14 Mother’s Day ideas for restaurants: specials, promos, dishes

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There’s no day quite like Mother’s Day. It’s an opportunity for children to show love to the one who brought them into the world. It’s also one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants, so making everything as special as possible is a great way to bring in both new and returning diners—and build the rapport that turns them into regulars.

There are multiple ways to make Mother’s Day specials and events work for your restaurant. Creating the right ambiance, menu options, and availability are all crucial steps to making your Mother’s Day celebration shine.

Let’s find out what you can do to make your restaurant Mother’s Day weekend-ready with extra special ideas.

14 ideas to create the best, most seamless Mother’s Day at your restaurant

Mother’s Day diners generally won’t be walk-ins. You’ll be serving families of thoughtful siblings, dads, co-parents, or grandparents who have made reservations in advance to treat Mom to her favorite tacos, lobster tails, or french toast.

Whether you’re planning a three-course Mother’s Day dinner or a casual brunch, let’s get into 14 promotional techniques, menu planning ideas, and event plans to make Mother’s Day a meal that turns diners into regulars.

1. Get reservations squared away

Because Mother’s Day is so busy, many diners will know they need to make reservations to celebrate Mother’s Day right. This is where you can really make a splash with promotions: Run a social media campaign before Mother’s Day. Offering promotions on all social media platforms, including Yelp Connect, is an excellent way to get people to book ahead of time. Not only can you help guarantee your covers on that day, but you’ll also be able to plan ahead for your inventory and menu offerings.

If you’re concerned about no-shows, you don’t have to be if people book with Yelp: Yelp Guest Manager customers have average no-show rates below 10%.*

2. Book live music

Giving your guests the chance to enjoy some live music while they enjoy a Mother’s Day meal is a great incentive that could get your place booked over your competition. Pairing music with a pop-up wine bar could give your restaurant a cool, relaxed vibe for families with adult children looking for an evening out.

A daytime-appropriate band could also be a hit for the brunch crowd. Think about the demographic of your dine-in customers and source a band that can be enjoyed by the whole family (especially moms). Unless your restaurant already has a reputation as a music venue, it’s probably best to keep the tunes low-key. Moms hear enough blaring sounds from PAW Patrol every day—it’s their time to chill.

3. Freshen up your dining room and menu design

Since Mother’s Day always lands on a Sunday, offering a Mother’s Day brunch gives you lots of opportunities to do a temporary revamp of your space. For your restaurant specials to really pop, make sure that you let as much light into your place as possible and offer outdoor seating if you can.

Make your guests’ Sunday brunch special with an overall color theme. Pastel colors work well during the springtime and a floral theme is always a safe bet. Deck your restaurant out with balloons, signage, and heart-shaped floral arrangements to complete your look. Create an exclusive Mother’s Day menu with fresh springtime entrees, and design it to match your new decor.

4. Offer a coupon or deal

A great incentive for families is a gift card incentive or a family bundle coupon. Big groups will appreciate a discount on what could be a spendy meal, and it could encourage them to book a table. Promote these well in advance!

Try $5 kid’s menu meals for Mother’s Day, or a $30 gift card when you book a Mother’s Day reservation.

5. Try a prix fixe menu

Not everyone has the means to take their Mom and whoever else out to dinner without a clear indication of what bill is going to be. So, let guests know ahead of time how much they can expect to spend with a prix fixe menu. For example, you could offer a brunch menu that includes a drink, a choice of fresh-baked quiche, topping-loaded waffles, or signature pancakes, and a side of either breakfast potatoes, bacon, or fruit. Prix fixe doesn’t have to be bougie food!

You can also upsell add-on cocktails like bloody marys and mimosa flights. Now you buy those items in bulk, and voila: brunch is served.

Oh, and make sure that your prix fixe menu design reflects your chosen color scheme and theme.

6. Offer takeout options for on-the-go families

It may sound strange to offer takeout or curbside pickup, but people lead busy lives. Mom might want the family to pick up food to-go and stay cozy at home, or have a park picnic to enjoy the sunshine. You might not be able to offer your full menu on delivery apps, but make sure most things on your menu work well for both carryout and dine-in.

7. Plan unique dishes

Going out for Mother’s Day could mean moms get themselves a special meal they don’t ordinarily have at any old family meal at home. So what can that look like?

This largely depends on your geography and demographic, but consider one-off dishes that are unique to Mother’s Day. Fresh seafood can be an excellent choice if you have access to the good stuff, as can top-quality meats and salads. Fresh, innovative takes on classics can be a big hit. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but letting your chefs show off can make Mom feel special. Consult your chefs for their opinions—they definitely have some.

8. Promote drink pairings

Few things make a meal more special than a unique drink pairing with each course. If you have a deep wine or cocktail list, this is great news. Even if you don’t, creating a refreshing sangria to match a starter or featuring a sparkling wine for dessert can attract plenty of attention.

Non-alcoholic options are a must as well for mothers who don’t drink or are pregnant—let your bartenders have fun with mocktails, like an alcohol-free mimosa flight. Mom needs more than just water on Mother’s Day!

9. Extend the day

To improve your profits and provide flexibility to your diners, you could extend your restaurant Mother’s Day specials to an extra day on either side or even to a full week.

Many people work on weekends, so some may not be able to get Sunday off for Mother’s Day. Stretching your offers across several days can help people give their mothers a special day even if it’s not on the official Mother’s Day.

10. Prepare Mother’s Day gifts

A small but meaningful gift can go a long way towards endearing yourself to diners and turning them into regulars.

What can this look like? A fresh flower for moms could work if you have the budget. Maybe you happen to have a garden on your property that you’re able to pick from, or perhaps a local florist is willing to strike a deal with you if you promote their business.

Free appetizers, takeout croissants, or other freebies of the sort can also help endear you to mothers and families alike.

A casual loyalty program in the form of a bonus card (who doesn’t love a punch card?) or a discount on future visits can also work. Not only will you have given your diners something special, you’ll have incentivized them to return.

Another restaurant deal that could go over well is a free glass of wine or dessert for Mom next time she comes in. This is an easy and cost-effective way to show appreciation and get people to return.

11. Make family-style dishes

Mother’s Day is all about family. Think about ways that you can create meals that suit your niche that will allow families to eat together and have some fun at the table.

What about a big sharing basket of buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes on the side? Steakhouses could serve a meat platter featuring prime rib, beef tenderloin, and filet mignon.

For a seafood eatery, oysters on the half shell, fresh grilled fish, or any variation of lobster dish are likely hits.

12. Spruce up your brunch menu

The ever-popular brunch hour on Mother’s Day gives you a good opportunity to play up your A.M. menu items. Feature a brunch menu that caters to all.

Moms that like to eat healthy will go for a local take on a frittata or seasonal fresh fruit, and maybe even an eggs benedict with veggies swapped for the ham. For the moms that prefer something heartier, try a fun departure from American breakfast with a similarly carb-heavy English breakfast with unlimited sides of hash browns. This is best served with a proper cup of tea, of course.

13. Have strong lunch and dinner menus

Mother’s Day lunch and dinner will vary widely depending on the style of your restaurant. Some of the most searched-for items on search engines for Mother’s Day meals include surf & turf, Italian favorites like lasagna and fettuccine alfredo, roasted chicken, and tacos. There’s a good chance that families coming to your restaurant are hoping for something adjacent to these genres, but let your unique menu shine above all else.

Additionally, be sure to represent your area. Local flair is an excellent way to attract and retain diners: People are increasingly interested in just what the flavors of their area really are. Local restaurants can help make themselves truly “local” by tapping into specific regional cuisines and traditions.

14. Focus on desserts

Desserts should be one of the prime focuses of Mother’s Day. This can be a time for your chefs to truly shine, especially if you have a pastry chef.

Consider offering desserts you can’t easily make at home, like crème brûlée, strawberry cheesecake, tiramisu, artisan ice cream, and so on. Dessert is an excellent way to leave your diners with a good taste in their mouth—quite literally. Serve an excellent dessert after a top-notch meal, and you’ll be remembered fondly.

Make Mom’s day unforgettable

Mother’s Day is the mother of all opportunities for restaurants. You can help make Mom happy, provide a bustling shift for your servers, and win new customers who will come back soon.

As you prep for the day, test out a new suite of technology that could help your restaurant pop up in search results. Take charge of your front-of-house management with Yelp Guest Manager. This software supports your team by handling reservations, allowing diners to check themselves in, and so much more. Restaurants that start using Guest Manager experience up to 2X the traffic on their Yelp Business Page.**

Get a demo today to level up your front-of-house management in time for Mother’s Day.