Restaurant revenue during the holiday season can fluctuate greatly and maintaining a profitable bottom line can take some work. When evaluating your holiday plans, take into account your vision for the future of your restaurant. Holidays can be a great time to launch new dishes and incorporate new themes. Here are 5 ways you can steady your bottom line and attract new customers this holiday season.
Menu And Services
Instead of welcoming the holiday season with the same old menu and services, think about introducing a new menu and seasonal services like catering. One of the simplest ways to do this is to add holiday favorites to the menu, such as turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and specialty desserts. Always remember the important up-sell at this time of the year. Catering is popular in the month of December, particularly for office parties. Be sure to advertise this clearly inside your restaurant, online and in your local community.
Advertise
How will potential customers know your business is celebrating the holidays? They don't, unless they're regular customers. As the holiday spirit settles in, begin to advertise your efforts and sponsor local community events, such as school plays, neighborhood celebrations and nearby parades. The more people know your restaurant is partaking in the holidays the better.
Promotions
Industry professionals recommend restaurants to refrain from lowering their prices. However, they do suggest for businesses to offer various promotions, including additional services, free items and drawings to win a gift certificate. These entice patrons to visit your restaurant and take advantage of these holiday promotions.
Gift Certificates
Gift certificates are very popular to purchase at this time of the year. In fact, they often become the 'go to' gift for shoppers who still don't know what to buy for their colleague, uncle or the mailman. It is important to place gift certificates at the entrance or near point-of-sale systems, while also perhaps having the staff offer guests these certificates. Gift certificates should be listed on the website and promoted in other ways when possible, for instance, via direct mail campaigns.
Social Media
For restaurants, social media remains an integral aspect to their business model. By fully utilizing social networks, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you can garner new clientele and boost sales when you engage with your audience, offer promotions and post company updates (photos, news, etc.). It's imperative that these updates are festive.
Here are a few friendly reminders to enhance the holiday experience at your restaurant:
- Ensure your staff is sending out "happy holidays" and "season's greetings."
- Participate in a donation drive and encourage customers to bring in toys, coats, or clothing.
- Send out free samples, allocate holiday cards and prepare for the next holiday.
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