In April, we asked industry experts to weigh in on limited-time offers for One for the Road:
"Tell us about an effective, limited-time offer at your venue and why it was successful.”
Christopher J. Collins, Vice President, Food & Beverage, OTO Development, LLC
Martinis, they say, are back. Per MarthaStewart.com, a martini renaissance is the #1 drink trend for 2025.
But at OTO’s Castell Rooftop Lounge — located atop our AC Hotel Times Square in New York City — this classic cocktail never went away. During the winter months, however, the bar team mixed it up a bit by replacing the standard martini menu with a limited-time Martini Service tableside activation.
The goal was to meet drinkers where they are and to capture the interest of new martini aficionados, as well as those who’ve long loved it in every iteration, whether gin or vodka, shaken or stirred, dirty or dry.
Castell’s Martini Service was a self-pour experience that encouraged guests to experiment. The tailored presentation offered guests their choice of chilled vodka or gin along with sides of dry vermouth, blue cheese-stuffed olives, tobacco onions, lemon twists, and olive brine.
As a cocktail bar in Midtown Manhattan, Castell brands itself with a Mad Men vibe. This winter's martini-focused bottle service effectively maximized a market trend while also complementing the venue’s established brand identity. It also provided a partnership opportunity for our spirits partners.
Castell priced the Martini Service at $120 per table, making it a low-cost, high-margin offering. We'd do it again — in fact, we probably will.
Kaffee Hopkins, VP of Marketing and Administrative Officer, Marlow’s Tavern
During our annual five-week Ribs & Whiskey celebration, we introduced a Wednesday night reservation-only whiskey dinner. Each week, we partnered with a different distillery to create a unique three-course, prix fixe menu paired with three of their signature pours. At $75 per guest, the experience offered intimate, community-style seating and a deeper dive into each spirit brand. As an added incentive, attendees were entered into a raffle to win a limited-edition bottle from that evening’s featured distillery. The dinners sold out quickly, and many guests returned for multiple weeks, creating buzz and driving mid-week traffic. This series elevated our Ribs & Whiskey programming, which features BBQ-inspired food and drink offerings, building lasting connections with both guests and brand partners.
T. Cole Newton, Owner/Proprietor, Twelve Mile Limit, New Orleans
We offer $5 classic cocktails nightly, but whenever it dips below 40 degrees F, we also add a hot toddy for the same price. People love a hottie on a cold night!
Katie Haley, Director of Marketing for Cien Agaves, Nello's, and GHOST RANCH, and President of USBG Phoenix Chapter
We decided to run a feature that incorporated food and drink. We offered limited time lobster tacos and a Don Julio Blanco Margarita during the month of February to celebrate National Tequila Day all month long. We found that when we created a food and drink pairing option that guests could share or have as a meal it was very successful. The presentation of the dish was executed with style to combine the food and drink on one presentation platter.
We also found it very important to get our staff behind the feature. As we all know things "sell" better when people attach to it. When adding a completely new menu item that staff could get excited about and truly aligned with they were able to recommend the feature based on their own experience and likings.
Dale Vaughn, Owner, Space Bar, Pittsburgh
All of our menu is limited-time offers. We don’t do discounts, but we sunset even our beloved cocktails regularly. We have trained our fans to savor the great drinks we create because they can and will go away. So we build limited-time offers of archived drinks, and we let our fans know they can catch a glimpse of a favorite like the Tart-ooine Sour for this weekend only. We find this cultivates a FOMO for each and every new debut.
John Iannucci, CEO of Mas Mex restaurant group, Escalante’s Fine Tex Mex & Tequila, and Fat Rosie’s Taco and Tequila Bar
The new Mahi tacos were created to capture the light, tropical flavors of spring with a Mexican twist that fits both brands. Fun fact: The chef originally pitched a Mahi filet over rice, but after some testing, the team realized the fish’s dense texture absorbed flavor better when broken up and served as tacos—our most popular menu item. Add a bright tropical pico de gallo and a chipotle mayo drizzle, and boom—a new favorite was born.
This limited-time offer has been one of our most successful to date, generating nearly $70K in sales in just seven weeks. It’s been such a hit that we’re adding it to the permanent menu at both concepts by the end of April.
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