February is for lovers, but a recent promotion by Hub 51 in Chicago can work any time of year. Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group, which owns Hub 51, found an extra revenue boost this year by placing a bridal event in the restaurant/lounge on Sunday, February 15, to round out the Valentine weekend.
“We had a solid 500 people,” says Hub 51 manager Delia Ryan.
Guests arrived to find the sleek restaurant and bar space transformed into a bridal showcase, with the latest in wedding hair, makeup, floral, honeymoons, invitations and accessories by Chicago’s top wedding purveyors, including Revel Décor, The Cake Girls, JetSet World Travel, Fig Media and Mario Tricoci. Photographers snapped free engagement photos for couples, and there was even an ordained minister on hand, should any couple be compelled to tie the knot right there at Hub 51, although there were no takers.
The biggest synergy took place within Lettuce Entertain You itself; the group also used the event to market wedding-friendly services from its other properties.
“Employees from all the different Lettuce Entertain You restaurants were present to represent their concepts and show what they could do for rehearsal dinners and weddings, to showcase their signature drinks and appetizers, and it was all free for couples,” Ryan explains.
“There are 50-plus restaurants under the Lettuce Entertain You parent company umbrella, so the event was really way a to inform people looking for a place to host a wedding or the parties leading up to one.”