Enjoying a birthday dinner at a tavern or bar and grill is a great time to celebrate a loved one, but you can take things one step further by providing some birthday surprises. Before the birthday dinner takes place, consider some unique ways to surprise a loved one and create a birthday dinner they will remember for a long time.

Call Ahead of Time

Whether you make reservations or not, you should contact a tavern ahead of time to inform them of the birthday celebration. The restaurant may provide you with a small piece of birthday cake and a sing-along to celebrate the occasion. The moment will come as a big surprise and be a great way to cap off the dinner. For a low-key option, you could arrange another surprise. For example, you could have a bottle of wine or champagne ready for you at the table. If you know the person's favorite appetizer, you could have it pre-ordered and ready to serve as soon as you arrive.

Table Set Up

Depending on the day and how crowded the restaurant is, you may have the option to set up a table before your actual dinner date. If you are meeting at the restaurant, then you could show up ten or so minutes early. If you are driving together, then you could go earlier in the day to set up a reserved table. The table set up can include birthday decor, balloons, and small pieces of confetti. When your loved one arrives, they will see the surprise and enjoy the enhanced birthday theme.

Menu Magic

With some quick and subtle movements, you can slip someone's birthday present right into the restaurant menu. If the tavern menu has a fold out option, try to slip a birthday card right between the menu pages. When the person goes to open the menu, the card will appear and provide a nice small surprise.

Surprise Guests

Add even more to the birthday dinner by inviting some surprise guests. For example, you could invited a loved one parents to the dinner. You could invite their best friends or siblings. the key to the invite is knowing the person would want them at their birthday dinner. You wouldn't just want to invite random co-workers or acquaintances. 

The surprise will add to the conversation of the dinner, increase the size of the celebration, and create fun birthday memories for your loved one. Taverns will often accommodate your needs, and a little communication goes a long way in providing a memorable birthday experience. Some restaurants, like The Shanty, know that this is incredibly important.