While Easter remains a secular holiday for many, it also has become an important event for the non-religious. In fact, Easter is a holiday that offers hospitality businesses the unique opportunity to attract and retain new customers of every background and denomination.

This was never more true than in Asian and Middle Eastern countries. While many residents of these countries may not consider themselves Catholic – the religion that primarily celebrates and finds expression in the Easter holiday – they can appreciate the non-religious aspects of the holiday.

After all, Easter marks the start of the Spring season, a time for new beginnings, blooming flowers, sunshine, and longer days. Easter is also a holiday associated with universally likable imagery and traditions. Easter bunnies, Easter chicks, Easter chocolates, and Easter eggs all add color and enjoyment to the holiday.

Easter can bring a boom to your business

So what does all of this have to do with restaurants in Asia, the Middle East, and beyond?

More than anything, Easter is a family holiday. While children can enjoy decorating Easter eggs and eating seasonal sweets, parents can relish supplying this entertainment to their little ones. Family holidays are a huge opportunity for restaurants to cater to their guests in unique ways. 

Embracing Easter Sunday can attract tourists and global customers who grew up celebrating Easter and even families who may not celebrate Easter but want to enjoy something new with their loved ones. Businesses can provide a place for families to gather, enjoy delicious food, and create new memories.

What Easter can mean to your non-celebrating guests

As we mentioned, Easter may not be religiously celebrated much in Asian countries. But that doesn’t mean restaurants shouldn’t jump at the chance to provide their guests with a bespoke experience that marks the holiday.

Traditions are borne from positive memories. Restaurants that create a wonderful experience for guests ensure they go home with a lot more than full tummies. They’ll go home with memories that turn to nostalgia, and nostalgia can turn to repeat visits. This should be the goal of every restaurant looking to add Easter Sunday specials to their menus.

But how do restaurants even begin? What do guests want most from restaurants on Easter Sunday? And, perhaps most importantly, how do restaurants ensure their Easter offerings help them stand out from the pack? The tips and trends below should answer these questions.

Easter tips and trends

Deciding to embrace Easter Sunday and creating a special experience for your guests is wonderful, but it’s only step one. Now restaurants have to figure out how to do so and what makes sense for business.

Consider these tips and trends for planning a restaurant’s Easter Sunday:

1. Create an Easter-themed menu that features seasonal ingredients and flavors 

One of the best parts of Easter is that it ushers in the Spring season. Restaurants can take advantage of this by creating an Easter Sunday menu that offers guests meals made with the best seasonal and regional ingredients.

For instance, traditional Easter meals in the West typically include:

• A protein, like roasted ham, lamb, beef or chicken

• Vegetables, like corn, asparagus, and potatoes

• Accompaniments, like dinner rolls and salad

• Desserts, like carrot cake, sugar cookies, and rhubarb pie

By taking traditional Easter meals and then adding a modern spin that reflects a restaurant’s region and brand, guests will appreciate these inspired touches and make the usual Easter dinner a meal unique to that establishment.

2. Provide a special Easter-themed drinks menu and pairing suggestions

Easter-themed drinks can suit every type of restaurant, from high-end cocktail lounges to corner cafes. For our next tip, follow one of the biggest trends in modern Easter dining and offer guests a themed drinks menu. 

1. Restaurants that serve a full alcohol menu can serve Spring-inspired cocktails that highlight seasonal flavors. 

2. Restaurants that are more of the coffee and tea variety can get creative with their cafe drinks menu. Sugar cookie latte and carrot and dandelion herb tea can appeal to guests who crave special Spring drinks.

3. Offering guests pairing ideas, like a suggested pastry pairing to match a carrot and dandelion tea is a fun way to uptick sales.

3. Get creative with Easter-themed activities 

Restaurants can offer their guests more than tasty foods and drinks. In fact, the very best of them do. Dining out is an experience, after all.

Here are some Easter-themed activity ideas to entertain guests of all ages:

• Offering children an Easter-themed coloring book and crayons.

• Eateries with a safe outdoor space can host an Easter scavenger hunt with colorful plastic Easter eggs filled with chocolates.

• Have parents team up with their kids and have an Easter egg decoration competition. The winning family can win a free meal on their next visit.

4. Use social media and EDM to alert your guests-to-be

These ideas are only helpful if customers know about them!  Using marketing email alerts and social media to alert followers to Easter Sunday specials, entices them to attend.

TableCheck can manage EDM campaigns so that potential customers receive personalized, automated emails and never miss out on specials.

Learn more: How to run successful EDM marketing campaigns

5. Offer value-added services like free parking or complimentary rides for guests

Everyone loves a deal. And a restaurant offering its guests extra incentives will win their hearts. Value-added services are the way to make this happen.

Offering guests free valet parking on Easter Sunday or even complimentary rides, are some ideas to add to the restaurant's marketing campaign especially if this is a better fit for business. 

6. Provide a creative takeaway gift for each guest

Like many other family holidays, Easter is associated with gifting. Parents give their children Easter baskets stuffed with bunny-shaped chocolates, novelty Easter egg toys, and plushies. Why not provide a gift for your Easter Sunday gifts that they can take home with them?

This works with both children and adult guests. While just about everyone would appreciate a bar of gourmet chocolate in an Easter shape, like a rabbit or an egg, kids would also love toys, notebooks, puzzles, and bunny ear headbands. For adults, consider gifting mini plants, slippers, mugs, and candles. A creative takeaway gift will enhance your guests’ positive experience and keep them talking about the experience long after they walk out the door. 

This article was first published in March 2023 and updated in March 2024.