Buy one, save later deals dominate Father's Day promos

Benjamin Steakhouse offers dads who dine there on Father's Day a $50 gift card.

If restaurant promotions around the country are any indication, lots of guys will be eating steaks on June 15 for Father’s Day. This isn’t surprising, given that beef is the top protein in foodservice.

Beef represents 32 percent of the total protein market share, according to the report, 2013 Usage and Volumetric Assessment of Beef in Foodservice, proprietary research from the Beef Checkoff. The study reports that 97 percent of restaurants feature beef on the menu.

This year, we are seeing a lot of Father’s Day promotions with buy one, save later offers—buy dad a dinner, earn a gift card for a future date. According to the National Restaurant Association, Father’s Day is the third most popular day for dining out, after Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.

• Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is offering options such as a three-course brunch ($39.95) with signature brunch dishes, or a three-course Father’s Day Prime Rib Dinner, also $39.95.  Customers who make a reservation for Father’s Day receive a $25 dining card for dining on a future visit, too.

• Father’s Day festivities at Tokio Pub in Schaumburg, IL, also include a $25 gift certificate for dads to use on a future visit. Brunch choices include signatures such as Hot Rock Steak and Eggs, Smoked Salmon Benedict, and Tokio Chicken & Waffles with ginger maple syrup. Tokio Pub also offers its full menu all day long from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m.

• Dads who dine at Benjamin Steakhouse in New York City will be receiving a $50 gift card to use on a return visit—after they enjoy the restaurant’s Father’s Day fare. The $69.95 per-person menu includes a seafood appetizer, followed by a choice of New York Strip Sirloin Steak or Veal Chop served with signature sides, and dessert.

• Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar in Washington, DC, is pouring complimentary snifters of Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum on Father’s Day for dads who purchase dinner entrees like a 12-ounce adobo-rubbed all-natural Black Angus grilled sirloin steak ($33), the Plato Gaucho Mixed Grill ($34) or the Guava BBQ Ribs ($29.99 for a man-sized portion of ten St. Louis cut pork ribs). As a take-home gift, fathers also receive a Montecristo cigar.

• In addition to its Father’s Day Brunch and Father’s Day Prix Fixe menu served from 5 to 10 p.m., SD26 in New York City is giving each dad a New York Lottery ticket. The Prix Fixe meals, priced at $70 for three courses and $85 for four courses ($40 for children under 12), showcase chef Matteo Bergamini’s contemporary Italian cuisine.

• Toro Toro in Miami offers a Bottomless Father’s Day Brunch for $50 per person, including unlimited Mimosas, Bloody Marys or Micheladas, along with prime Angus NY Strip and Ribeye cut tableside.

• Do-it-yourselfers can take advantage of the opportunity to “Be the Chef” on Father’s Day at Benihana, by training one-on-one with a Benihana chef and then demonstrating their newly learned skills for friends and family. The basic “Be the Chef” package ($140 for four people, including the “chef”) includes grilling and showmanship training, a Benihana chef hat and apron, a diploma and a commemorative photo. Additional guests can join the fun for $35 each. The Special Package is priced at $250 for a party of eight.

Planning your own Father’s Day specials? Try these ideas on for size.

• Tuscan steak on pretzel hoagie
• Grilled skirt steak with smoked pistachio chipotle salsa
• Grilled steak and pear salad
• Beef Stroganoff crepes
• Kobe beef with sweet red wine pear maki
• Grass-fed beef meatballs