Super Bowl Sunday Restaurant Promotion Ideas: Score Big with Your Customers

Super Bowl Sunday is more than just a football game; it's a cultural phenomenon and a major commercial opportunity for restaurants across the United States. This article provides restaurant owners and managers with a playbook of innovative and effective promotion ideas to capitalize on the excitement and drive revenue during this high-traffic event. We'll explore strategies that cater to evolving consumer preferences, address the current economic challenges, and help you create a winning Super Bowl experience for your customers.

Why Super Bowl Promotions Matter for Restaurants

Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just a game day. It’s one of the biggest food and ordering moments of the year for restaurants. From casual get-togethers to large watch parties, customers are actively looking for convenient, shareable, crowd-pleasing food and they’re willing to order more than usual.

For restaurants, this creates a rare, high-intent window to drive sales, reach new customers, and stay top-of-mind long after the final whistle.

Reach a Massive, Mixed Audience

The Super Bowl consistently draws over 120 million viewers in the U.S. every year, making it one of the few events that cuts across age groups, income levels, and interests.

What makes this audience especially valuable for restaurants:

• Many viewers aren’t hardcore football fans
  
• People gather primarily for the social experience, commercials, or halftime show
  
• Food is central to almost every Super Bowl plan
  

This means promotions aren’t limited to sports bars or die-hard fans. Nearly every type of restaurant, from pizza and wings to burgers, bowls, and desserts, can participate in the demand.

One of the Biggest Food Days of the Year

Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest food consumption day in the U.S., right after Thanksgiving.

Some telling signals:

• Around 1.45 billion chicken wings are consumed over Super Bowl weekend
  
• Pizza, nachos, dips, and beverages see massive spikes
  
• Over half of regular restaurant customers plan to include restaurant food in their Super Bowl celebrations
  

For delivery, takeout, and catering-friendly restaurants, this translates into a short but powerful sales surge. The opportunity isn’t just to attract orders, but to be prepared to handle higher volume efficiently without compromising quality.

A Chance to Create Long-Term Customers

Super Bowl promotions aren’t only about one-day revenue. They’re also a customer acquisition moment.

When a host chooses your restaurant for game day:

• Your food is introduced to multiple new guests at once
  
• First impressions are formed in a high-energy, celebratory setting
  
• Positive experiences often turn into repeat visits
  

Food shared during memorable moments tends to stick. Restaurants that deliver well on Super Bowl Sunday often earn repeat orders weeks, and even months later.

Promotion Ideas to Score a Touchdown

Here are 6 proven Super Bowl Sunday restaurant promotion ideas to help increase sales, capture new customers, and build memorable experiences:

1. Wing Specials That Fly Off the Menu

Chicken wings are the #1 Super Bowl party food, with demand reaching its highest annual spike on this day. Create special Super Bowl food promotions like a “Game Day Wing Sampler” with multiple sauce options or BOGO deals on orders of a dozen or more.

• Offer tiered bundles: 12 wings at $12.99, 24 wings at $19.99, and 50 wings for parties.
• Add vegan or plant-based wings to reach health-conscious guests.
• Cross-promote dips and beverages for add-ons.

Expected Results: Wings have universal Super Bowl appeal and frequent, high-margin upsell opportunities, especially when bundled.

2. Pizza & Comfort Food Combos

Pizzas and comfort foods like nachos, sliders, and chili are classic Super Bowl Sunday takeout specials. Launch “Game Day Pizza Packs” featuring two large pies, garlic knots, and a 2-liter drink at a value price, or create combo meals that feed a crowd with sliders, loaded fries, and gourmet dips.

• Use digital ordering platforms to upsell toppings and customize options for solo or group orders.
• For dine-in, offer family-style platters and shareable plates.
• Promote on all digital platforms and in-store signage.

Expected Results: Packs and combos boost average ticket size and cater to groups, the dominant party format for the Super Bowl.

3. Beer Buckets & Drink Specials Blitz

Beverage sales-especially beer and soft drinks-see a significant spike during Super Bowl. Offer “beer buckets” (five bottles for $15), signature cocktails, or limited-time non-alcoholic mocktails with football-themed names.

• Create drink-and-appetizer pairings for groups.
• Use table tents and digital menus to highlight specials.
• Offer a zero-proof drink menu to draw in non-drinkers and families.

Expected Results: Greater beverage attachment rate, increased group check value, and appeal to all guest demographics.

4. Game Day Party Packs and Takeout Promotions

Many diners celebrate at home or in local venues. Meet this need with Super Bowl party packs for takeout or delivery-think “Touchdown Platter” with wings, nachos, sliders, and dips for 6, or customizable catering trays that can be preordered online.

• Highlight hassle-free online ordering and contactless payment via your website or app.
• Offer early-bird discounts for preorders placed by the Friday before the Super Bowl.
• Bundle desserts or exclusive merch for large orders.

Expected Results: Streamlines operations, locks in sales in advance, and increases market share for off-premise Super Bowl restaurant deals.

5. Experiential Marketing & Viewing Parties

For guests who want to celebrate, host an immersive in-house event-“Super Bowl Watch Party HQ”-featuring multiple screens, trivia contests, and a “Predict the Score” raffle. Add photo booths or themed backdrops for Instagrammable moments.

• Require RSVP or table reservations via your online platform to manage capacity.
• Partner with local sports bars or influencers for cross-promotion.
• Offer “loyalty credits” for guests who share their experience on social media with your event hashtag.

Expected Results: Increases dwell time, boosts on-premise sales, and creates viral brand buzz for future events.

6. “Extra Sunday” Deals for the Day After

Some brands, like Chipotle, have popularized the day after the Super Bowl as “Extra Sunday,” offering discounts or exclusive items for those recovering or seeking a quieter meal after the main event.

• Market a limited-time “recovery” menu or offer discounts on comfort food favorites.
• Activate digital channels and email/SMS lists to promote day-after deals.
• Cross-sell to working professionals and local offices looking for lunch specials.

Expected Results: Extends the sales window, recaptures guests not ready to battle crowds on Sunday, and increases weekday revenue.

How to Run Super Bowl Promotions That Actually Work

Great Super Bowl promotions aren’t improvised at the last minute. They’re planned, paced, and built around how customers actually behave leading up to game day.

Start Marketing Before Customers Decide

Most Super Bowl hosts start planning 2–3 weeks in advance. If your promotion shows up too late, the decision is already made.

A simple way to stay visible during the planning window:

• Start with early teaser announcements
  
• Follow with menu highlights or bundles
  
• Share full promotion details closer to game day
  
• Send last-minute reminders during the final week
  

Use multiple touchpoints like email, social media, in-store signage, and your website so customers see your offer more than once before they commit.

Make Online Ordering the Default Choice

Super Bowl food is mostly eaten at home. That makes online ordering, delivery, and takeout central to your success.

Focus on removing friction:

• Make online ordering highly visible across all channels
  
• Ensure your system can handle traffic spikes
  
• Encourage pre-orders to reduce last-minute rush
  
• Highlight delivery and pickup clearly
  

Small incentives can also help nudge behavior, such as free delivery above a certain order value or priority delivery slots for early orders.

Don’t Ignore In-Restaurant Viewers

While delivery dominates, in-restaurant viewing is still popular,  especially for groups looking for atmosphere, large screens, and shared experiences.

To manage this effectively:

• Use reservations to control seating and service quality
  
• Consider deposits or minimum spends for large groups
  
• Offer premium seating or game-day packages
  
• Set clear expectations around table time and policies
  

Structured reservations help reduce no-shows and create more predictable revenue on a high-demand day.

Prepare for a Compressed Rush

Super Bowl demand doesn’t spread evenly across the day but it spikes hard and fast.

Preparation matters:

• Forecast inventory based on past game-day data
  
• Stock up on high-volume items like wings, pizza ingredients, and drinks
  
• Schedule extra kitchen and delivery staff
  
• Train teams specifically for game-day execution
  

Many restaurants also benefit from temporarily simplified menus that prioritize speed, consistency, and best-selling items during peak hours.

Quick Super Bowl Sunday Promotion Strategies

Coordinate your Super Bowl restaurant marketing with a mix of these strategic categories:

Digital Marketing

Promote Super Bowl Sunday restaurant promotion ideas across your website, Google Business Profile, social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), and email. Leverage user-generated content (ask guests to tag their food photos), influencer partnerships, and digital countdowns to drive engagement and preorders.

‍Customer Engagement

Use loyalty programs and digital coupons to reward repeat customers or those who bring a group. Send personalized offers to your database with promo codes for delivery or dine-in during the game.

Community Building

Collaborate with local sports clubs, schools, or non-profits for cross-branded events. Sponsor a local viewing party or provide discounts to first-responders to build positive grassroots buzz.

Offline Marketing Methods

Flyers, in-store displays, and call-out window signage can catch last-minute customers and walk-ins. For locations near stadiums or community centers, consider street teams with special offer handouts or mascot appearances.

Bringing It All Together: Make Super Bowl Sunday a Success with Restolabs by Your Side

Super Bowl Sunday restaurant promotion ideas are most effective when backed by strategic planning, operational readiness, and a customer-first approach. By mixing digital innovation with value-driven offers and engaging experiences, you can stand out against the competition and make Super Bowl Sunday your top revenue day.

• Start early-test a few key ideas, measure response, and scale what works fast.
• Leverage direct online ordering and delivery solutions to meet customer demand and control your guest experience.
• Use guest feedback and offer redemptions as a success metric to refine your approach for next year.

Looking to streamline your game day strategy? Book a demo with Restolabs to discover how our online ordering and digital marketing solutions take the stress out of peak periods, enable timed Super Bowl deals, and deliver a seamless, data-driven customer journey-so you can score big all season long.