LEAWOOD KAN. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
The 105-unit chain recently introduced a Thursday night “Viva la Diva” promotion featuring new drinks, mini appetizers, special music and cosmetics giveaways as a way to differentiate itself from its casual-dining competitors. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Houlihan’s, which distributed fliers to promote the program, also created a special Viva la Diva section on its website, where visitors can upload photos of themselves, post comments about their ladies’ night experiences and send electronic invitations to friends for a night out. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
“We think about our bars as a destination in and of themselves,” said vice president of marketing Jen Gulvik. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
That’s a good strategy for Houlihan’s to pursue in light of the competition’s value-price promotions, said Dennis J. Lombardi, executive vice president of food-service strategies at WD Partners in Columbus, Ohio. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar offers a $5.99 Pick ‘N Pair lunch menu and T.G.I. Friday’s Right Portion, Right Price menu includes items from $6.99 to $8.99. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
“It’s going to be difficult for a brand like Houlihan’s to counter the value propositions that we’re seeing because they’re not positioned at that level,” he said. “In the continuing fight to get customers and keep traffic going, you have to a find a new way.” —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
He called the Viva la Diva promotion a “reasonable approach” to standing apart from the competition and said it could bring in business from young diners. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
“These programs tend to attract a lot of 24- to 34-year-old people, and that group has been a little softer in casual-dining traffic lately than older people,” Lombardi said. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Other chains have been successful in driving food and beverage sales by making their bars destination places. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Steakhouse chain Morton’s Restaurant Group Inc. has credited its Bar 12-21, which serves liquor and “Bar Bites,” with driving sales. The company plans to open seven new steakhouses this year, each with a Bar 12-21, and retrofit eight to 10 steakhouses to include the bar, according to its first-quarter financial statement. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
The Pilsner Room at McCormick & Schmick’s Harborside Restaurant in Portland, Ore., has been successful for many years, Lombardi said. It features a $1.95 bar menu with the purchase of a drink, “and on a lot of nights they pack the place,” Lombardi said. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House introduced a “luxury lounge” concept in 2004 as a gathering spot for diners who want to have meals and drinks in a “casual yet luxurious” setting, said company president and chief executive Craig Miller. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
The concept has helped to drive sales. An average check increase of 4.1 percent during the second quarter this year was driven in part by beverage sales in the lounge, according to a Ruth’s Chris financial report. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Houlihan’s bars are decked out for the Viva la Diva promotion with fresh flowers and candles on the tables and glow bracelets on the stems of glasses. The recorded music played in the bar is by contemporary female artists, and a new flight of appetizers and “flirty” drinks with such names as Brazilian Wax and X-Rated Flirtini are designed specifically for women. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
“You have to think about the way they eat, drink and socialize,” Gulvik said. “They’re not ordering an entrée. It’s more of a grazing atmosphere. They like bread, cheese and dip.” —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
That led Houlihan’s to create a new appetizer, called the Three Dip Flight. Intended for sharing, it includes white bean dip with tomatoes and basil, roasted red pepper and feta dip with Mediterranean olives, and creamy artichoke dip served with tortilla chips and focaccia crisps. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Customers who attend the Viva la Diva nights will receive Bella Il Fiore makeup kits. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Although the promotion is designed to boost food and beverage sales on Thursday nights, the ultimate goal is to turn customers on that night into frequent and loyal diners on other nights and give a spike to sales, which recently have been flat, Gulvik said. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Viva la Diva also is a way to show that Houlihan’s is still a trendsetter in food and drinks the way it was in the 1970s, when “it was hopping and there were lines waiting to get in,” she said. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
The chain “kind of got out of sync with customers in the ‘80s,” Lombardi said, and he credits Robert Hartnett, who bought Houlihan’s in 2002, with turning the brand around. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
Houlihan’s began a reimaging drive in 2005 with the debut of a more contemporary restaurant design that includes open kitchens, more-dominant bars and patios. It also recently secured $68 million in financing to fund long-awaited expansion. —Other casual-dining chains have offered value-priced meals to boost traffic and sales, but Houlihan’s Restaurants is reinforcing the image of its bar as a destination spot with the launch of a ladies’ night promotion designed to increase beverage sales.
