Restaurant Weekly Specials Email template

A weekly specials email gives guests a reason to choose you this week, not someday. This template features one dish, lists the rest of the specials and tells guests how long they run.

Goal: Give guests a fresh reason to visit this week and settle the "where should we eat" question.
When: The same day every week, early enough to plan around: Monday or Tuesday for specials that run all week, Thursday for weekend specials. Skip a week rather than resend the same list.
Tones: Warm, playful, polished
Includes: HTML, plain text, SMS

Juniper & Salt · Inbox

This week's specials at Juniper & Salt · A look at what the kitchen has planned for the next few days.

Customize with your details

Preview uses a fictional restaurant, Juniper & Salt. Every detail is yours to change.

Restaurant Weekly Specials Email subject lines

Warm

This week's specials at [Restaurant name]
On the specials board this week
Here's what's special this week

Preheader: A look at what the kitchen has planned for the next few days.

Playful

Specials board, freshly updated
This week's specials look good
Your weekly dinner dilemma, solved

Preheader: Skip the "what's for dinner" debate. We have ideas.

Polished

Our selections for the week at [Restaurant name]
This week's specials from our kitchen
Weekly specials at [Restaurant name]

Preheader: A brief look at the specials our kitchen has prepared for this week.

The weekly specials email copy

Words in braces are placeholders. The generator fills them in, and drops any line whose detail you leave blank. “Copy text” gives you [bracketed] placeholders to replace by hand.

Warm version

This week's specials

Hi {first_name}, here's what the kitchen has planned for this week at {restaurant}.

Our featured special is the {dish_name}. {dish_description}

Everything below runs through {offer_expiry}.

Also on the board this week:

Playful version

What's special this week

Hey {first_name}, we've updated the specials board at {restaurant}, so the dinner debate is officially over.

Headliner: the {dish_name}. {dish_description}

They're only around through {offer_expiry}, so don't wait too long!

The rest of the lineup:

Polished version

This week's selections

Dear {first_name}, our kitchen has prepared the following specials for the week ahead at {restaurant}.

We are particularly pleased to present the {dish_name}. {dish_description}

These dishes are available through {offer_expiry}.

Also this week:

Details you can add: Featured dish, Dish description, Offer valid through, Menu highlights.

Tips for your weekly specials email

Send on the same day each week so guests learn the rhythm, and keep the subject line specific to the featured dish when you can.
Start each line in the list with the day or the dish, the part people scan for, such as "Tue: Mushroom risotto".
List only specials you will actually have. A guest who comes in for a special that is gone is a worse outcome than not mentioning it.
Keep the list short enough to read on a phone, about five lines, and feature one dish above it with a real photo.
State the end date so guests know how long they have. If the specials change daily, say which days.
If your specials rarely change, move to a monthly newsletter. Sending the same content every week trains guests to ignore you.

Mistakes to avoid

Listing specials with no days or end date, so guests can't tell when to come.
Burying the featured dish below a long list.
Sending every week even when nothing has changed.

Matching SMS

{restaurant}: This week's specials are up. See what's cooking and book a table: {cta_url} Reply STOP to opt out.

Text messages need their own, explicit opt-in. An email subscription does not cover SMS.

FAQ

Restaurant Weekly Specials Email questions

What should a restaurant weekly specials email include?

One featured special with a short description, a short list of the other specials with days or prices, an end date and a button to book a table.

How often should a restaurant email its specials?

Weekly works if your specials really change every week. If they change less often, a monthly newsletter is a better fit.

When is the best day to send a weekly specials email?

Early in the week, such as Monday or Tuesday, for specials that run all week, or Thursday for weekend specials. Pick a day and keep it.

How do I make a specials email easy to read on a phone?

Keep it to one featured dish and a short list, start each line with the day or dish, and use one clear button.

New menu announcement

Introduce a new menu with a launch date, one hero dish and a short list of what's changing.

Monthly newsletter

A short monthly roundup of one event, one featured dish and what's on the menu.

Event invitation email

Invite guests to a wine dinner, live music night or chef's table, with the details they need to book.

Part of our free kit for email marketing for restaurants.