St. Patrick’s Day represents a significant revenue opportunity for restaurants and bars, consistently ranking as one of the highest-grossing days of the year for on-premise establishments. According to NielsenIQ analysis, St. Patrick’s Day is the highest grossing day of the year for U.S. bars and restaurants. In 2018, compared with the average day, beer sales grew 174% on St. Patrick’s Day, and spirits sales rose 153%.
Source: NielsenIQ
The 2025 National Retail Federation survey shows that 61% of consumers plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, with an average spend of $43.64 per person. With St. Patrick’s Day 2026 falling on Tuesday, March 17th, restaurants have the opportunity to extend celebrations throughout the weekend and capture multiple days of increased traffic.
No matter what type of restaurant you’re operating, St. Patrick’s Day can provide a major boost for spring sales. Here are proven strategies to help you maximize revenue on St. Patrick’s Day 2026 at your restaurant.
Overall Consumer Spending Trends
In 2024, U.S. consumers planned to spend a total of approximately $7.2 billion to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, representing a 4.3% increase from 2023. The average American spent $44.40 on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in 2024, with 62% of the population participating in the festivities.
Maximize Beer and Beverage Sales
St. Patrick’s Day is synonymous with beverage sales, particularly beer. Pubs and bars see uplifts of 57% compared with dining locations, which see an uplift of 7%. National stout sales rise significantly—up 141% versus the previous weekend.
Source: BeerBoard 2025 Report
Beverage Strategy Recommendations:
- Feature Guinness prominently with special pricing or promotions
- Offer green beer using food coloring for visual appeal
- Create Irish-themed cocktails featuring Irish whiskey
- Don’t forget alternatives like Murphy’s Stout, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, or Harp Lager
- Include green mocktails for non-drinkers and families
- Consider whiskey tastings as upscale offerings
- Bundle drink specials with food items
Create Irish-Themed Menu Specials
While St. Patrick’s Day is known for drinking, food plays a crucial role in the celebration. According to the National Retail Federation, 29% of celebrators plan to cook a special dinner, creating opportunities for both dine-in and takeout offerings.
Extend Celebrations Throughout the Weekend
St. Patrick’s Day 2026 falls on Tuesday, March 17th, but smart restaurants start celebrations early. Consider extending your promotions from Friday, March 14th through the weekend and into the actual holiday.
BeerBoard’s 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Report analyzed the holiday weekend (Friday-Monday, March 14-17), showing that celebrations span multiple days. This multi-day approach allows you to:
- Maximize capacity across several nights
- Capture different customer segments (weekend partiers vs. Tuesday traditionalists)
- Smooth out staffing and inventory management
- Market “practice” or “warm-up” events before the main day
Host Irish-Themed Events and Entertainment
Events drive traffic and create memorable experiences that encourage social media sharing and word-of-mouth marketing.
🎵 Live Irish Music
Traditional Irish bands or folk musicians create authentic atmosphere
💃 Irish Dance Performances
Professional dancers or dance competitions
🧠 Trivia Nights
Test customers’ knowledge of St. Patrick’s Day, Irish culture, or “all things green”
👗 Costume Contests
Prizes for best leprechaun, most creative green outfit, or best Irish-themed costume
🔍 Scavenger Hunts
Hide four-leaf clovers or gold coins throughout the venue with prizes
🍀 Four-Leaf Clover Hunt
Tape paper clovers under random bar stools—lucky seat winners get free items
🥮 Coin Toss Games
Guests throw plastic gold coins into leprechaun pots for points and prizes
🎤 Karaoke
Irish songs and pub favorites
Decorate for Maximum Impact
Nearly a quarter of consumers (approximately 24%) decorate their homes or workplaces for St. Patrick’s Day, showing the importance of visual ambiance.
Decoration Essentials:
- Green, white, and orange decorations (Irish flag colors)
- Shamrocks and four-leaf clovers throughout the venue
- Rainbow and pot-of-gold displays
- Leprechaun figurines and themed signage
- Green lighting or uplighting for evening atmosphere
- Irish flags and banners
- Themed table centerpieces with shamrocks or mini pots of gold
- Photo-worthy backdrop areas for social media sharing
Offer Family-Friendly Options
Family Appeal Strategies:
- Green-themed kids’ menu items (green pancakes, green mac and cheese)
- Non-alcoholic “mocktails” in festive green colors
- Face painting station with shamrocks and Irish flags
- Leprechaun treasure hunts for children
- Coloring sheets and activities
- Special kids’ meal deals
- Early dining hours for families before evening crowds
Leverage Digital Marketing and Social Media
Wearing green is the leading St. Patrick’s Day activity at 79.4%, making visual content especially shareable.
Marketing Strategy:
- Start promoting 3-4 weeks in advance
- Create Instagram-worthy moments with themed decorations and drinks
- Use hashtags: #StPatricksDay, #StPaddysDay, #LuckOfTheIrish, #GoGreen
- Run social media contests (best green outfit, most festive photo)
- Email past St. Patrick’s Day customers with early reservation offers
- Post daily countdown content leading up to March 17th
- Share menu sneak peeks and drink specials
- Partner with local food bloggers or influencers
- Create Facebook events for special programming
Manage Reservations and Capacity
With St. Patrick’s Day being one of the busiest days for restaurants, proper reservation management is critical.
Reservation Best Practices:
- Open reservations 3-4 weeks in advance
- Consider prepayment or deposit requirements to reduce no-shows
- Implement time limits for table turns during peak hours
- Use waitlist technology for walk-in overflow
- Send confirmation reminders 24-48 hours before reservations
- Overstaff for expected volume increase
- Pre-batch popular cocktails to speed service
- Prepare mise en place for high-volume menu items
Don’t Forget Takeout and Delivery
Not everyone wants to brave crowded restaurants and bars on St. Patrick’s Day. Offering takeout and delivery options expands your revenue potential.
Takeout Strategies:
- “Meal for Two” or “Family Feast” Irish dinner packages
- Pre-order systems to manage kitchen capacity
- Special packaging that keeps food hot and fresh
- Include reheating instructions for best quality
- Bundle drinks (growlers of green beer, Irish whiskey bottles)
- Offer pickup discounts to incentivize direct orders
- Market through third-party delivery platforms
- Create “St. Patrick’s Day Party Kits” with food, drinks, and decorations
Create Loyalty Through Post-Holiday Marketing
St. Patrick’s Day provides an opportunity to capture new customers and turn them into regulars.
Turn St. Patrick’s Day Visitors Into Loyal Customers
With Bloom’s restaurant marketing platform, you can:
– Automatically capture customer data from St. Patrick’s Day visitors
– Track who came in during the celebration and what they ordered
– Send automated follow-up campaigns in the following weeks
– Offer “come back” promotions for April to maintain momentum
– Segment customers by spending patterns and preferences
– Measure the true ROI of your St. Patrick’s Day promotions
– Build your customer database for future holiday marketing
The best part? Bloom automates these processes, allowing you to focus on delivering great experiences while the platform handles customer engagement and retention.
Click Here to Schedule a Free Online Demo, or call 727-877-8181 to see how we can help you save time and drive tangible results for your restaurants.
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