---
title: "CNBC: Valentine’s Day Falls on a Wednesday this Year and That’s Bad News for Restaurants"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/f985036b-fbe6-4035-8ea3-174ab0ef6b2e
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/cnbc-valentines-day-falls-on-a-wednesday-this-year-and-thats-bad-news-for-restaurants-2705572
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2018-02-14T18:13:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:09:51.401Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/66012523890d2323fc8d516995359b90187.jpg
---

# CNBC: Valentine’s Day Falls on a Wednesday this Year and That’s Bad News for Restaurants

**TL;DR:** Restaurants may see lower sales on Valentine's Day this year since it falls on a Wednesday, with weekend Valentine's Days typically being busier. Consumers tend to spend more at restaurants on Valentine's Day, especially when it falls on a weekend.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-02-14. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/cnbc-valentines-day-falls-on-a-wednesday-this-year-and-thats-bad-news-for-restaurants-2705572).*

## Story

Consumers often spend more money dining out on Valentine’s Day. But according to a CNBC article, the fact that the holiday falls on a Wednesday this year means that brands may not see as much activity as they’re used to.

Unsurprisingly, restaurants see the most activity when Valentine’s Day falls on a weekend. Bonnie Riggs, an analyst for NPD Group, told CNBC, “When it falls during the middle of the week, I don’t think operators make as much. They aren’t as busy as they would be if it was on a weekend.”

And that’s backed up my data from NPD Group’s Checkout Analytics. Consumers who ate out at fine dining establishments on Valentine’s Day in 2016—when it was on a Sunday—spend an average of $166.44, which is $40 more than 2017.

At restaurants like IHOP and Denny’s, customers spend an average of $10 more in 2016 than they did in 2017. The only segment of the restaurant industry that had a higher check average on Valentine’s Day in 2017 was quick service, including brands like McDonald’s and Taco Bell.

In order to attract customers on Valentine’s Day this year—even though it’s on a weeknight—restaurant brands and franchises are introducing holiday themed LTOs.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- menu pricing (topic)
- McDonald's (company)
- Taco Bell (company)
- Denny's (company)
- IHOP (company)
- valentine's day (topic)
- holiday sales (topic)
- restaurant revenue (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/cnbc-valentines-day-falls-on-a-wednesday-this-year-and-thats-bad-news-for-restaurants-2705572). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/f985036b-fbe6-4035-8ea3-174ab0ef6b2e).