u/WishboneCritical7302

I posted here yesterday about my restaurant being packed on weekends but slow during the week, and a lot of you suggested focusing more on events and experiences instead of just running discounts.

With July 4th here, I'm thinking this might be a good chance to try something different. I am considering running it for a week to bring people during the weekdays.

Would you go with a discount (like a meal deal or drink special), or would you put that budget into something like live music, trivia, or a themed night?

I want to know from those who have tried holiday promotions before, what actually brought people through the door?

So weekends are great. I usually have a waitlist, the staff is pretty busy and sales are exactly where I want them to be. The monday hits and it's like someone flipped a switch.

The dining room is half empty, online orders also slow downs and I am basically watching fixed costs pile up while hoping people walk thorugh the door. It makes cash flow feel way more unpredictable than it should be.

I have tried weekday specials and posting more on insta, but neither has made a noticeable difference. I don't really want to start discounting everything just to fill tables because that feels like a race to the bottom.

Looking for ideas that worked in the real world, not just marketing advice that sounds good on paper.

I recently launched my brand and my inbox is strating to fill up with samequestions on order, updates, etc..

I'd love to set up auto replies so customers get an instant response while I handle evrything else.

What are you all using? Any tool you'd recommend that's easy to set up and doesn't cost a fortune?