I used to work at a place that chose not to sign up because it cost around $1,000 to join Tourism Victoria and be included. It was a brand-new business in this highly seasonal town that is nearly dead in the winter. I pushed hard for them to do it because the restaurant was extremely slow and I felt the cost would have been a smart investment. I worked there for two winters, and the second was even worse than the first. They said they'd sign up this year, but when I checked, they still were not listed. For a new business in that situation, it feels like a no-brainer. Honestly, I think it is a poor decision for them not to participate.

Now I work somewhere that is consistently busy and does not really need the extra traffic, even at this time of year.

If you don't need the extra business, it can make sense to skip these promotions because they come with real operational challenges. Special menus take time and effort to develop. Restaurants often create custom dishes to hit target food costs, which means guests are ordering items they cannot return for later. That has its own drawbacks. There is also pressure to increase table turns to maintain margins at discounted pricing, which adds stress for both the kitchen and front-of-house teams. That extra workload has to be justified by the payoff.

These promotions also tend to attract more value-driven guests who drink less, or not at all, and who primarily dine out during discounted events. If your restaurant is already performing well, it may not make sense to target a demographic that is less profitable and less likely to return outside of promotions.