5 Example Happy Hour Text Message Invitations for Your Restaurant

Let’s be honest. Who out there doesn’t love happy hour?

Happy hour is the time to relieve stress, connect with friends, and unwind after a long day at work. 

If you’re a restaurant who hosts an amazing happy hour, you need an effective way to promote it and invite customers to attend. 

For that purpose, we recommend a witty, upbeat happy hour text message invitation. 

We’ll give you some easy templates to steal, along with the recipe for a perfect happy hour invitation. 

Real Talk: Why Do You Need A Happy Hour Text Message?

A well-written happy hour text invitation can do more than fill seats from 4-6 PM. 

When you take the time to send a personal text to your customers, it shows them that you care. Statistics show that customers who have an emotional relationship with a brand represent a 306% higher lifetime value and will refer to the business at a rate of 71%, compared to the average rate of 45%.

Part of building strong relationships with your customers is making them feel like a VIP guestーor a personal friendーbefore they ever walk in the door. 

One of the most powerful parts of SMS messages is their exclusivity. Your people get emails all day long. An invitation sent straight to a guest’s phone comes across as much more intimate.

With the explanation out of the way, we’ll give you what you showed up for: the best happy hour text templates ever.

5 Happy Hour Text Message Examples

Not sure where to start with your first happy hour text? Steal these 5 templates.

End of the Work Day

After a long day at work, most people are looking for a way to relax. Give your patrons the perfect opportunity.

Bring a Group of Friends

Happy hour is a social event. Encourage your customers to show up with a group. 

Tease Drink Specials

If you have themed days or a special happy hour menu, now is a great time to show it off. 

Self-care Reminder

For a lot of people, happy hour is a time to de-stress. Give your message a relaxed vibe.

Playful Invitation

Happy hours are a gathering of friends, so start the mood off right with a fun message.

Now that we know what a great happy hour text looks like, we’ll explain how to build one from scratch.

How To Write a Perfect Happy Hour Text Message

Obviously, happy hour invitation texts aren’t too complicated. That said, there are still a few important tips to keep in mind:

• Stick with a light tone. Even though you’re texting your customers, texts are a personal way to communicate. Keep your messages conversational.
• Jokes are goodーbut they should be tasteful. Avoid joking about religion, politics, or other sensitive topics. 
• Short and sweet is the name of the game. All you need to do is announce your happy hour and make people feel welcome, so no need to say too much.
• Links are a great way to include information without taking up space in your texts. Add a link to your website where guests can find your happy hour schedule (and any exciting drink specials you might have).

Other Ways to Use Texting in Your Restaurant

Of course, happy hour announcements aren’t the only way to use mobile marketing in your restaurant. 

You can use SMS messages to announce specials and limited-time offers, take reservations, or let customers know when their order is ready for pickup. 

The possibilities are endless. Want to know how real-life restaurants use texts? Check out these articles:

• How to drive more delivery orders
• Using texts in your marketing strategy

Need some help to get your text strategy started? Try out SimpleTexting for 14 days, totally free.