The month of Ramadan is a great time for the restaurant industry in the Middle East. Guests are often looking for an opportunity to dine out with friends after fasting for several hours.
For restaurants, Ramadan is considered a peak season or month. To make the most of it, dining concepts need to plan ahead to ensure delightful dining experiences.
It’s not just about preparing your venue for Ramadan. You need to consider your Ramadan marketing plan, including email campaigns and social media.
In this article, we’ll be focusing on restaurant email campaigns for Ramadan.
Let’s dive in!
The making of a great email
Email remains one of the most inexpensive ways to communicate with guests in the restaurant industry. It can take the form of a monthly restaurant newsletter or an email campaign.
Nearly 60% of consumers subscribe to email newsletters, indicating a strong desire to learn more about the brands they like.
Emails can boost engagement and increase restaurant reservations and sales.
But before sending out your first email campaign, for Ramadan or any other season, you should have this quick checklist.
Every successful email campaign has the following:
A great, catchy subject line (and you can use emojis)
A mouth-watering image (usually a popular dish in your menu or a setting of your dining concept)
A clear message with a call-to-action (email body)
Preview text (not mandatory but recommended)
A segmented list of guests
You can send your email to everyone. However, this may not be feasible if you have multiple restaurant locations in several countries or cities. Or if you have seasonal guests.
If you have a robust restaurant CRM, you can see which guests frequently visit your dining concept in the summer to rule them out.
Alternatively, you can do what Hyatt Regency Dubai does and email Arab and Muslim guests who have dined at your concept last Ramadan.
Further reading: The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Restaurants
6 Ramadan email campaign ideas for your restaurant
Before you start sending out restaurant email campaigns, make sure it’s your guests’ preferred method of communication. Other methods may include SMS marketing or WhatsApp messaging.
You can tailor one or more of these campaigns to SMS or WhatsApp. However, the formatting will differ greatly.
Ramadan email campaign #1: The teaser campaign
This is by the most popular seasonal email campaign restaurants and other types of dining concepts send out. The teaser.
It’s best to launch this campaign about 1-2 weeks before Ramadan begins. Share images of your Ramadan menu, special offers, opening and closing hours,…etc.
Make sure you tailor your email subject line to reflect Ramadan and the season’s delights.
Here’s an example of Ramadan teaser campaigns by our customers.
Ramadan email campaign #2: The big reveal
If you’ve not unveiled your Ramadan Iftar and Sohoor menus, this campaign does just that. After building anticipation with your last email, this Ramadan email can include your Ramadan Iftar and Sohoor menus.
You can also let guests know about how to make a booking, if you require reservation deposits, and if you have no-show fee or cancellation fee.
This email isn’t just for awareness. It’s an opportunity to get guests to start making plans and bookings.
You can even offer an early bird special free beverage for guests who make a booking a few days before Ramadan begins.
Ramadan email campaign #3: More bookings with special offers
Ramadan is all about social gatherings. One way to boost restaurant sales is to make special offers for large group bookings.
These are reservations involving a group of 10 or more people. This Ramadan promotion idea can apply to Iftar or Sohoor or both.
Ideas include offers for:
Small companies and startups looking to bring their team together.
A campaign for guests who have dined as part of a group in the past.
A special announcement via email and on social media to entice your followers.
Ramadan email campaign #4: Stay top of mind mid-Ramadan
This is a campaign you can send during the month of Ramadan. If you see bookings dwindling by mid-Ramadan or towards the end, you can send an email campaign to guests inviting them back for Iftar.
Depending on your venue and what you offer, you can send a campaign inviting guests for dessert and coffee or tea after Iftar.
This campaign can help increase footfall in the time after the Iftar rush and before the Sohoor crowd. It can also boost your restaurant’s revenues.
Further reading: 10 Money-Making Revenue Management Strategies for Restaurants in 2025
Ramadan email campaign #5: Ramadan charity campaign
One way to get more guests is to create a common cause. Ramadan isn’t about delightful foods; it’s about prayer and charity.
Inform guests of your charitable plans and if you’re donating a percentage of your sales to a notable, local charity.
Review local charities in your city to decide which one deserves your contribution and let guests know how they’re making a difference.
If you don’t intend to give out to charities, skip this email campaign.
Ramadan email campaign #6: Ramadan Giveaway
Besides charity, another way to excite and entice guests is to create a special giveaway during Ramadan. Often this could be an Iftar-for-2 or special, non-financial gifts.
Depending on the volume of guests, you can run this as a one-time giveaway or a weekly giveaway. Make sure you clarify the rules, how guests can take part, and when you plan to announce the winner(s).
Final tips
If you’re running your first email campaign for Ramadan, don’t worry. Here are a few final tips to remember.
Make sure email is your guests’ preferred method of communication
Determine which of the above campaigns fits your needs
Don’t bombard guests with too many emails
Don’t send out all those campaigns (that’s 6 emails in 1 month, which is A LOT!)
Ask guests for feedback and see which of them came after reading your email.
Also, make sure you’re using a restaurant reservation system, like Servme, to help you collect deposits, online bookings, and cater to guests’ needs without a ton of paperwork!
Use automated guest surveys to make sure guests are heard, maintain a level of excellence, and improve for the next dining experience.
If you’re using Servme, you can do all the above and create and manage email campaigns directly from your dashboard. You can use auto-tags to identify guest behavior, including Ramadan guests for coming years and future campaigns.
Nada Sobhi
Marketing
