Making plans for next week’s Valentine’s Day “holiday”? Or not?
Take a breath, the pressure is off.
Valentine’s Day isn’t the most popular restaurant day in Maine, according to a report from Womply, a company that helps small businesses attract and engage customers. It’s not even in the top 10. Or the top 100.
Feb. 14 is the 130th-best sales day of the year for Maine restaurants, Womply’s report says. Perhaps it’s not surprising, given that many restaurants in Maine gear their business toward the summer.
If you do go out, the Womply’s breakdown of the stats for Maine restaurants shows there’s a 1% decrease in transaction volume on Valentine’s Day but a 12% lift in revenue compared to an average day. In other words, while fewer people eat out that night, they’re spending more money in the name of love.
Womply’s “state of restaurants report” analyzed transactions at small independent restaurants in all 50 states, including Maine, for every day of the 2017 calendar year.
In 2016, restaurant revenue in Maine reached $2.6 billion, according to the Maine Restaurant Association, citing statistics from the Maine Revenue Services. The hospitality sector, which includes the lodging industry that reported $950 million in revenue in 2016, created 77,000 jobs last year and generated $300 million in sales tax, it added.
So what is the best sales day of the year for Maine restaurants?
Mother’s Day, when there’s a 36% increase in transaction volume of an average restaurant day in Maine and an 81% increase in total sales.
On average, Maine’s restaurants make $44,000 per month in sales revenue, ranking the state 22nd among the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Maine restaurants earn 54% of their revenue between Friday and Sunday.
The average Maine restaurant sees 36 transactions per day at an average of $39.44.
Mainers are less likely to visit a restaurant on Valentine’s Day than the average American — nationally it ranks 107th, with an 18% increase in revenue and 4% increase in transaction volume on Valentine’s Day.
Who sets the standard for showing love by eating out? Texans. The Lone Star State has a 34% bump in revenue on that day. Other high ranking states include, Florida (30% increase), Louisiana (30% increase) and Oklahoma (32% increase).