Football is a religion in San Antonio. Whether it’s Friday night high school games under the lights, Saturdays cheering on the UTSA Roadrunners, or Sunday NFL watch parties…the city revolves around football from September through February.
For restaurants, this means predictable, recurring crowds of hungry, thirsty people looking for a place to watch the game. Your social media needs to meet that demand.
Declare Your Restaurant a Game Day Destination
If you show games on TVs, have a bar area, or simply have great food and a fun atmosphere, position your restaurant as THE place to watch.
Create a recurring post or story template:
“GAME DAY at [Restaurant Name]! [Teams playing] kick off at [time]. We’ve got $5 drafts, half-price wings, and every screen tuned in. Who’s joining us? Tag your crew!”
Post this every week for every major game. Consistency matters more than creativity here. You want people to associate your restaurant with football. After a few weeks, they won’t need the reminder…they’ll just show up. For more on using social media to build seasonal buzz for your restaurant, our football season social media guide for 2023 has updated plays you can run alongside these basics.
Feature Your Game Day Specials
Don’t just mention specials in passing. Make them the star of dedicated posts.
- Take a photo of your game day platter with nachos, wings, sliders…the whole spread
- Film a 15-second video of your bartender making game day cocktails or pouring a perfect draft
- Create a simple graphic with your specials listed: “Game Day Menu: Wings $0.75 each | Pitchers $12 | Loaded Nachos $9”
Food photos get engagement. Game day food photos get shared. A group text that says “let’s go here” because someone saw your post is exactly the chain reaction you want. When the holiday rush hits, you can keep that same energy going with email marketing strategies for the December rush.
Run a Weekly Score Prediction Contest
This is easy engagement that builds a community around your brand.
Every Thursday, post: “Predict the score of [this week’s biggest game]. Closest guess wins a $25 gift card to [your restaurant]!”
Rules: comment your prediction, follow the account, tag one friend. Pick the winner on Monday.
This generates dozens of comments, which the algorithm loves. It costs you $25 per week…less than a single Facebook ad…and it puts your restaurant name in front of every person who scrolls those comments.
Partner With Local Sports Accounts
San Antonio has active sports communities on social media…UTSA fan pages, high school football accounts, local sports reporters and podcasters. Partner with them.
Offer to sponsor a segment or post: “[Your restaurant] is the official fuel station for UTSA game day. Show your Roadrunner gear and get 10% off your order on Saturdays.”
Or invite a local sports podcaster to record an episode from your restaurant. The cross-promotion exposes you to a hyper-local, engaged audience.
Keep It Going Beyond Football
Football season creates a routine…people expect to come to your restaurant on game days. The challenge is maintaining that habit when the season ends.
Start thinking now about what replaces football in January: playoff watch parties, Super Bowl events, then transitioning into March Madness. Keep the momentum alive by always giving your audience a reason to gather at your spot. Our Hispanic Heritage Month social media guide for restaurants offers timely campaign ideas that bridge football season with San Antonio’s cultural calendar.
Social media makes your restaurant the center of San Antonio’s game day social scene. Combine that with a website that shows up in “sports bar near me” searches, and you’ve got a winning combination.
Grow My Small Business helps San Antonio restaurants build their digital presence. For free marketing templates and guides, visit https://gift.growmysmallbusiness.com/.