There’s a reason restaurants roll out the red carpet for Mother’s Day. Moms do a vast majority of the cooking and decision making at grocery stores – about 80% versus 20% of men, according to Pew Research – and restaurants are well positioned to provide them with a much-needed break (and perhaps a Bloody Mary).
Indeed, Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for many restaurants, big and small. And this yar should be no different; according to the National Restaurant Association, 56% of consumers plan to eat out to pamper their mom. Data from Technomic, Toast and Tock corroborates the significance of this day for the industry. Technomic data shows that 42% of consumers plan to purchase food from a restaurant and, among those, 74% plan to dine in, while 50% plan to purchase food from a chain restaurant.
Toast finds that Mother’s Day is the highest-grossing Sunday of the year for restaurants, surpassing even NFL Sundays. According to the company, full-service restaurants experience a 51% increase in volume and 14% more transactions compared to an average Sunday. Further, the average ticket size is 32% higher than average. Meanwhile, Tock data finds that 38% of moms plan to spend an extra $10 to $20 per meal to celebrate the holiday, while 37% plan to spend an additional $25 to $50 more.
Where do families focus their attention? Brunch, mostly – 45% of transactions on Mother’s Day come during brunch hours. It seems those brunch goers are likely ordering some mimosas, as sparkling wine sales are 99% higher on Mother’s Day than they are an average Sunday. Tock’s data, however, found a slight shift from that brunch habit, noting that 52% of its survey participants plan to celebrate the holiday by dining out for dinner, versus just over 15% for brunch.
The bottom line is the holiday always provides a big bump to the bottom line. As such, restaurants from every segment go all out, with special deals and promotions galore. And, make no mistake, we moms want those special deals and promotions galore; 32% of moms would be most enticed to dine at a restaurant that offered a special Mother’s Day menu, Tock finds, while free add-ons – like a special cocktail or flowers – are the second highest selection. This is similar to data from the National Restaurant Association, finding that 33% of consumers are more likely to dine at a restaurant that offers a special Mother’s Day discount, while 47% say the same about a takeout or delivery discount. Nearly 40% of consumers would choose a restaurant if they offered a special Mother’s Day menu. To fully understand just how important Mother’s Day is for our industry, check out this incomparably robust list of promotions we’ve received in our inboxes.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]