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We asked our panel of mystery guests who they are celebrating with this year and not all of them are celebrating with romantic partners, 7% are in fact getting together with friends. The term ‘Galantine’s was coined in 2010 by fictional character, Leslie Knope of Netflix series, Parks and Recreation. Galentine’s Day is celebrated on February 13th and is a day for women to get together with their gal pals, single or not. This could become more of an opportunity for operators in the future, marketing to both couples and friends, with a chance to fill seats on both February 13th and 14th.
So how are people spending Valentine’s Day? With the M&S ‘Love Sausage’ launching last year, we wanted to find out how many guests are staying in vs going out. It turns out that 63% are still in favour of heading out, but of those staying in, 40% are in fact celebrating with a dine-in option for two.
The majority of guests (76%) will be going out for a meal in the evening however some are combining with other activities - 10% are heading to the cinema or theatre and 7% are having a weekend away. For those dining out, half will be eating at a casual dining restaurant and 30% are going to a fancy restaurant. 8% said it’s a surprise!
When it comes to deciding where to dine, only 19% received a promotion, but this did encourage 15% to book – a huge opportunity for operators to make more of offers such as discounts for loyal guests and special Valentine’s menus. Afterall, a significant 81% said they will or might be eating from the Valentine’s menu – operators relying on their regular menu could be missing a trick.
In comparison to last year, 13% more guests are celebrating Valentine’s Day this year – we believe this may be due to the fact that this year, it’s on a Friday. It’s important for operators to run their Valentine promotions over a 7-day period including restaurant décor and social media.
