The festive season is fast approaching! And there is no denying that Christmas is one of the most exciting times of the year for restaurant owners. This year, people are more ready than ever to get socially festive, with COVID-19 restrictions eased.
We expect restaurants to receive bookings in full and anticipate customers to be merrier than ever. But is your restaurant ready for the Christmas festive period? Don’t panic if you haven’t yet created your Christmas campaign. There is much you can still do with the remaining days.
This post provides you with five of the best tips to help you prepare for and manage your restaurant during this festive period and beyond. Feel free to jump ahead!
Tips for the festive season
With the Christmas holiday approaching, many businesses are beginning to receive a higher number of visitors. But keeping these visitors coming during the festive holiday and beyond can be daunting.
Here are five tips to help your restaurant attract customers and maintain them during the festive holiday.
1. Create an irresistible festive menu
It’s the Christmas festive season, so you’re going to need a seasonal menu with a holiday theme. In addition to giving your customers an extraordinary impression when dining in your restaurant, a festive menu will help you stand out among your competitors.
If you haven’t already prepared a menu for this holiday season, don’t wait until the last minute – now is a perfect time to start. So, how do you make your idea of a festive menu a success?
- Begin by planning the festive menu – Outline the dishes and diet that’ll make up your holiday menu. You can include diets for vegans, gluten-free individuals, or special for the carte menu for your guests.
- Create a price for your festive menu – Once you know what to include in your festive menu, you need to set a price for it. Make sure that the menu is worth the money.
- Promote your holiday menu – Finally, promote your festive menu to your target customers. Take advantage of social media, email, website, etc., to reach your prospects and customers.
To develop a successful holiday menu, refer to your sales history to ensure you have the right dish. What meal did your customers love the most? How can you customise this meal to match the festive theme?
2. Prepare your staff well
One thing is for sure: things will be different this year than last year. The chances are that your restaurant will receive more customers between now and the new year. And, whatever idea you have for your festive menu can’t be appreciated unless you have the workforce to attend to your customers’ needs. So, if you haven’t prepared your staff for the festive period, now is the time.
Begin by setting expectations for the staff with different roles during the festive period. Rearrange or shift their workload, if necessary. Hire more temporary employees if need be. Also, don’t forget to discuss with your employees how they want their overtime compensated. They may work overtime during the holiday. So, do they want incentives or extra leave days? You can use a suitable HRM system to store and track the plan, expectations, and results.
3. Use gift cards to attract customers
There is more to a gift card than something you get from your friend or family member during a special occasion. For restaurants, a gift card can be a valuable marketing tool. If used well, gift cards can help diversify your revenue stream and help you reach new customers and encourage repeat visits.
Use gift cards to incentivise your restaurant’s sales during this Christmas holiday and enjoy increased sales. A gift card worth as little as £5 can go a long way toward increasing your sales and customer base during this festive season.
4. Don’t forget about food delivery services
Even though the UK government eased the restrictions on restaurants, bars, and pubs, some people still prefer to exercise caution and order takeaway meals. In addition to helping avoid social contact, delivery services allow customers to enjoy their meals at home with their family members.
You can meet some of your customers’ needs through an online ordering and delivery system, using an app or on your website. Even better, this will increase your revenues and customer base during this festive season.
5. Promote, promote, promote!
Let’s face it: the fancy festive season deals will be pointless if there are no customers. So, how do you make sure that there are customers constantly walking through your door?
The answer is simple: by marketing your Christmas festive season deals. Develop a promotional strategy and plan in advance. Usually, you can promote your Christmas festive season menus through your website, social medial, local newspapers, emails.
Here is how you can use each of these tools to promote your restaurant and its festive offerings:
- Your website – Your website is one of the greatest places to promote your festive period deals and offers. Use it to post ads about your festive menu and other specials during the Christmas holiday. But make sure your website is well-designed, as most individuals will make their reservations online.
- Emails – Emails remain one of the most effective marketing methods today, with a 4200% ROI. Even better, this form of marketing saves you time and money. Ensure that the emails have CTAs – a word or a phrase to guide your target customers on their next course of action. Include offers, discounts, and deals in your emails. Send targeted emails for better results.
- Social media – Social media remains one of the most important drivers of business success. It allows your restaurant to be visible and provides you with a faster means to reach your customer and prospects. Take advantage of your social media channels to remind your target audience that you’re available for festive bookings and keep them updated about your menu options.
Using these methods to promote your restaurant and its festive season offering is a surefire to increase your sales, customer base, and revenues.
Time for you to win
As a restaurant owner, this festive season provides your business with an opportunity to make profits and grow. But, as is with any other activity, a little help can be the difference between your restaurant making huge profits and failing. This post provides you with five of the best tips to give your business an upper hand during the festive season.
If you would like any help discovering how you can win over the festive season, don’t hesitate by getting in contact with us here. If not, we wish you good luck and a fun time over the festive season!
