The fourth quarter isn't just about surviving the holiday season—it's your opportunity to turn seasonal challenges into revenue wins that set you up for Q1 success. 

As fall settles in and the holiday season approaches, food and beverage brands have an opportunity to maximize their marketing impact during Q4. While this quarter can be slower for restaurants and QSR (quick service restaurant) brands compared to retail, good planning can drive significant revenue and set you up for a strong start to 2026.

From leveraging seasonal menu items to capitalizing on increased foot traffic during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this comprehensive guide will help you navigate the final quarter with confidence and creativity.

Key takeaways 

• Ride the seasonal wave. Pumpkin spice in October, holiday menus in November, family meals in December. Celebrate food holidays along the way.
• Rethink Black Friday. Drive foot traffic while people are shopping, grow your text list with comeback offers, or join the digital deal frenzy.
• Build gift cards slowly. Test in October, launch in November, push hard in December. Target past buyers first.
• Chase the big wins. Corporate holiday parties, family meal solutions, and deadline urgency all drive higher sales.
• Prep for next year now. Start planning New Year healthy eating campaigns and get your Super Bowl promotions ready so you hit the ground running in 2026.

October strategies: Building holiday momentum

October marks the beginning of your holiday marketing journey. It's time to transition from summer campaigns while building excitement for the season ahead.

Seasonal menu promotions

October is prime time for all things autumn. Leverage the continued popularity of pumpkin spice and seasonal flavors to drive engagement. Surface your fall menu items through targeted SMS campaigns, and don't forget to capitalize on Halloween-themed offerings. Create urgency around limited-time seasonal items by emphasizing their temporary availability.

National food holidays

Take advantage of October's food celebrations to create timely, relevant campaigns:

• National Pizza Month (All of October): Perfect for pizza brands to run month-long promotions
• National Taco Day (October 4): Drive single-day traffic with special taco offers
• National Vodka Day (October 4): Great for bars and restaurants with cocktail programs
• National Pasta Day (October 17): Ideal for Italian restaurants and pasta-focused brands
• Halloween (October 31): Create spooky-themed menu items and family-friendly promotions

Early gift card strategy

Begin testing your gift card messaging in October. This allows you to refine your approach before the heavy November and December push. Start building segments of past gift card purchasers from your gift card platform data, uploading these phone numbers as manual segments in Attentive for future retargeting campaigns.

November strategies: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday preparation

November brings unique opportunities for F&B brands to participate in the shopping frenzy while preparing for the holiday season.

BFCM strategies for food and beverage

Even though most restaurant and QSR brands don't traditionally participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday at the level of retail brands, there are strategic ways to capitalize on this high-traffic period.

Drive in-restaurant traffic: Take advantage of increased foot traffic as people are out shopping. Send SMS campaigns encouraging guests to stop by your restaurant while they're already out and about. 

This strategy works particularly well for brands with locations in shopping malls or plazas. If you use integrations with Bite kiosks or Bikky CDP, build segments of kiosk and in-restaurant purchasers to create more tailored messaging.

List growth with bounceback offers: Capitalize on the increased foot traffic by implementing a list growth strategy. Hand out printed business cards or flyers with QR codes or text-to-join (TTJ) keywords. Offer a compelling bounceback promotion when guests opt into SMS, driving both immediate list growth and future repeat orders.

Join the shopping craze: If you're feeling adventurous and want to fully participate in BFCM, send at least 2 campaigns over the weekend with rich offers. QSR brands that have chosen this approach have seen success with digital orders comparable to their retail counterparts.

Holiday menu and LTO campaigns

November is the perfect time to launch your winter and holiday menu campaigns. Highlight limited-time offers (LTOs) that create urgency and drive trial of new menu items. If you have product data integration capabilities, leverage this information in your UI to drive more orders of specific seasonal items.

Corporate catering outreach

With corporate holiday parties ramping up, November presents a prime opportunity for catering revenue. Proactively send campaigns featuring catering offers to your leads list. Corporate catering not only drives revenue but typically results in higher average order values (AOV), making it a valuable focus area.

Gift card campaign launch

November should mark the official launch of your gift card promotion campaigns. Create compelling offers such as "receive $5 off for every $25 spent on gift cards." Export phone numbers of past gift card purchasers and redeemers from your gift card platform, then upload them as manual segments in Attentive for highly targeted retargeting campaigns.

December strategies: Holiday maximization and Q1 preparation

December is your final push for holiday revenue while simultaneously preparing for a strong 2026 Q1 launch.

Family meal solutions

Position your brand as the solution to holiday stress. Market family meal options with messaging like "Tired from all the shopping? Reduce the stress of cooking and help feed your family and friends with our convenient family meals." These larger format offerings typically drive higher AOV and provide real value to busy holiday shoppers.

Critical delivery deadlines

For brands selling alcohol, prepared food items, holiday gifts, or desserts, use SMS to communicate delivery cut-off dates clearly. Remind subscribers when they need to place orders to receive shipments in time for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. This strategy keeps subscribers informed while driving last-minute conversions.

Final gift card push

December should see your most intensive gift card campaigns. These make perfect last-minute gifts, and the urgency of the holiday season can drive significant revenue. Continue retargeting your manual segments of past gift card customers, as they're more likely to purchase again.

Preparing for Q1 2026 success

While executing December campaigns, begin preparing for Q1 to ensure you start the new year strong.

New Year Resolution campaigns: Draft campaigns that help subscribers kickstart their New Year's resolutions related to healthy eating and fitness. Surface healthier menu options and, if possible, create offers applicable only to these items. Gamify the experience by offering bounceback promotions for continued healthy choices throughout January.

Super bowl preparation: Begin drafting and scheduling campaigns for the weeks leading up to "The Big Game." This advance preparation ensures subscribers can place their catering and large orders early. Brands serving indulgent foods like pizza, wings, and desserts should plan campaigns for game day itself to capture that peak ordering moment.

Key success metrics to track

Throughout Q4, monitor these essential metrics to gauge campaign performance:

• Gift card sales volume and redemption rates
• Average order value for family meal and catering orders
• List growth rate during high-traffic periods
• Campaign engagement rates for seasonal content
• Conversion rates on delivery deadline reminder messages

Q4 2025 presents numerous opportunities for food and beverage brands willing to think strategically about their marketing approach. From leveraging seasonal moments and national food holidays to creating family-friendly solutions during the busy holiday season, success comes from understanding your customers' needs and timing your messaging perfectly.

Remember, while Q4 can be slower for restaurants and QSR brands compared to retail, it's also the perfect time to prepare for a strong Q1 2026. By implementing these strategies and preparing for the new year, you'll position your brand for continued growth and success.

The key is to start early, test your messaging, and remain flexible as you learn what resonates most with your audience. 

Here's to a successful Q4 and an even stronger start to 2026!