What's a pirate's favorite letter? Ah, you think it's "RRRR", matey, but it's really the "SEAAA"!
September 19th is National "Talk Like a Pirate Day," and while it may not be as celebrated as Christmas or beloved as Valentine's Day, it's just offbeat enough to encourage your staff and guests to have a little fun as they ride out the waves of the summer seas.
Host a Treasure Hunt
To encourage a whole shipload of participation (and grow your newsletter subscription list!), create your own treasure map that you provide as a free PDF download when people subscribe to your emails. Well before the launch, find an old chest or bin you can decorate as a legit treasure chest and fill it with golden pirate booty — free drink coins, logo hats or tees, coasters, gift certificates, glassware, stickers, you name it.
Then hide in a legal, public location somewhere in your town. Your treasure map can give clues to the location in the form of savvy riddles, close-up photos of nearby landmarks, or just rudimentary drawings and hints.
The more creative, the more guests will participate! Throw in some pirate garb and props as well. Ask the winners to show up in their proper pirate attire on September 19th to claim their free meal.
Booty Bingo
Design bingo cards to be placed at the table for every guest who dines on National Talk Like a Pirate Day. Offer prizes for the first three diners who shout, "Shiver me timbers!"
Include squares like:
- Your server tells a pirate joke
- Someone at your table orders a pirate-themed cocktail
- Someone is wielding a sword
- You spy a parrot
You order the catch-of-the-day
Placing promotional items on bingo cards is a fun way to encourage guests to check out your specialties for the evening. To give them a taste of the high seas, offer a signature menu featuring Bay Winds® Wild-Caught Orange Roughy. The fillets are wild caught and sustainably harvested, increasingly crucial features for diners when it comes to seafood. This nostalgic white fish from the coast of New Zealand also has a fun, mildly sweet flavor — a perfect alternative to cod, haddock, or snapper — versatile enough for a classic fish-and-chips basket or blackened and grilled atop a bed of pasta.
Scarf on Summer Seafood
Picture a boatload of pirates: Are they eating with a knife and fork off the finest dinnerwear? Blimey no, ya Scallywag! They've got their sleeves rolled up, digging into the finest the briny deep has to offer!
Consider utilizing your patio or outdoor space while you still can and host a seafood boil served family-style, where guests can pay by the plate. Start with a mixture of anything from shrimp, crab, crawfish, lobster, and shellfish. The Empire's Treasure® Seafood Tower takes the work out of piecing together your selections and allows you to cover all the bases with just one overarching item. The treasure tower includes:
- Snow Crab Clusters
- Individually scored Cold Water Lobster Claws
- Jonah Crab Claws and King Crab
- 16/20 CT Cooked, Peeled and Deveined Tail On White Shrimp.
What's also great is that all items are ready-to-serve after thawing. Just add to chafing dishes with your other ingredients like cooked corn on the cob, red potatoes, Andouille sausage, and of course a stick of butter, and you're good to go!
For a unique twist on seasoning outside of the standard seafood boil shake, give Magellan® seasonings a shot. My fave is the new Basil, Garlic, & Orange — a blend of sweet basil, citrus, and pepper that gives a bright, funky flavor to all kinds of meat and veggies, but pairs especially well with seafood. Ahoy!
Costume Contest
Let's face it, themes are always better when everyone partakes. Encourage your staff to get in on the fun by crowning a "best dressed" winner. At pre-shift, take pics of your staff in their best pirate garb and post on social media stories for your followers to vote for the winner!
Reward the winning staff member with a gift certificate or paid vacation days. Likewise, let your staff choose their favorite dressed-up diners. Let them present the winning guests with a free dessert or app, and of course, some kind of gold coin that shows they're more than just a visiting deckhand.
“Talk Like a Pirate Day” should be a fun promotion that brings the whole neighborhood together — from your raider regulars to your buccaneer staff. Embrace the zaniness, let your creative flag fly, and establish your restaurant as a local treasure.