Restaurants revive retro pricing for anniversaries — but does the trend make ‘cents’?

Restaurants are increasingly leaning into nostalgia with limited-time promotions that bring back menu prices from decades ago to help celebrate anniversaries.

Across the country, eateries marking milestone birthdays are temporarily slashing prices, offering everything from burgers and cocktails priced as they were when the restaurants first opened to specials tied to the anniversary number — such as $1.65 fries for 65 years in business.

At Burgerville, a Pacific Northwest burger chain that celebrated its 65th anniversary on March 10, customers could purchase items such as $1.65 small fries, a $1.65 fountain drink and a $2.65 original cheeseburger for one day only.

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"Sixty-five is such an incredible milestone for Burgerville," CEO Kyle Welch said in a statement. "We love taking this moment to look back, and also to look ahead, continue innovating, and serving our communities with quality, delicious, local meals for the next 65 to come."

Burgerville opened its first location in Vancouver on March 10, 1961, and has since expanded to more than 40 restaurants throughout Oregon and Washington, according to the company.

Other restaurants are tying anniversary celebrations to nostalgic menu pricing and historic dishes.

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In New Orleans, several long-running restaurants are marking milestone anniversaries with special menus and retro promotions, Axios reported this month. Tujague’s, which dates back to 1856, is celebrating its 170th year with $1.70 Grasshopper cocktails, a drink that was invented at the restaurant.

Brennan’s, meanwhile, is commemorating its 80th anniversary with $80 multi-course meals featuring signature dishes spanning eight decades.

In Las Vegas, Carmine’s Pizza Kitchen celebrated 50 years in business with a promotion last month that recreated prices from its opening era. During the anniversary event, diners could order $3.50 large cheese pizzas, $1.99 meatballs and 95-cent salads, matching prices from the restaurant’s early days.

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"Vegas has given me this, so that’s why I’m doing this promotion," owner Carmine Vento told Neon Las Vegas at the time. "It’s about saying thank you to Las Vegas. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished."

The promotions, which appeal to budget-conscious consumers and tap into nostalgia, reflect a broader industry tactic known as "throwback pricing," Nation's Restaurant News (NRN) reported last year, with even major chains taking part.

At the time, White Castle had just announced it would offer six Original Sliders for $4 — pricing the burgers at about 67 cents each, roughly what they cost in 2012 — as part of a promotional deal.

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"Being able to share an offer that takes us back in time — like our ‘6 Sliders for $4’ deal — helps feed the soul a little bit," Jamie Richardson, chief marketing officer at White Castle, told NRN. "To be able to promote savings that harken back to 2012 is compelling, especially in a day and age where sticker shock for so many daily purchases can be real."

Friendly’s previously celebrated its 90th birthday with 90-cent scoops of ice cream during a limited promotion, while Planet Hollywood introduced a throwback menu at its Times Square location priced at the restaurant’s original 1991 menu prices.

Industry analysts say such promotions can draw customers in, though they may not always lead to repeat visits.

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"Rollback pricing can incentivize a one-time visit or order, but I am skeptical that it would result in repeat usage unless there is something super special about the occasion or item," Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research at Technomic, told NRN. "I would also suggest that rollback pricing runs the risk of reminding consumers exactly how expensive their prices have become, which creates another issue."

Limited-time deals may be fleeting, but the nostalgic appeal can still be powerful across generations, according to the industry publication Restaurant Business.

The restaurant marketing blog Gourmet Marketing makes a similar point. 

"Nostalgia for the past is one of the most powerful promotional draws for restaurant customers," it argued in a post. "Nostalgia influences people to spend more money, feel more social and feel better about themselves."