Springtime brings a veritable buffet of delights: longer days, warmer weather, leaves on the trees, and a whole day to treat Mom like royalty. But moms aren't the only winners. Mother's Day gives independent restaurants the opportunity to create a special Mother's Day brunch menu, dinner service, or promotions that cater to families. As with other holidays like St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo, restaurants can showcase seasonal items and get a little creative with their Mother's Day offerings.
The National Restaurant Association says 43% of consumers plan to eat out or order online that day, making it the busiest and most profitable holiday of the year for restaurants everywhere. A good number of consumers (34%) want the full-service dine in experience. However, with so many places jam-packed on the actual day, many people (12%) will opt for take-out and delivery.
Meanwhile, SpotOn data shows that total Mother's Day total sales have increased 77% since 2021 with a 78% increase in individual transactions. How that plays out in 2025, with a gloomier consumer sentiment, remains to be seen, but the good news is a celebratory dining experience will always be in style.
Consider expanding your offerings beyond traditional brunch and dinner service to include grab-and-go meal options and value deals. You can also offer gift cards and experiences (like a wine tasting or a cooking class) that would make an excellent Mother's Day gift.
Celebrations are more than just a Mother's Day meal. That's why we compiled this list of Mother's Day restaurant ideas for both in-house and online experiences. Check it out, then call your mother.
Mother's Day can be a tough time for many people. Consider allowing guests to opt-out of email marketing content featuring Mother's Day promotions, and encourage staff to swap shifts if necessary for their wellbeing.
Showcase Mother's Day themed items
The National Restaurant Association reports that 46% of guests are looking for special Mother's Day items. Below are 6 ideas to adapt your regular menu, which can be updated in your restaurant POS.
1. Offer high-end options
A few years back the National Restaurant Association found that moms want to splurge on their special day with seafood, steak, and ethnic cuisine. This year is no different. Despite dips in consumer sentiment, guests typically splurge for celebrations like Mother's Day restaurant specials. Mothers day comes on the heels of tax refund season, when more customers might be feeling more optimistic about their finances.
While specials depend on your concept, offering classics like filet mignon, lobster, salmon, and prime rib give your guests an opportunity to splurge. Consider adding a ham or beef carving station to your Mother's Day brunch buffet to mark the occasion. Adding more expensive items like these are also a great way to increase revenue.
2. Create unique cocktails
Go beyond the mimosa. Draw inspiration from seasonal ingredients like rhubarb, strawberry, and fresh thyme—or essential cocktail components like tequila and sparkling wine, which are always in season. For special brunch service, you can have fun with tea and coffee based drinks and add an Earl Grey or Espresso Martini to your cocktail list.
Mother's Day is also a great opportunity to expand your mocktail and non-alcoholic offerings. Not everyone celebrates with a stiff drink. That means sophisticated, complex zero-proof beverages for adult guests, as well as kid's drink specials for the whole family. Depending on the popularity of NA beverages among your target audience, you might want to stock no- or low-ABV spirits, beers, and wine options. For younger guests, promote fresh fruit juice, milk, hot chocolate, or even a house-made citrus soda with fresh lemon juice and a lemon twist.
3. Offer special desserts
Mom works hard, and she deserves a sweet treat. No matter the day part, include something sweet as a complement to your Mother's Day brunch buffet or full dinner menu. Add to your usual sweet offerings and create one or two specials for one day only. Tiramisu, banana bread, chocolate covered strawberries, and fruit tarts are all adaptable items that add to any Mother's Day menu.
4. Expand your kids menu
Consider including popular kids items like pancakes and waffles for breakfast. Or chicken fingers, mac and cheese, or kid-sized burgers for Mother's Day lunch and dinner. It may be a day for mothers, but happy kids are essential to the best Mother's Day brunch. As part of your Mother's Day promotions, you could offer a discount on kids meals while keeping your Mother's Day specials full price.
5. Have a Mother's Day brunch
If you normally serve breakfast and lunch, or just lunch, consider opening a bit earlier and offering a special Mother's Day brunch. French toast, omelets, and eggs Benedict are some popular items you could add to the menu. Don't forget to update your hours on your restaurant website and share a post on social media so every mom knows you're open earlier than usual.
6. Pair it with wine
It's no secret that women prefer wine over beer when it comes to adult beverages. To dazzle your dinnertime guests, create wine pairings for your most popular entrees, a selection of cheeses, or even post-dinner chocolates.
Give special Mother's Day promotions
When consumers dine out on Mother's Day, 47% are looking for some kind of discount. Here are a few Mother's Day marketing ideas so you can be top of mind on May 11th.
7. Offer bottomless or discounted drinks
For Mother's Day brunch, many restaurants offer mimosas or sangrias at $5 a glass. If they really want to draw in the crowd, they'll strategically implement bottomless cocktail promotions as part of the brunch service. Just be sure your state doesn't ban discounted alcohol. Also, bottomless drinks are for adults only, so be sure to have non-alcoholic options like juice, soda, and tea for people of all ages to enjoy.
8. Create a prix fixe menu
Prix fixe menus, also known as fixed-price menus, are popular for Mother's Day. By offering a set selection of courses for a preset price, you allow guests to sample a variety of dishes. Fixed menus not only make the choice easy, but they promote your best dishes. You can also offer big-ticket items like lobster, prime rib, and seafood towers as add-ons. Create a prix fixe menu by identifying popular yet cost-effective salad dishes and entree items to serve.
If you run a more casual concept or don't think prix-fixe is a fit for your Mother's Day specials, consider set appetizer or dessert specials, or a prix-fixe for the whole table. It's a deal for large parties, and saves your kitchen precious effort by limiting the number of dishes they'll be preparing during one of their busiest days. Scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes or breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, and salads all work well as shared plates.
9. Leverage social media
Get creative on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. If you’re promoting your Mother’s Day specials, you can pre-schedule Facebook posts using marketing automation tools. Encourage people to share photos of their mothers as young adults or children and give them a $5 promo code for their entry. Or make it a contest and award a free meal for 2 for the top submission. Food photos always play well on social media, so encourage guests to share their best Mother's Day brunch buffet shots and tag your restaurant on Instagram or Facebook so all their friends can see where they're enjoying the day.
10. Hold a raffle
Enter every guest into a drawing for prizes—like gift cards to local shops, a visit to a salon, or a spa session. Promote your raffle on social media a couple of weeks before Mother's Day and announce the winner the day after.
11. Offer extra loyalty points
If you have a loyalty rewards program, give additional loyalty points. Or offer more points for Mother's Day items that you want to promote on the day. You could even have special rewards like a drink, sweet treat, or merch that can only be redeemed on the day.
Add on complimentary gifts
If you want to make someone feel special, a gift doesn't hurt. According to the National Restaurant Association, 36% of guests hope for a free add-on when they go out on the big day. Here are some Mother's Day gift and promotion ideas that'll surprise and delight.
12. Offer a complimentary beverage or sweets
If you have a popular low-cost well drink, you could offer it complimentary without breaking the bank. Light and refreshing drinks like mimosas, Bellinis, and sangrias are perfect for such occasions and are sure to please. Offering a complimentary glass of sparkling wine to all the moms at the table is a great way to celebrate Mother's Day and delight your dine in customers.
Looking for an easy way to delight? Have your pastry chef walk around with a tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries, truffles, or bite-sized tarts. In fact, you could prepare a variety of mini desserts for people who just can't choose. Sometimes the best Mother's Day promotion ideas are the sweetest ones.
13. Give out free flowers
Roses, carnations, and tulips top the list of the best flowers for Mother's Day. Have your hosts hand out stems when moms arrive or put bouquets on tables, and encourage customers to leave with them.
14. Get them back in with a gift card
Give out gift cards to celebrate mothers and drive repeat business. Consider creating a Mother's Day-themed gift card for $5, $10, or $25 that guests can use for future visits. To ensure that they're not a free-for-all, servers could hand out one gift card per group after dine-in guests have paid the check.
15. Offer a gift basket with restaurant merch
If you're looking to go all out, put all the suggested items above in a gift basket, add a branded mug or t-shirt, and give one to each mom on their way out. When people see the baskets, they'll wait even longer for a table.
You could also consider partnering with local businesses to sell their items at your location during the Mother's Day service. Your increased foot traffic creates opportunity for their business, plus you'll benefit from exposure to their audience. Plan ahead and agree on the Mother's Day promotions you'll be sharing on your social channels. Perhaps dine in guests can get a discounted bouquet at a nearby florist by showing their Mother's Day lunch receipt.
Create a family-oriented atmosphere
Mother's Day brunch isn't just about the restaurant promotions. It's about creating an environment that is fun for everyone, so it doesn't feel like just another Sunday brunch.
16. Decorate your space
Don't underestimate the power of balloons, plants, banners, and other decor in transforming your dining room. Ensure bouquets are in stable vases to prevent spills and hand out helium balloons to delight young children.
17. Play music dedicated to mom
Make a themed playlist that matches your restaurant's ambiance. You could choose between popular classical pieces or classic songs dedicated to moms everywhere. Beyond the dinner entree and other delicious food items you're serving, music can transform a space and create an upscale or fun environment that makes people feel right at home.
18. Offer live music
Nothing livens things up like a band. Hire a local band to play all the Mother's Day favorite tunes. Get the crowd involved by encouraging people to come forward and make requests, or note their requests as they make reservations. Either way, live music is sure to be a hit with the brunch crowd.
19. Take photos, they'll last longer
Nothing says "Happy Mother's Day" like a polaroid picture of mom with her kid(s). Borrow or buy a polaroid camera and offer moms a photo to take home and remember the special day. To gild the lily, place the polaroid photo in a card or envelope that wishes you guests a very happy Mother's Day from all the staff at your restaurant.
If you have the space, you could set up a selfie or photo area that features your restaurant’s logo and branding and encourage guests to take their own photos to post on social media.
20. Hire a balloon artist or magician
The best presents for many moms are happy kids. Hire a balloon artist to make animal shapes while diners wait for their food. Or consider a magician to entertain kids with close-up magic at tables or a bigger show in a section of your space.
21. Give kids a project
Keep kids busy at the table. Create themed activity sheets with coloring pages, sudoku puzzles, crosswords, and word searches. Or you could give kids blank greeting cards so they can make their own unique card for mom. Just be sure to have enough crayons, markers, or colored pencils for everyone.
Make it special for online guests
Many people avoid going out on Mother's Day because of predictably high traffic during busy holidays. Or perhaps there are people who planned too late to make reservations and don't want to risk walking in during a crowded brunch shift. Reservations or not, these folks still want to enjoy your food. Maximize on the Saturday and drive traffic by offering these online ordering specials.
22. Offer breakfast-in-bed delivery combos
Create 3 takeout-only meal options that are geared specifically for breakfast in bed. Think french toast with bacon, and orange juice. Or scrambled eggs, smoked salmon bagel, and a specialty coffee drink. Be sure to offer a vegetarian or vegan option as well. Select items from your restaurant menu that travel well. You don't want to disappoint new guests with soggy bread and smooshed berries.
23. Provide a family picnic package
Create a picnic to-go package that people can come by and pick up on the way to the local park. Create a special menu of shareable items, maybe even throwing in a free appetizer as part of your Mother's Day restaurant promotions for off-premise guests. Sandwich kits, pastries, salads, and other snack-able foods will all travel well. You can always tuck a Mother's Day card or some kids' activities into the package to make it more special. If it's usually mom's job to handle the cooking, she'll appreciate the day off, plenty of extra family time, and the chance to support local restaurants.
Prep your staff and operations
24. Use a reservation system
Mother's Day specials can bring in new customers—make them return visitors and capture their contact information with a reservation system. With a reservation system integrated into your restaurant POS, your host can easily manage tables, which is no easy feat if they're dealing with outdoor seating and one of the busiest shifts in the restaurant industry.
No Mother's Day promotion ideas can save you from disorganized operations. Make sure you schedule staff appropriately based on confirmed reservations and anticipated traffic by using last year's sales reports and restaurant scheduling software.
25. Support your staff
Busy shifts are great for your bottom line (and your staff’s take home), but only when they’re handled efficiently. Handhelds can help your servers serve more guests and get orders to the kitchen faster. Plus they speed up the payment process, which is crucial for families with small children. You can also consider implementing QR codes, so guests can order on their own.
Make this Mother's Day your best yet
Whether you have already released your brunch reservations, or Sunday, May 11 is your first ever buffet, small touches can create an unforgettable experience. Go upscale with lobster or offer takeout with thoughtful picnic baskets. Either way, it's the time with friends and loved ones that will be most special of all.
