A grand opening flyer has one date to sell, and it has to reach people before that date passes. Owners of new cafes, salons, gyms and shops tape it in a papered-over window, hand it to the businesses next door and share it in neighborhood groups. Here are headlines for eight kinds of openings, soft opening and ribbon cutting lines, how to word "first 50 free" offers, and when to put the date on Google. For the sale, hiring and review flyers that come after opening day, see the flyers for small businesses.
What to put on a grand opening flyer
Write these down before you pick colors, from the biggest type to the smallest:
- "Grand Opening" and your name. Both belong at the top. "Now Open" works once the doors are already open.
- Day, date and hours of the opening. "Saturday, October 17, 7 AM to 2 PM." For an opening weekend or week, give the first and last day.
- The full address and a landmark. A new place isn't on anyone's mental map yet: "Birch Plaza, next to the pharmacy".
- One opening offer with its limits. "Free drip coffee for the first 50 guests" or "20% off everything through Sunday, October 18".
- What you sell, in three to six words. "Espresso, pastries and sandwiches" tells a stranger whether to come.
- Things to do that day. Samples, a kids' craft table, a live band or a kitchen tour.
- Ribbon cutting time (optional). List it only after the business association or officials taking part have confirmed.
- Regular hours after opening. People who miss opening day look for when they can come later.
- One call to action. "Follow the countdown", "RSVP for the ribbon cutting" or "Bring this flyer for a free cookie".
- Website, phone or a QR code. Point it to your Google Business Profile or your menu, not a page that says "coming soon".
Grand opening flyer ideas and wording
The headline changes with the kind of business, and the supporting line carries the offer and its limit. Here are grand opening flyer examples for eight kinds of business (the names and dates are made up):
| Business | Headline | Supporting line |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee shop | "Grand Opening: Free Drip Coffee for the First 50" | "Saturday, October 17, from 7 AM. Pastries 20% off all day." |
| Restaurant | "Opening Week: Free Appetizer With Every Entrée" | "Dine in Tuesday, October 20 to Sunday, October 25. One per table." |
| Bakery | "Our Ovens Are On" | "Grand opening Saturday, 8 AM. Free samples until noon." |
| Salon or barber | "Grand Opening: $15 Cuts All Week" | "Walk-ins welcome October 17 to 24. Regular price $28." |
| Gym or studio | "Opening Week: Try Any Class Free" | "One free class per person, October 19 to 25. Reserve at the front desk." |
| Boutique | "Now Open: Free Tote for the First 100 Shoppers" | "With any $30 purchase, Saturday, October 24 only." |
| Second location | "Now Open on the East Side" | "Same menu, new address: 88 Harper Road." |
| New owners | "Under New Ownership: Come Meet Us" | "Same favorites, new hours from Friday, October 16." |
Headline formulas for opening day
- "Grand Opening" plus the day: "Grand Opening Saturday" reads from across the street.
- "Now Open" plus what you make: "Now Open: Fresh Bagels Daily".
- The offer plus its limit: "First 50 Guests: Free Drip Coffee".
- The doors plus the time: "Doors Open at 7 AM, October 17".
First-customer offers and the word "free"
A "first 50" or "first 100" offer needs a limit a customer can check. Say who qualifies ("the first 100 shoppers who spend $30 or more") and how you'll count, such as numbered tickets handed out at the door. Put that limit right next to the word "free", in the same size type, not in an asterisked footnote. If the freebie needs a purchase, keep opening-week prices at their regular level instead of raising them to cover it.
Soft opening wording
A soft opening is a quieter first run, often with short hours or an invite list, before the advertised grand opening. Its flyer says so plainly so nobody expects the full event:
- Headline: "Soft Opening This Week"
- Supporting line: "Open 11 AM to 3 PM, Wednesday, October 14 to Friday, October 16. Full menu and grand opening Saturday, October 17."
- Call to action: "Come early and tell us what you think."
Ribbon cutting wording
- Headline: "Ribbon Cutting at 9 AM"
- Supporting line: "Join us and our Hollis Street neighbors on Saturday, October 17, at 2210 Hollis Street."
- Call to action: "Coffee and pastries for everyone who comes."
Grand opening flyer text for a restaurant
A restaurant opening flyer needs three things a shop's doesn't: two or three dishes with prices, whether you take reservations, and the opening-week hours if they differ from your regular ones. A line like "Opening week: dinner only, 5 to 9 PM. Reservations at example.com or walk in" settles the hours and the booking question before anyone has to call. After opening week, the restaurant flyer wording covers specials, catering and delivery. For a shop that's only open for a few weeks, the pop-up shop flyer puts the end date up front instead.
Grand opening flyer design tips
Make the date the second-biggest thing on the page. An opening flyer often hangs in a papered-over window for weeks, read by people walking past. They need to remember the day, so it goes right under "Grand Opening" in large type.
Split the page into "that day" and "every day". Put the opening details in the top two-thirds and a bottom strip with regular hours and the address. People who can't make opening day still keep the flyer.
Borrow one color from your sign. If the awning is teal, a teal flyer helps people connect the paper to the building once the covering comes down.
Picture what's coming, not a generic party. A pastry case, a barber chair or a rack of dresses tells neighbors what's moving in. Balloons and confetti could be anyone's opening.
Keep the offer to one line. "Free drip coffee for the first 50 guests" fits in a glance. A list of four opening deals competes with the date.
When to hand out grand opening flyers
Start once the date is firm, and put the same date on Google at the same time. Google Business Profile accepts a future opening date up to one year ahead, and only the month and year are required. In your Business Profile, choose "Edit profile", then Edit beside "Opening date". After you verify the business, Google starts showing the profile 90 days ahead of that date, and from then on you can publish posts, photos and an opening-day discount.
Google's opening rules shape the flyer in two more ways. Until the doors are officially open, customers can't add reviews or photos to your profile, so hold the review cards until after opening day; the review card wording shows how to ask without breaking Google's rules. And for the first 90 days after you open, the profile carries a "Recently opened" tag, so a QR code that opens the profile shows people that tag along with your hours and directions.
Grand opening flyer sizes and printing
| Placement | Print size | Flyer Maker setting |
|---|---|---|
| Front window, nearby bulletin boards | Letter, 8.5 x 11 in | Tall, 4K |
| Covered storefront during the build-out | Poster, 18 x 24 in | Tall, 4K |
| Cards for neighbors and nearby businesses | 5 x 7 in | Tall, 2K |
| Instagram, Facebook event | 4:5 image | Portrait, 1K |
Tall is the same 3:4 shape as an 18 x 24 inch poster. At 4K it's 2480 x 3312 pixels, only about 138 pixels per inch at poster size, so print one poster and look at it from the sidewalk before you order more. For the 5 x 7 cards, Tall at 2K (1536 x 2048 pixels) is enough once roughly 1/4 inch is trimmed from the width, which leaves close to 290 pixels per inch. For printing, choose 2K or 4K. Other shapes and paper sizes are in the flyer size guide.
Common grand opening flyer mistakes
- Printing before the date is confirmed. Inspections and deliveries slip. Print a small first batch and a bigger run once the date is certain.
- A date and weekday that disagree. When the two don't match, some readers come on the wrong day. Read both against a calendar, and check again if the date moves.
- "Free for everyone" with no limit. State the number, the purchase needed or the hours, or plan for the line.
- No hours after opening day. A flyer that only describes the party is useless on Monday.
How to make a grand opening flyer in Flyer Maker
- Type the opening into Flyer Maker. In "Describe your flyer", list the name, day, date, hours, address, the offer and its limit, the ribbon cutting time, and the exact call to action.
- Upload the logo from your sign with "Add your logo", so the paper matches the storefront.
- Pick Tall for the window and the poster; Portrait suits an Instagram post.
- In "More options", match the Flyer type to the business (Restaurant, Fitness, Sale or Business), use 4K Quality for a poster, and choose "My brand colors" with the colors named in your text.
- Switch on "Leave a blank square for your QR code" if the flyer should link to your profile or menu. Flyer Maker leaves that square empty rather than drawing a code, and you paste your real one in afterward.
- Tap "Create flyer". The design arrives in roughly 30 seconds.
- Say the date and weekday out loud against a calendar, then check the hours and the offer, and strike any slogan you didn't write. Type a single fix, such as a corrected time, into the "Want to change something?" box below the flyer (currently 60 credits at 1K, 70 at 2K and 90 at 4K). Rewrite the description when several things change.
Hold on to your description after opening day. Swap "Grand Opening" for "Now Open", replace the opening offer with a regular one, and it becomes your first flyer for the months after the ribbon cutting.