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Icebreakers: 5 Ways Football and Frigid Temps Can Stump the Post-Holiday Slump

The post-holiday slump is a common challenge for restaurants as consumer spending typically cooling off in January and February after the peak of December festivities. To maintain consistent revenue, successful operators shift their strategy from "mass appeal" to "targeted loyalty," using creative promotions and digital engagement to give guests a reason to dine out during the off-season
 
winter weather restaurant delivery strategies

Key Points:

  • Transforming drops in dining room numbers by boosting delivery sales. 

  • Embracing the 2025 arctic blast by offering meal deals, cozy cuisine, and door-to-door incentives.

  • Tapping into the post-season NFL frenzy by promoting shareable dishes, gameday bundles, and TV-watching essentials.

Every year, as the holidays end and the new year begins, many businesses experience a post-holiday season slump. As frigid temperatures cause in-person dining to take a winter break,  this year’s record-breaking arctic conditions could prove to be advantageous for restaurant delivery.

As extreme winter weather coincides with post-season football,  restaurants can re-energize delivery sales and ice-out the post-holiday slump.

 
winter weather restaurant delivery strategies
Cozy Cuisine to Beat the January Chill

5 Ways to Stump the Post-Holiday Slump

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1. Embrace Arctic Appeal 

Cold weather can be a strong motivator for customers to stay in and order food delivery. Leverage this with marketing campaigns that focus on the convenience and comfort of hot, delicious meals delivered straight to their doors. 

  • Cold-Weather Cures: Promote cozy comfort foods like soups, stews, pasta, and hot sandwiches.

  • Snow Day Deals: Offer snow days discounts or free delivery during extreme weather days.

  • Mercury-Based Discounts: Tie discounts to the thermometer, (i.e., 15% off when temps drop below 15 degrees.)

  • Hot Drink Pairings: Include a free hot beverage with pre-set amount delivery orders.

 
winter weather restaurant delivery strategies
NFL Playoffs

2. Tap into Football Fever

The NFL playoffs bring people together, making it the perfect time to promote shareable game-day dishes and TV-watching essentials.  

  • Touchdown Bundles: Feature group-friendly items like wings, sliders, and nachos.

  • Halftime Warm-Ups: Offer exclusive deals on pizza, appetizers, and desserts.

  • Winning Discounts: Provide a next-day discount if the local team advances in the playoffs. 

  • Watch Party Essentials: Offer platters or catering deals perfect for hosting at-home tailgate parties.

  • Collaborate with Teams and Influencers: Partner with local sports bars or social media influencers to promote your playoff specials.

  • Sponsor Local Sports: Drive community support and brand visibility by sponsoring local kids’ sports teams or leagues.

     
winter weather restaurant delivery strategies
Beat the Chill, Fuel the Playoff Thrill

3. Unify Strategies

Consolidate offerings that ignite excitement for the playoffs with cold-weather comfort. Create catchy taglines and hashtags to promote your unified campaign across social media.

Inspiration:

  • Blizzard Bowl Bundles

  • Football Frenzy Fuel 

  • Wildcard Weekend Winners 

  • Deep Freeze Pizza

  • Touchdown Tacos

  • Gridiron Grills

 
Football and Frigid Temps Icing Out the Post-Holiday Slump for Restaurants
Enhanced Delivery

4. Level-Up the Delivery Experience

Cold weather demands an exceptional delivery experience to ensure customers come back season-after-season. Focus on quality packaging, timely deliveries, and reliability.

Tips:

  • Insulated Packaging: Invest in high quality packaging that keeps food hot and beverages warm.

  • Timely Deliveries: Guarantee delivery times, especially during game days, by offering pre-ordering.

  • Get the Word Out: Highlight your ability to deliver even in adverse weather conditions on social media.

 
winter weather restaurant delivery strategies
Playoff Engagement

5. Boost Audience Engagement  

Engaging with your audience can amplify your reach and create a loyal customer following.

Ideas for Fan Engagement:

  • Photo Contests: Ask customers to share images of their game-day spreads for a chance to win free meals or future discounts.

  • Trivia Challenges: Offer rewards for correct answers to football-related trivia questions.

  • Game Predictions: Engage followers with team predictions and polls, offering small rewards for participants. Award discounts to those who correctly guess game outcomes, over-under scores, or quarter-by-quarter stats. 

  • Weather Alerts: Use email and social media to alert customers about upcoming cold-weather specials.

  • Playoff Engagement: Share behind-the-scenes clips of your kitchen preparing game-day orders to spark customer interest.

 
Philadelphia Eagles vs Greenbay Packers
NFL Wildcard Weekend

2025 Wildcard Weekend Schedule

Wild Card Weekend kicks off in Houston and concludes in Los Angeles with the opening round  beginning with the Houston Texans hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday 1/11/2025 at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Saturday, Jan. 11

  • Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)

  • Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

Sunday, Jan. 12

  •  Denver Broncos at  Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)

  • Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Deportes)

  • Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock, Universo)

Monday, Jan. 13

  • Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+/ ESPN Deportes, ESPN2/ESPN+)

 
Restaurant Delivery

 
winter weather restaurant delivery strategies

Take Away

With cozy cuisine, timely delivery, and engaging promotions, your restaurant can stump the post-holiday slump. By aligning your marketing strategy with extreme weather conditions and the NFL playoff season, restaurants can transform a slow season into a season of opportunity. 

 
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By Eileen Strauss

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The most effective way to beat the slump is to plant the seed in December. Restaurants distribute physical or digital coupons during the busy holiday weeks that are only valid for redemption in January or February. This “pre-books” your revenue by incentivizing guests to return during the quietest months of the year.

Since customers are often looking for something “new” after a season of traditional holiday heavy meals, January is the perfect time for a menu refresh. Launching a “Winter Wellness” menu or a hyper-limited dish (available for two weeks only) creates a “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) that drives traffic without requiring a permanent change to your kitchen operations.

In a slow season, guests need a “destination” reason to visit. Hosting events like trivia nights, wine-pairing dinners, or “Chef’s Table” experiences turns a standard Tuesday into a special occasion. These events are highly shareable on social media, helping to drive organic word-of-mouth marketing when your advertising budget might be lean.

January often brings colder weather and a desire to stay indoors. Boosting your delivery marketing—specifically targeting your “Direct Ordering” platform—allows you to reach customers who are avoiding the cold. Offering “Family-Sized Comfort Bundles” caters to the post-holiday desire for convenience and value.

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