With restaurants putting a lot of effort into attracting families, foodies, and influencers, couples looking for a place to enjoy a romantic dinner tend to get overlooked. While couples might not stop by their favorite restaurant every morning before work or bring a large party with them, they can become loyal customers that visit during Valentine’s day, anniversaries, or dates. If you want your restaurant to become the go-to spot for couples, you can attract them by simply using the right food, location, atmosphere, services, and at-home meal kits.
1. Offer Romantic Meals
Everyone loves food, but that doesn’t mean any meal will do. When it comes to a dinner date, couples will be scouring your menu for those staple dishes often associated with a romantic evening such as spaghetti, scallops, chicken, steak, and chocolate-flavored desserts. To make selecting meals easier, create a menu specially designed for couples and include a wine selection that pairs with certain dishes.
Establishments that only serve certain types of food, might have a harder time selecting dishes that couples will prefer. In this case, you can talk to your chef and work with them to create dishes that are specifically for couples. Keep in mind that couples prefer dishes that:
- Can be shared
- Won’t stain clothes
- Require cutlery
- Don’t contain ingredients that cause bad breath
At the end of their meal, you can offer mints and moist towelettes to help them freshen up for the rest of the evening.
2. Create A Romantic Setting
If your establishment has a waterfront view, then you’re in luck. The sight, sound, and smell of the water create the type of relaxing atmosphere that couples are looking for on a night out. Seating couples near the view of a natural body of water is an effortless way of creating a romantic setting. Restaurants with rooftop patios are also in luck because the vast views of a lit-up metropolitan city or quaint little town can be invigorating.
Of course, being located in an expensive ocean-side district or having a rooftop patio isn’t a viable option for every restaurant. To achieve the same effect of a waterfront or rooftop view, you can simply install a fountain near the area where you seat couples or seat them outdoors in a beautifully decorated courtyard or patio. The sounds of trickling water coming from a nearby fountain can serve as soothing background noise. With the right ornamentation, an outdoor eating area can be just as impressive as a rooftop view.
To create a more romantic ambiance, you can add subtle details to your restaurant’s interior and table settings. For example:
- Use candles to create a flattering, warm glow
- Place flowers on tables
- Designate a quiet area for couples
- Play romantic music
- Decorate with a splash of red or pink
- Use soft linens for napkins and table covers
3. Offer Special Services
A new trend among restaurants is to offer couples packages, such as a proposal package that offers the best table, a customized menu, and a photographer to capture the special moment. A couples package can be as simple as offering champagne and desserts to as grand as serving a customized, multi-course tasting menu. You can also let your customers know that you are open to special requests such as:
- Leaving a private message on seating cards
- Requesting a song to be played by the band or over the loudspeakers
- Delivering flowers to the restaurant
- Renting out the dining room
- Placing an engagement ring in food or a drink
- Requesting a specific table
- Complementing their significant other
Tip: Make sure to let customers know that special requests must be made ahead of time.
4. Create Meal Kits For Couples
What if we told you that you could even cater to couples who opt to stay at home? Some couples prefer to stay in, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like to enjoy good food. A meal kit for couples is a great option because they’ll have fun making the recipes together. Adding roses, candles, or a special note into kits is a great way to make stay-at-home meals extra special. For long-distance relationships, create a meal kit that can be delivered to two separate locations to surprise that special someone.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to include creative and delicious recipes they’ll enjoy but nothing too complicated. You don’t want to create a meal kit for dishes that will take more than 30 minutes. You should also pick a meal that requires little cleanup. Having to clean up a messy kitchen can ruin the mood.
