Labor Day was created to honor the most important part of American small business, the workers. While many businesses take the day off, the restaurant industry is not one of them. Labor day weekend offers a great revenue opportunity for independent restaurants. Holding a Labor Day event will help to bring exposure to your establishment and increase restaurant business. These types of events are also a great way to honor your employees. Since your employees will be working the event, finding ways to give them recognition and incentives during this time will endear you to them as well as your customers. Successful events take time and careful planning. Here are some the components that you will want to pay especially close attention to.
Promotion
Without proper promotion your event could fall flat. It’s important that you use all of your marketing channels to promote your event. Social media is a great way to get the word out. You can post the different entertainers and food offerings you’ll have at your event. Posting pictures from previous events is also a great way to draw in customers. Fliers can be very effective if distributed in the right areas. You can pay to have them distributed through local newspapers or even hand them out on the street or local college campuses. If you plan on holding a large event, it may even be possible to recruit local television and newspaper personalities to promote and then cover your event. Many cities and towns have fireworks displays during Labor Day weekend. If you’re within the viewing area, this can be a big draw for customers. It also allows you to keep revenue coming in during the display since customers won’t have to leave to see them.
Entertainment
Booking great entertainment will highly impact the success of your event. Booking musicians and other acts far in advance is important in the organization of your event. You’ll want to look into a variety of acts to satisfy a broad range of your target audience. You’ll also want to include something for kids and families during the day. The night hours will most likely be ruled by the party goers. Holding competitions such as eating or dancing contests is a great way to keep the fun going and encourage audience participation.
Menu
You’ll want to put together a special menu for your event, and with this being Labor Day, this mean barbecue. While you will certainly want to feature your traditional menu items, having some barbecue will give you event that unique Labor Day feel. Be sure to include menu items for vegetarians and those with food allergies as well. Another important aspect to a successful event are the drinks. You’ll want to have a variety of drink options and even some holiday themed items.
Staffing
Preparing your staff and even hiring on temporary workers to handle your event will be instrumental in the success of your event. You’ll want to make sure your staff is properly trained and prepared for any situation and that they are providing excellent customer service. Having enough staff members to meet the needs of your guests will help your event go off without a hitch.
Decorations
With Labor Day still being a patriotic holiday, you should be able to use decorations that were used for any type of Fourth of July celebration you held. Decorations should be ordered in advance so you can plan out how you will decorate ahead of time.
How To Fund Your Celebration
With such little time left before Labor Day weekend, if you haven’t secured the funding for your event just yet, your best option is a merchant cash advance. MCA’s have a much faster approval time and are easier to qualify for than a bank loan. Consider a merchant cash advance from Quikstone Capital Solutions to fund your next holiday event.
Quikstone Capital Solutions has more than a decade of experience helping restaurants like yours succeed and grow. Download our free investment guide for information.
