Valentine's Day is the one official day of each calendar year where couples are supposed to shower each other with love, whether physically, or through a choice selection of gifts and activities. Taking a loved one to a restaurant is probably the most practiced gesture of all, as most dine-in establishments experience an upsurge in patronage on this fateful day.
However, fast food restaurants want in on this universal tradition, and are offering incentives for customers to skip their reservations at the Olive Garden for something a little less formal.
White Castle, the restaurant immortalized in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, have been offering Valentine's reservations at their locations for over thirty years, and expect to surpass the 28,000 patrons served last year. A new chocolate and strawberry shake will be added to the menu for couples to indulge in alongside their famous sliders.
KFC is also jumping on the bandwagon by offering scratch-and-sniff Valentine's Day cards that reveal a fried chicken aroma to customers who order their $10 Chicken Share meals or a bucket full of Popcorn Nuggets.
Panera Bread is hoping customers will want to get engaged at any of their locations, offering those who pop the question a chance to have their wedding catered by the restaurant.
Finally, Wingstop has sold out of its $25 Valentine's Day kit, which comes with a gift card and a heart-shaped box to be filled with chicken wings. The company has revealed that the 1,000 kits in this limited edition offer were gone in about 72 hours.
For some, it's the small gestures that matter the most.