Restaurants prepare for dinner on Valentine’s Day

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Valentine’s Day is a hands-on evening at Bob’s Steak and Chop House in Dallas.

“It’s a Tuesday night when, even if you don’t usually work on Tuesdays, you work tonight,” said Bob’s Steak and Chop House founder Bob Samball. “Everyone knows that this is a chance to make money. That’s all. It’s show time.”

According to the National Restaurant Association, this is the second biggest restaurant day of the year after Mother’s Day. Sambol said that this is the ideal scenario when it falls on a Tuesday.

“We have weekends when a lot of people who can’t go out during the week come to have dinner. We were busy last night. people who want to go out on Valentine’s Day,” he said.

But making sure customers get the evening they expect can be tricky for restaurants today. The industry is still suffering from a labor shortage that started during COVID, soaring food prices and inflation. The Texas Restaurant Association said many companies are adapting accordingly.

“So it could be more of a pre-fixed menu or a limited menu to help with some inflationary items so you can focus on foods that can be less expensive,” said Tony Abruscato, Texas marketing director. Restaurant Association

Sambol said his approach is to raise wages.

“We look at how much we pay people quarterly to make sure we’re competitive, to make sure they don’t leave us for $1 or $2 an hour. It’s not worth it,” he said.

The Texas Restaurant Association said full-service prices rose about 8% year-over-year, but that revenue increase doesn’t necessarily translate into profit. They say nights like Valentine’s Day help.

“But we hope the relationship between the two will continue and help our restaurants continue to thrive as we all recover from the COVID era,” Abruscato said.