Atlanta-area restaurants banking on Valentine’s bounce

Making sure you take your sweetie out to dinner this Valentine’s Day will mean more than just avoiding a night on the lumpy couch.

It could make the difference in your favorite restaurant’s survival.

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Joey Ivansco/jivansco@ajc.com

Every couple dining at One Midtown Kitchen on Valentine’s Day will get a rose that has been stripped of thorns by floral designer Rowina Amick.

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After a so-so New Year’s Eve turnout and a horrible fourth quarter last year, restaurateurs hope that diners will come out in droves on Saturday.

And to sweeten the pot, they are making unprecedented offers — from discounted bottles of wine to lower-priced, pre-fixe menus to live music.

“We are sacrificing a little bit,” Guido Piccinni, assistant director of food and beverage at NEO at Rosewood’s Mansion on Peachtree, said of a deal the 95-seat restaurant has for a seven-course, seven-wine dinner it’s offering for $100.

If times were better, the same meal would cost about $180 for the food and $60 to $70 for the wine, he said, adding that the restaurant is fully booked with a waiting list.

“It’s something you have to do in this economy,” he said.

Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and New Year’s Eve traditionally are the strongest nights for restaurants, hospitality officials say.

But with the recession, restaurants are struggling — cutting staff, reducing inventory and in some cases, giving away food to lure customers.

In an analysis of the past year and current trends, the NPD Group, a New York-based consulting firm, said that dinner dining was trending downward and that eateries that showed strength were those that offered deals.

“There will be no recession in eating,” Harry Balzer, a chief industry analyst and vice president at NPD, said in the analysis. “There will just be winners and losers. The restaurants that deliver value and make it easy to get food cheaper, in new and compelling ways, will win.”

It doesn’t help that Valentine’s Day falls on Saturday this year, said restaurant analyst Harold Shumacher of the Shumacher Group. Fridays and Saturdays generally are the industry’s stronger days and not in need of as much help as other days of the week.

“When it’s on the weekends, they don’t get the extra pop,” he said.

Recognizing the challenges, some restaurants are being creative to persuade diners to open their wallets.

Rathbun’s plans to get an early start, kicking off Valentine’s Day on Thursday with an $85 five-course dinner. Several of the eateries under the Concentrics Restaurants umbrella — including One Midtown Kitchen and Two Urban Licks — are handing out roses to guests.

And the Shed at Glenwood is not only offering dinner for lovers, it hopes to attract the not so in love with its “Better Off” menu. The restaurant, which says it’s also celebrating “singularity,” has a $65 pre-fixe menu that is headlined by words such as sour, violent, black and bitter over its four courses.

Shed owner Cindy Shera said she came up with the “Better Off” idea in response to the diners who felt they were being excluded because everything was designed for lovers.

“They felt a little ostracized from the menu,” she said. “So we thought we would have a little fun with it and take care of everybody.”