The best bars for St. Patrick’s Day are all competing for the top spot within their market. But not any bar and restaurant can be the best–at least not for a particular holiday. If you’re striving to boost sales and foot traffic in the month of March, you need to brainstorm a variety of St. Patrick’s Day food ideas.

From St. Patrick’s Day food specials to St. Patrick’s Day snacks that pair with beer, there are so many ways to become the best. There are even strategies that stem beyond food and beverage initiatives. So, if you’d like to learn all there is to know about becoming one of the best bars for St. Patrick’s Day, continue reading this blog post!

Characteristics of the Best Bars for St. Patrick’s Day

Becoming a go-to St. Patrick's Day bar will take far more than just a St. Patrick’s Day menu. There is a selection of traits and characteristics that people look for in go-to bars and restaurants. While some people focus more on the atmosphere of the brick and mortar restaurant, others may analyze the quality of the menu items.

If you’re preparing to be one of the best bars for St. Patrick’s Day, use the following characteristics as a checklist:

• The use of high-quality food ingredients.
• High-quality types of alcohol behind the bar
• Traditional St. Patrick’s Day food as well as food trends
• Green food for St. Patrick’s Day to add to the festivities
• Inclusive menu items, such as nut-free and healthy St. Patrick’s Day snacks
• Live music to entertain guests on the evening of March seventeenth
• A safe and clean environment that people feel comfortable dining in
• High-level security equipment and personnel for shifts when it’s busy

Once you check off all the items on the list above, you’ll be on your way to operating one of the best St. Patrick’s Day bars in your area. However, it’s important to bear in mind that there is much more that goes into holiday-centric establishments. If you’d like to learn more about it all, check out the following section for the details!

Become One of the Best St. Patrick’s Day Bars In 7 Steps

The restaurant industry is a very saturated market. However, when eateries aim to be recognizable for certain holidays or events, it's easier to tailor your efforts toward your end goals. Now, back to Irish celebrations–check out the list below of seven steps you can take to quickly operate one of the best bars for St. Patrick’s Day!

1. Allow Customers to Order St. Patrick’s Day Food Online

Sure, your state’s laws may not permit you to sell alcoholic drinks via food delivery apps. However, that doesn't mean that you should miss out on all the potential digital sales from the food and soft drink menus. Many customers may be in need of ordering St. Patrick’s Day party food online anyway, so it’s always ideal to have multiple sales channels.

2. Create a Menu Strictly for Original Mixed Drink Recipes

Festive twists on popular cocktails can easily be some of your best-sellers on St. Patrick’s Day. Any holiday that boasts distinctive themes can lead to fun and delicious recipes. On St. Patrick’s Day, these drinks can be green in color, have Irish names, use edible gold, and beyond. You can even use ingredients that naturally have green hues, such as crème de menthe or lime.

3. Reduce the Price of All Your Irish Beer Brands

St. Patrick’s Day is certainly one of the days during a calendar year when you set the American beer brands aside. Besides, some of the best beers you’ll ever try come from Ireland. Ensure that you offer a wide variety of beer on tap, as these are some of the smoothest ones. You can create a super inclusive beer selection, featuring everything from IPA beer recipes to gluten-free beer alternatives. Oh, and don’t forget to offer green beer for the occasion!

4. Offer Discounts On All of Your Irish Whiskey Brands

If there’s one day of the year when people consume massive amounts of Irish whiskey, it’s St. Patrick’s Day. So, price shots of every Irish whiskey brand you have at a lower cost and keep them all the same across the board. So in other words, shots of all Irish brands might cost $2 while all others might cost $5. Here’s the thing–liquor has the highest markup of all the types of inventory you can find in a bar or restaurant. So even when you discount the cost of liquor, you’ll still be turning a profit. With this strategy, a very profitable menu item will be that much more appealing to the public.

5. Set Up An Exclusive and Enticing St. Patrick’s Day Contest

Contests are where you and your staff can get really creative. Give a lot of thought as to what you could give away. A few safe options include things like gift cards, vouchers for local businesses, rare memorabilia, and so much more. Then, simply host a raffle on St. Patrick’s Day.

6. Offer Discounts to Any Paying Customer Who Wears Green

One way to intensify the spirit of St. Patrick's Day while simultaneously drawing a crowd is to offer discounts. For this holiday, an easy way to do this is to simply require that paying customers wear a shade of green. That’s it–no coupon or QR codes are necessary. Almost everyone is bound to have something green in their closet, so this restaurant marketing tactic should result in more foot traffic.

7. Send Your Most Loyal Customers Coupons Via SMS and Email Alerts

Utilize SMS initiatives and restaurant email campaigns to reward your most loyal customers. By sending them exclusive discounts and perks, you’ll likely sway them toward your bar over others. These kinds of marketing efforts are also the kinds that result in word-of-mouth marketing and positive customer reviews. Both of which are vital for long-term bar and restaurant success.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Bars for St. Patrick’s Day

The journey to becoming one of the best bars for St. Patrick’s Day won’t be the easiest feat in the world. But on the bright side, always remember that it’s possible. To further help your strategic efforts, we put together a brief selection of frequently asked questions and answers below. Read on for a bit more insight on the topic at hand!

How Can You Tell If Your Business Is One of the Best Bars for St. Patrick’s Day In Your Town?

An advanced business intelligence tool can provide you with insight in regard to where your business stands amongst competitors. In fact, one of Revolution Ordering’s newest features is a B.I. tool that offers our clients this kind of data. Plus, it also allows franchise owners to compare all their units to one another.

What Is the Most Popular St. Patrick’s Day Food In the United States?

Corned beef and cabbage is without a doubt the most popular St. Patrick’s Day food in the United States. It stems from Irish tradition and is an annual staple. However, it’s important to note that the dish has been Americanized a bit over the years. In Ireland, something like a shepherd’s pie is much more common to find on St. Patrick’s Day.

What Is the Most Popular St. Patrick’s Day Drink In the United States?

The most popular St. Patrick’s Day drink in the United States is probably Guinness. It’s the most recognizable Irish beer brand, which makes it a popular go-to on St. Patrick’s Day. According to one study, approximately 13 million pints of Guinness are sold worldwide on St. Patrick’s Day. Though this metric covers the whole world, it should give you a clear idea, especially since not every country celebrates St. Patrick’s Day.

Where Is the Best Place to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

The best place in the world to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is Dublin, Ireland. From authentic food and drinks to traditions native to the Irish, Dublin will offer the most genuine experience possible.

What Should Be On a Restaurant’s  St. Patrick’s Day Menu?

A restaurant’s St. Patrick’s Day menu should have a variety of Irish dishes and drinks, such as the following:

• Corned beef and cabbage
• Shepherd’s pie
• Irish potato pancakes
• Beer imported from Ireland
• Irish whiskey cocktails
• Shamrock-shaped cookies

Next Steps to Becoming One of the Best Bars for St. Patrick’s Day

Are you ready to begin operating one of the best bars for St. Patrick’s Day? If so, we’ve got you covered! Schedule a demo with us to learn more about the ways in  which online ordering integrations allow our clients to capture more sales and boost profitability. The start of a mega-successful bar is just a few clicks away–let us help you get started!