The holidays come first, and most of what we'd run for them costs very little.
"Print" means the only cost is printing cards or flyers, which I'll quote per piece.
Every price and date on this page comes from the vendor's or organizer's own site, checked Oct 15. Where something isn't posted yet, it says so.
Buy $100 in gift cards and get a $20 bonus card that's good from early January through March. It sells in December when people are shopping anyway, and the bonus cards bring them back in the quiet months after the holidays. We push it on both websites, in the newsletter, on a card with the check, and on the busy December nights below.
ASK Can people buy gift cards online yet, and are they okay with a bonus card?
Country Christmas in Old Town Auburn is Sat Dec 12 and Sat Dec 19, 5 to 9pm, and the Historic Courthouse right across the street runs Old Town Christmas the same nights. That's a crowd walking right past our door, on nights we're open. A hot cocktail at the Lounge, someone out front handing out the gift card offer, and a reason to come back for dinner. The Festival of Lights Parade on Lincoln Way was Sat Dec 6 last year; this year's date isn't posted yet, probably Sat Dec 5.
Bigger option: Auburn has an Entertainment Zone where bars can sell to-go drinks in Old Town and Downtown. The Lounge isn't signed up yet. Joining takes an ABC registration and a City permit, and I still need to confirm we're inside the zone.
ASK Worth opening the Lounge early on those Saturdays? Want me to look into the to-go drink permit?
This is where flyers earn their keep. Auburn's Downtown Business Association covers over 400 businesses, and plenty of them need somewhere for a team party. I'll walk a card to them with The Venue's open dates, a simple package, and Jenn's contact. The card offers January too, for the teams that don't get to it in December.
ASK What dates are still open in December, and is Jenn comfortable with a January party package?
The Placer Artists Tour runs Nov 6 to 8 and 13 to 15, and a $150 Dine and Drink sponsorship puts us in their tour app with an offer for visitors. Visit Placer takes event submissions for free, so every music night, the December nights, and New Year's Eve go on their calendar. The City's Explore Auburn site already lists the Lounge for live music; Oakhouse and The Venue can be added for free too.
A regular billboard around Auburn averages about $3,360 for four weeks (a broker's average across 58 boards). The one that faces local traffic is on Hwy 49 at New Airport Rd; the I-80 boards catch people driving up to Tahoe. Before spending that, Blip sells time on digital billboards in Roseville along I-80 and Hwy 65 by the day, about $20 to $100 a day with no contract. Two weeks before New Year's Eve is a cheap way to find out if it's worth the bigger spend. I'd keep the message on Oakhouse dinner and The Venue, since some boards limit alcohol ads.
ASK Okay to test about two weeks in December?
Auburn is in the second round of the Auburn Journal's Best of the Best 2026 contest: two weeks of nominations, then four weeks of voting, one vote a day. The dates aren't posted yet. The paper says advertising doesn't affect the results, so it's free. We push nominations for all three: steakhouse, bar and live music, and event venue. The Journal also takes story ideas for free, and we have good ones: two chefs worth writing about, and a building that's on Auburn's historic register.
We're at about 120 people on the list. A birthday club is a simple way to grow it: sign up, and you get something on your birthday. The signup goes on the websites, on a card with the check, and on every Venue inquiry. One newsletter a month: the music lineup, what's new from the kitchen, and one offer.
ASK What would they give on a birthday? A dessert, a drink?
The Post Office will deliver a postcard to every home on a route for 26¢ each in postage, starting at 200 pieces. All of 95603 is 12,167 homes, about $3,160 in postage, so I'd start with the 2,000 or so homes closest to us, about $520 plus printing. One offer for a slow night in January or February, with a code so we know exactly how many came in. If it pays, we widen it.
ASK Which nights need the help most, and what offer are they comfortable with?
Standard membership is $275 a year. Their networking mixers are Thursdays from 5:30 to 7, inside Lounge hours, and they put a room full of local business owners in The Venue, which is a good way to sell holiday parties. This year's hosts are booked, so we'd ask for a 2027 date. The Chamber also does ribbon cuttings every Thursday at noon, which come with membership and would be a nice way to launch The Venue's new site.
Valentines on the Placer Wine Trail is Feb 13 and 14. A dinner at Oakhouse with an Auburn winery like Bonitata or Viña Castellano gets promoted to their customers as well as ours.
Auburn is a running town and the big races finish here: the American River 50 on Apr 3, Canyons on Apr 22 to 25 (it starts and finishes downtown), and Western States on June 26 and 27. That's runners, crews and families who all need dinner. A finishers' night at the Lounge and a deal for anyone with a race bib. "Endurance Capital of the World" is a City trademark, so we'd ask before putting it in an ad.
Placer County moved its civil ceremonies to Rocklin in 2023, but the county will deputize a friend to marry a couple at The Venue for $40 plus the marriage license. That makes The Venue a one-stop small wedding: ceremony, dinner, and the bridal suite, all in one place. For bigger weddings, Real Weddings Magazine says it prints over 30,000 copies a year for Sacramento and Tahoe, and I'll get their rates.
A dinner card at the front deskHoliday Inn, Best Western Golden Key, SpringHill Suites, and the Park Victorian.
A longer kitchen series with TavoOnce the holidays are behind us.
KAHI live from the LoungeThey still sell live remote broadcasts, but haven't posted current prices.