Father’s Day was first celebrated on June 19, 1908 and although there is some discrepancy over how the tradition began, one thing is certainly clear—we celebrate in order to honor our fathers by giving them a special day to distinguish them. President Johnson’s executive order made Father’s Day a holiday in 1966 and in 1972 a Congressional Act permanently set the celebratory day as the third Sunday in June.
When I was growing up, my Dad worked in law enforcement and, with his erratic schedule, celebrating special days was difficult, at best. In his own way, though, Dad made each holiday, each birthday, an event—we celebrated birthdays for an entire week! And so in that same spirit, we made sure to do the same for him. Father’s Day was a huge event when we finally got to spend time together. Sometimes his work schedule even allowed for a celebration on Father’s Day, and that was a special treat—we knew we got to go out to dinner that night. But not just out to dinner, we got to eat at a “grown-up” restaurant that was my Dad’s favorite place!
Looking back, I wonder what made the restaurant that we ate at every year for Father’s Day so special. Was it the location? We had to drive about a half an hour to get there and the restaurant overlooked the beautiful beach. So maybe. Or perhaps it was the food? My dad almost invariably ordered the fish and chips and I’m pretty sure that, since I grew up on the coast, good fish and chips weren’t too difficult to come by. Could be that they were just a smidge better than those at other places.
What I really think, though, is that the restaurant knew that Father’s Day is the third most popular holiday in which people choose to dine out (bested only by Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.) And that the most important factor for choosing a restaurant for a Father’s Day meal is that it is “Dad’s favorite place to go.” So they worked hard all year round to make sure they were a favorite, and even harder on Father’s Day to go out of their way to make my dad, and all other dad’s dining in their establishment, feel special.
So what is your restaurant’s favorite way to make all the Dads feel special? Do you offer drink specials? Food specials? Do you host a Father’s Day event? Or do you work all year long at making your restaurant a favorite among Fathers? Does the atmosphere of your place make people want to come back? Or delectable desserts? A large selection of cold draft beers? We’d love to hear from you, let us know your secret!
