Valentine's Day: Add sharing dishes to menu for right atmosphere

With Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday this year, outlets can target customers during all three meal occasions, from breakfast through to dinner, and the day is likely to attract new customers as diners look for somewhere new to impress their dates. It is the perfect opportunity for outlets to entice couples and impress them so they return in the future.   

Sharing Dishes ​

Sharing dishes make a great addition to Valentine’s Day menus as they provide the intimacy couples will be looking for and a source of entertainment during the meal. At Premier Foodservice, we have a range of sharing recipes available via our foodservice website, including a Chinese-inspired dish within our new Winter Warmers calendar​.

With Chinese New Year falling on 8 February this year, our Sharwood’s Moo Shu Pork is perfect for sharing on Valentine’s Day and consists of little parcels of sliced pork and vegetables, bound in Sharwood’s Chow Mein & Chinese Mushroom Sauce and served on ‘lettuce scoops’. This could also form part of a wide sharing platter for a main course.

Sharing need not be confined to dinner time, sharing breakfasts such as, pancake stacks, or desserts such as, chocolate fondue, will also work well as part of a Valentine’s Day menu. 

Top Tips for Valentine’s Success​ 

• Promote your Valentine’s Day offering via social media and in-house advertising in the lead up to the big day
• Where possible, rearrange the restaurant so that most tables are set for two and decorate the space with red decorations. There’s no such thing as over-the-top when it comes to Valentine’s Day, adding candles and heart decorations will set the scene.
• Adding expensive items to the menu, such as oysters and Champagne, is a great way of increasing spend-per-head as diners will be looking to impress their dates
• Inspire consideration on drinks by including pairings on your Valentine’s Day menu