-Fish idea when he noticed a decrease in sales on Fridays in his mostly Roman Catholic neighborhood. Since then, McDonald’s has sold millions of Filet-O-Fish worldwide.
The seafood market might be more competitive than the vegetarian and vegan ones, but you too can experiment with recipes and create different meatless dishes that stand out.
Your menu could end up with a better-looking, better-tasting “Filet-O-Fish” that will be popular even after Lent.
Don’t worry if your experimental dish isn’t a bestseller. You can always remove the food quickly from your digital menu without re-printing it.
2. Connect with neighborhood churches
Now that you have a Lent-ready menu, reach out to churches that are located near your cafe. Ask if you can share your Lent menu and offers in their weekly and monthly newsletters.
Your restaurant is ideal for meal times and gatherings after Mass and other church events, so spread the word to the congregation. Now’s your chance to bring in larger groups of customers.
Providing catering services for church events is another great Lent and Holy Week food idea for your restaurant. Their congregations will have a chance to try your food and recommend it to their family and friends.
Keep in touch with your neighborhood churches. They might need caterers during or after Holy Week processions, retreats, and prayer services. Apart from drumming up business for your restaurant, it’s also a chance to build closer relationships with your community.
3. Promote your meatless dishes as a healthy choice for customers
Going vegan or vegetarian is a growing trend here. Local influencers and celebrities like Bianca King and @thefoodietakesflight have almost 1 million Instagram followers each! They promote vegan food and restaurants as part of a healthy, wholesome lifestyle.
Nutrient-rich seafood, especially fish, is healthy for your customers as well.
Your restaurant can also be a part of this healthy food revolution. While you’re preparing to introduce these meatless dishes to your menu, just remember: healthy food doesn’t have to be boring.
Look at the meatless meals shared by the influencers above. Study the menus of the coolest vegetarian, vegan, and seafood restaurants in town.
They all look amazing and taste oh-so delicious!
When your meatless dishes are ready, promote them on your restaurant’s social media pages. For tips on creating interesting posts that will attract customers, we have 21 social media content ideas to help you out.
4. Market your dishes as a healthy choice for planet Earth
According to research, eating less meat can reduce deforestation as we’d be using less land to grow animal feed.
When deforestation happens, the carbon stored by trees is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. This is one of the causes of climate change, an issue that some of your customers will care about, especially if they are young Filipino millennials and Gen Zs.
Here’s a key Lent and Holy Week food idea: Try to make sure that your seafood, vegan, and vegetarian meals are made in an eco-friendly way.
On social media, use phrases like “wild-caught”, “certified”, “pure water”, and “pristine environment” when describing your food sources and cooking styles.
Assure customers that your restaurant is committed to good food and the environment.
5. Introduce Lenten recipes from around the world
People all around the world are taking part in Lent. They have different meatless cuisines during the Lenten season and Holy Week. How about adding these global recipes to your menu?
Serve your customers authentic Asian, European, Latin American, and other international seafood, vegetarian, and vegan dishes. These meals can be part of your “International Lent Specials”.
By combining these global cuisines with your signature dishes, you can offer guests a unique dining experience.
Foodies are always looking for new adventures in dining. If you serve them a delicious taste of Lent from every corner of the world, how can they resist dining at your restaurant?
Observe Lent with your loved ones while managing your business efficiently
To succeed in the Filipino F&B industry, your restaurant should be ready to meet changing customer needs during seasonal events like Lent and Holy Week.
However, that doesn’t mean you need to work long hours for your business to do well.
Our Point of Sale system (POS) can improve your restaurant’s flexibility and efficiency. You’ll also be able to manage your business from anywhere through your phone and other devices.
Free up your time for other things that matter in life, especially during this Lenten season.
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