May the fourth be with you, as some people say today. You probably know that’s a reference to a sincere wish for good fortune in the Star Wars universe (“May the force be with you”), combined with an arguably disrespectful nod to a common speech impediment.
That might be a tenuous reason to make May 4 the day to celebrate the most successful science fiction franchise of all time, but hey, people like a reason to party, and today fans can get discounts on Star Wars video games, Lego toys, books, and the films themselves, among other things.
There are many niche holidays of this sort, especially at this time of year, starting with Mario Day on March 10 (Mar 10 — get it?), Pi Day on March 14 — probably the only day celebrating a mathematical constant — and Steve Austin Day on March 16, honoring the professional wrestler’s co-optation of the Biblical verse John 3:16. Somewhere in there is St. Practice Day, the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day, when people work to build up their alcohol tolerance for the Irish holiday.
At least two of these holidays occur in April — Earth Day on April 22, which started in 1970 and is now a full-blown movement, and 4/20, celebrating all things cannabis from as far back as 1971. It took longer to catch on than Earth Day, but it’s a very big deal in some circles now.
Why, as a restaurateur, should you care?
Well, as I said, fans like a reason to celebrate, and each of these occasions can be one for you to capitalize on.
I didn’t see any restaurants celebrating Star Wars Day this year, but last year, when May 4 was on a Sunday, Broken Yolk Café offered two special brunch Mimosas — a blue one for jedi and a red one for sith.
Broken Yolk Cafe's May the Fourth specials from last year. | Photo courtesy of Broken Yolk Cafe
Pi Day is a no-brainer for pizzerias and dessert specialists, and many of them offer discounts and other specials. There are also plenty of 4/20 promotions, probably most notably Dallas-based Mexican food concept Velvet Taco’s Weekly Taco Feature that returns every year: The 420 Blazin’, made with mac & cheese, chicken tenders coated in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, red chile aïoli, and Fruity Pebbles cereal in a flour tortilla, priced at $4.20, because of course it is.
And some formerly niche holidays are now quite widespread, including 4/20, and on a much larger scale, Cinco de Mayo, which was certainly not a thing in my circles when I was growing up in Denver — I would have remembered because it’s also my mother’s birthday — but is now a nationwide reason to drink Margaritas and eat guacamole.
May 5 is also legendary foodie James Beard’s birthday, by the way.
So keep an eye out for these and other days honored by smaller segments of the population. They’re a great way to win over fans who might be small in number, but enthusiastic in celebrating what they love.