Friday nights are busy for some businesses, such as restaurants, and a slowdown for others, such as retail stores. You can try to increase business by offering Friday night promotions before and after prime time, or all evening long. Don't feel that you can't borrow a Friday night idea from a business that doesn't compete with yours. For example, Friday Night Friends works as a singles mixer at a bar, two-for-one special at a spa, or a book club at a bookstore.

Sports or Bar

Bring in the sports lovers to your bar with a Friday Night Lights promotion. High school football is popular and televised in many areas of the country, but other sports held on Friday night work as well. Try a Friday Nights Fights for wrestling, boxing or kickboxing. Friday Night Finals works for any televised sport in the finals of the season. Add in a drink and food special. You could offer hot dogs with all the fixings for a baseball Friday Night Final for $5 each, or all-you-can-eat chili for football games.

Restaurant

Restaurants are busy on the weekends, and that includes Friday nights. However, business is slower in the late afternoon, early evening and late evening than during the traditional dinner hour. Friday Night Fiesta brings in early diners or the after-work crowd for Mexican food. Ice cream stores can offer Friday Night Flavors — special concoctions available only on Friday. Offer Friday Night Favorites to the late diners through a menu of your bestsellers or comfort food, such as gourmet mac and cheese, veal meat loaf and fried chicken and mashed potatoes. And, of course, there's always Friday Night Fish Fry.

Grocery Store

Friday night is a hectic night for families. Entice them to your store with a Friday night takeout special, such as ready-to-heat pizza or hot entrée. Make it a bargain, such as a whole roasted chicken for $5. Call it the Friday Night Fiver. Your customers will most likely pick up a number of other items while they're picking up the takeout. Other ideas include Friday Night Five for $5. Offer a mix-and-match special of bread, milk, a dozen eggs, orange juice or frozen pancakes for Saturday breakfast — all for $5.

Spa or Salon

Spas and salons face a slowdown of business on Friday nights. Amp it up with special promotions such as Friday Fantasy Night. Create a luxury atmosphere for pampering with different themes such as Arabian nights, oriental splendor or Hollywood glamour. Another idea is to implement a Friday Night Friends with two-for-one specials. Friday Night Out offers a girls' night out with a manicure, pedicure, glass of wine or beverage and a neck or foot massage.