For Father’s Day on June 19, Philly-area small businesses will offer discounts, gift cards and more

You’ve heard the adage that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? When it comes to Father’s Day this coming weekend, that adage seems to be a marketing tactic for many small businesses in the area.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the idea of Father’s Day was conceived more than a century ago by a young woman in Spokane, Wash., to honor her father, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. The day was formalized as a national holiday on the third Sunday of June in 1972 by President Richard M. Nixon — and its popularity has exploded since then.

The National Retail Federation estimates that consumer spending this Father’s Day will be about $20 billion, with about 76% of U.S. adults celebrating the occasion.

For local small businesses, it seems that much of this celebration will center on the two things fathers seem to like most: food and drink.

“We will be doing an all-you-can eat buffet for Father’s Day,” said Brooke Higgins, chef/owner of Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse in Northeast Philadelphia. Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are among the busiest days of the year for the restaurant, which has been in business since 2003 and employs about 20 people full time.

“It’s a crazy day, and we do our best to keep up and “serve happiness,” Higgins says.

Lots of food is also on the table at Center City’s Iron Hill Brewery. The restaurant chain, which has more than a dozen locations in the Philadelphia area, is doing a special menu and running a gift card promotion in honor of the big day. “It’s an important day for us,” said Brendan Mullan, a regional chef at the restaurant. “Of course, any holiday involving celebration combined with great food and beer is a solid day for us.”

BBQ and beer does sound right up dad’s alley. But some also like a nice glass of wine or bourbon. To serve that audience, Carley Razzi, who co-owns the Penns Woods Winery in Chadds Ford, is holding a special Father’s Day wine and whiskey event in which two experts will guide guests through the creation of cocktails that include both in a classroom inside the winery’s enclosed patio.

Razzi, like many other small-business owners, sees events such as Father’s Day as an opportunity to attract new customers.

“People that are looking for a fun and unique way to celebrate a holiday will attend one of our events and then hopefully become a long-term customer, or even a wine club member,” she said.

Matt Hendricks, the owner of Thirsty Dice in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood, which since 2018 has been providing food, drinks (and milkshakes) along with and games, likens Father’s Day to just another reason to get families together to enjoy a mutual activity.

“Certain holidays have been great for welcoming families in, like Mother’s Day brunch or Halloween,” Hendricks said. “But with Father’s Day, it’s been much more focused on outdoor activities.”

And Kensington Community Food Co-Op, a member-owned grocery store, cafe, and bar serving Kensington, Fishtown, and Port Richmond, will offer Father’s Day specials all weekend on local beers, organic vegetables and “happy meat” (local sustainably raised meat products).

I know it seems that I’m harping on food and drink, and I am. But other small businesses not in the restaurant or bar industry are also leveraging Father’s Day to increase sales.

For example, the Philadelphia Barber Co. and Hemlock Grooming Supply, at 1106 N. Front St. in Northern Liberties, which provides haircuts and sells grooming products to both barbers and consumers, is offering two Father’s Day promotions that give discounts on their grooming supplies and are even offering a special price on a father/son haircut. 1106 N Front St, Northern Liberties

“Father’s Day is always a good time at the shop,” said Ken Cairns, a co-owner. “We have many clients who bring their kids in with them for their own services, and we love having the opportunity to develop those relationships.”

Will higher prices keep shoppers away? It doesn’t seem that way. Most of the small-business owners I spoke to have done a good job restructuring their menus and product offerings to balance out inflation and supply chain issues so that they can still serve their guests within their budgets. Prices have gone up, for sure. And some are offering a little less for the same price. But these changes aren’t expected to have a significant impact on demand.

“My expectation is that if we maintain a reasonable retail price, we can work together to get through any inflation that is forthcoming — allowing our business to stay open and producing high quality wines from locally grown grapes, and happy customers that aren’t seeing prices that are completely out of reach,” Razzi said.

But some, such as Hendricks, see that higher prices already having an impact on their buying behavior.

“I think owners are running out of tricks, and customers are continuing to need to find efficiencies in their own budgets, so they are increasingly turning to lower-cost alternatives,” he said. “With Father’s Day turning more of a focus to outdoor activities, I would guess some families will turn to a picnic and hike in lieu of a ball game or heading out for dinner.”

Gene Marks is a certified public accountant and the owner of the Marks Group, a technology and financial management consulting firm in Bala Cynwyd.