From small towns, to college towns, and NFL cities — are you ready to watch a little football!? Be the gameday MVP (most valuable place!) with stacked menus and winning promos that drive sales and score extra points with fans every day of the week (and twice on Sundays!).

Hands down the most popular sport in America, football headlines opportunities to boost revenues on weekends and weeknights throughout the fall — all the way to the Big Game. Get fans amped up for kickoff with gameday grub, dine-in promos, and off-premise deals perfect for armchair QBs and tailgaters alike.

Home Turf

Go all-in on positioning your restaurant as a designated hot zone for gameday action, whether its fans cheering their hometown team or rooting for wins on faraway fields. Raise your game by highlighting themed décor, playful staff attire, and a lineup of easy-to-see TVs.

For fan-centered F&B, every menu should feature the gameday holy trinity: wings, pizza, and dips. Spotlight your top sellers on social media and offer special discounts on high-margin all stars to draw diners in. And don’t forget to sub in options that play to specific dietary needs, as well as to those who want to catch the action with low- and no-alcohol choices (Gen Z, we’re looking at you).

Gameplan

In today’s restaurant arena, BOGOs, bundles, and F&B combos are key value plays that put bottoms in seats at the start. Extended happy hours can keep them there. Start drink and app specials before kickoff and keep ’em goin’ ’til the clock hits 0:00. Overtime? Serve up a post-game deal to keep fans ordering while they’re still salivating over the action.

Give fans additional reasons to flag down their servers, with fun discounts and deals based on scoring, turnovers, and even jersey numbers. Frequently shake up your roster of starters to entice repeat visits, like Touchdown Tacos with new bold flavors every week — how about Empire’s Treasure® Gochujang Smoked Mahi-Mahi Tacos or Bills Mafia Buffalo Chicken Tacos?

Operate in a college town? Run a punch card promo for earned discounts and wins all season long. And because college fandom is often a family affair, create value meals, brunch deals, and pre- and post-game “tailgate” offers to bring in parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Your Away Game

Depending on where you are located, play up convenience options that can be big-time scores for both your guests and your kitchen. Maybe you want to reach college kids or tailgaters but don’t have the labor for a full scale taqueria or pizzeria? Turnkey convenience programs can place popular, full-scale eateries in your location in no time. Utilize colorful, branded marketing programs to get fans in the door or wrap the restaurant-quality food under your existing brand name. Touchdown!

And there’s no flag on the play for getting a head start on food-away-from-home. Take a little more heat out of your kitchen by promoting pick-up or delivery the day before, made even more attractive with a discount, perk, or freebie — like team koozies. This will really move the chains for tailgaters who want to get up, pack up, and be first in. For big gamedays, consider streamlining your off-premise menu to focus on must-haves for tailgaters and at-home hosts, and offer exclusives for loyalty members and orders placed directly on your site or app.

Odds-On Faves

Double down on what fans love. When it comes to apps, wings are the G.O.A.T. According to Datassential, 3 of the nation’s fastest-growing apps are wings — BBQ, lemon pepper, and honey mustard, with habanero, tandoori, and FLAVORSMITH® Hot Honey vying for more playing time.

And who doesn’t love a big ol’ bite of meat candy? Heat-and-serve Ridgecrest® Burnt Ends, either brisket or pork belly, can be your menu’s tight ends — great alone or paired with a superstar receiver like nachos, tacos, sliders, or as part of a BBQ Beef Burnt End Flatbread.

Team with a local brewery to fuel gameday LTOs like chili, battered fish, even stout cake. Delancey Street Deli® Beer Cheese Base is the perfect canvas for a custom-crafted dip. (Bonus if the brewery brings merch for giveaways.)

Extra Points

• Brunch & Munch: Hype specials to encourage fans to choose you from pregame ’til the clock runs out. Serve staples with a twist, like coffee-rubbed wings, pork belly waffle sammies, or chilaquiles topped with carne asada. Promote a tailgate bundle, toss in some housemade donuts (like seriously addictive Candied Pepperoni Beignets) and signature mocktail jugs and pack it up for pick up.

• 4-in-1: Go big for the “sports equinox” on Monday, Oct. 27th, when all four major sports are set to play. All-star LTOs, sporty cocktail specials, and creative discounts (think halftime and homers) turn up the energy and keep tabs running. You know sports fans love to brag, so spark a fierce and IG-friendly competition with prizes for fans of the night’s most popular sport or the biggest game.

* Ground Signal, 9/4/25

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