Your restaurant or bar has probably been closed for some time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and you’re about ready to get back into the swing of things. Do you want to guarantee a lunch rush? Maybe you want the reservations to go through the roof on Friday and Saturday nights. No matter what, you will get a crazy amount of attention with promotional items like glassware, napkin holders, and t-shirts.

You don’t want to just be any other diner or burger joint in town. You want to be the diner or burger joint in town. It all starts with getting your name and/or logo everywhere you possibly can!

1. Custom Napkin Caddy

It may not be that glamorous, but a napkin caddy gets the job done. If you’re a bar or a restaurant that serves alcohol, you’ll want these little containers within reach for all your patrons. As a bonus, your bartenders won’t have to lay out the napkin before serving a drink, saving time if it gets really busy.

2. Personalized Drink Glasses

Sure, you could have a bunch of cups decorated with “Coca-Cola.” Isn’t it better, though, to have custom glasses unique to your business? Fill them with soda or water at every meal, or offer them as promotional items with the purchase of a specialty drink. You can also do the same thing with bottle koozies if you’re not using glassware!

See it in Action

Rainforest Café offers souvenir cocktail glasses, including some that illuminate the wild jungle décor and aquariums found in the restaurant These are filled with regular soda, slushies, or mixed drinks, and you can also buy them from the gift shop.

3. Promotional Coasters

Create a cozy, homey vibe in your restaurant with coasters at every table. This is an especially great swag idea if you’re a coffee shop. With dim lighting and comfy armchairs, your shop will feel like an old-fashioned meeting place for sophisticated minds.

4. Personalized Bottle Openers

Do you run a brewery, or are you well-known for your beers, wines, and spirits? Equip your bartenders and servers with real deal bottle openers like the double-sided ones featured here. Corkscrews, measuring cups, shakers, and everything else behind the bar should also be printed with your restaurant’s logo or name.

5. Custom Mints 

Breakfast places usually offer Dum-Dum lollipops to their customers. You can accomplish that same palate cleansing goodness with complimentary mints. Bring them to the table as promotional items with the check instead of keeping them in a bowl by the register. This is the more sanitary option.

See it in Action

Olive Garden’s chocolate mints are as popular as their never-ending pasta and garlicy breadsticks. The mints are specially made for the restaurant and individually wrapped in shiny metallic foil.

6. Logo Oven Mitts

Oven mitts with your logo are a great way to advertise your restaurant. People who dine with you will think of your food every time they’re in their kitchen at home. And if you have delivery, even better! On days when cooking is out of the question, all it takes is a quick glance at these mitts, and a person can pick up the phone and place an order with you.

7. Reusable Plastic Cups

Kids meals can be advertising gold mines when you pour the drinks into stadium cups with lids. When the cups are reused at home for after-school snacks in the future, your customers will think “oh yeah, I really liked eating there.” Just like that, you opened the door for repeat business!  

8. Custom Coolers

Your restaurant should be part of every tailgate, picnic, and backyard barbeque. So go ahead… print your logo nice and big on a portable cooler! With any luck, takeout from your restaurant will be what’s stuffed inside.

9. Promotional Apparel

A stylish t-shirt, hat, pair of custom sunglasses, or hoodie will do all the advertising for you. Your patrons will wear these promotional clothing items when they’re out and about, people will ask questions, and just like that, you’ve got more eyes on your bar or restaurant. Keep in mind, you want the clothes to be stylish, or they’ll just end up stuffed in a drawer, or in the back of the closet!

See it in Action

Hard Rock Café is not only a delicious diner, but also a music memorabilia paradise! Anyone who visits their restaurant can go home with fun souvenirs like their extra famous graphic tees.

10. Ceramic Coffee Mugs

Personalized coffee mugs are essential for any restaurant or diner, especially if you sell breakfast, lattes, or delicious hot chocolate. Use the mugs while serving meals, but also consider selling them for a small price in a gift shop. A stylish design will fly right off the shelves!  

11. Personalized Drink Flights

Sometimes it’s impossible to choose between a bunch of tasty drinks. That’s why your guests will love custom drink flights and sampler trays. You can offer limited edition flights and rotate the drinks every month, or bust them out for special occasions like birthday parties or wedding rehearsal dinners.

12. Custom Keychains

Think about it. When your patrons are out and about, whether it’s running errands or coming home from a concert, they’re going to think about stopping for a bite to eat. A promotional keychain from your restaurant is a good reminder of where they should go!

13. Promotional Magnets

It happens to all of us… you run out of time to get to the grocery store, but you’re starving. Restaurant magnets are little memos for those moments. All it takes is a quick glance at the refrigerator, and you’ll have the phone number for a good place to eat right in your line of vision.

14. Personalized Fortune Cookies

While fortune cookies are a must at Chinese restaurants, they can be fun little desserts for any eating establishment. Be creative with the custom message inside, whether it’s a discount code for the next meal or some kind of funny message that makes your customers smile.

See it in Action

Panda Express, which opened its doors in 1983, gives away more fortune cookies than any other restaurant with an estimated 292 million every year!

15. Bulk Sanitizer Wipes

Barbeque, chicken wings, lobster, fondue, sushi… these are just some of the messiest foods on the planet. They’re also some of the most delicious! If your restaurant sells any of the above, you’ll want to be sure to have sanitizer wipes at every table.

Final Thoughts

There’s an episode of the popular cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants” where a little fish refuses to eat at the Krusty Krab restaurant because it lacks “atmosphere.” You won’t have that problem if you try any of the custom swag ideas listed above!

A gift shop full of t-shirts, coasters at every table, custom glassware for your drinks, funny fortune cookies… these things are small, but they do wonders when it comes to creating a fine dining experience. You can get a ton of value using promotional items for business. Bon Appétit!

References

Panda Express. (2016, July 20). Panda Express Gives Fortune Cookies a Bake-Over to Share Spirit of Giving and Gratitude Through New #ShareGoodFortune Campaign. Retrieved from, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/panda-express-gives-fortune-cookies-a-bake-over-to-share-spirit-of-giving-and-gratitude-through-new-sharegoodfortune-campaign-300300999.html

London, D. (2019, September 23). HARD: The Story Behind the World’s Most Popular Shirt. Retrieved from, https://thehundreds.com/blogs/content/hard-the-story-behind-the-worlds-most-popular-t-shirt

Myers, D. (2016, March 11). Olive Garden’s After-Dinner Mints Aren’t What They Seem. Retrieved from, https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/olive-garden-s-after-dinner-mints-arent-what-they-seem