It doesn’t matter if you’re brand-new to the food service game or if you’re a veteran restauranteur, the holiday season can be a test of patience and perseverance in the kitchen. Not only will you likely see an influx in customers, but you’ll also be required to decorate, hire seasonal staff, run holiday promotions and adjust your menu. But, as long as you’ve laid out a good strategy following this survival guide, you’ll be well on your way to setting records this holiday season.
Hiring Additional Staff
Even though plenty of consumers opt to dine in when the winter months roll around, holiday restaurant spending is on the rise, which equals big opportunity for you, as long as you have a prepared staff. If you run one of the millions of food service businesses in the U.S. that see a spike during the major holidays, then there’s a good chance you’ll need to hire some additional staff to help out from November to January.
As stressful as this can be, a good seasonal hiring strategy is vital to ensuring that you get quality staff that requires minimal training. Here’s how to do it:
- Start Early — Most establishments that see a spike in business during the holidays will begin to feel the effects as early as late October. The Thanksgiving orders will begin to roll in, and you’ll probably even start taking reservations for New Year’s Eve tables. Make sure that you’ve got your seasonal staff squared away by the first week of November to ensure plenty of time for training and hiring hiccups.
- Evaluate Your Needs — Talk to your employees in the front and back of the house to better understand where seasonal employees are needed the most. The same goes for scheduling. Consider which shifts could benefit from a few extra helping hands and make the shift demands and hours clear in your job posting.
- Find the Right Candidates — While hiring experienced seasonal workers can definitely help you shave off time associated with training, don’t rule out those enthusiastic applicants who are likely to pick things up fast. A strong willingness to learn and easy adaptability are the two most important traits for seasonal workers. If you’re able to nail down a good pool of seasonal workers, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to use them year after year.
Offering Holiday Catering
Even food service businesses that don’t generally offer catering can benefit from a little bit of seasonal catering. According to the National Restaurant Association, catering can be a great way to increase your revenue, so long as it’s well-strategized and properly thought out the this busy season. Catering is especially appealing during the holidays when many of your patrons are more likely to dine in their homes. You don’t have to go full-service with your catering strategy to see big gains. Consider starting by offering party platters and carryout options to gauge interest and ability.
The first rule to holiday catering is this: You set the rules. While many of your customers would be delighted if you could recreate your entire menu at their holiday party, this simply isn’t a realistic option. Offer more simplistic versions of your signature dishes and pare down your appetizers, desserts, and cocktail offerings to include a few options instead of the entire menu. Develop your catering menu to include different pricing options and tiers to provide the best level of flexibility for your customers.
Marketing for the Holidays
A few strategized marketing efforts can mean the difference between holiday gangbusters and a total bust. The good news is restaurant marketing, during the holidays and otherwise, isn’t like it used to be. You don’t have to shell out tons of money or hire a designated marketing professional to get good results when you’re spreading the word about your business. So long as you take advantage of free, digital platforms—social media and e-mail, especially—and flex those creative muscles, you can confidently execute a good promotional holiday plan.- Leverage Digital Platforms — Whether we like it or not, the internet is vital to a restaurant’s success. Here’s proof: 92 percent of consumers search for restaurants online, and 75 percent of them choose a restaurant based on their search results. That means a good majority of your potential customers first interact with your business on the web, so make sure your website and social media platforms are up to date with the latest promotions and events.
- Market to Last Year’s Guests — Remind those recurring visitors about your restaurant when you leverage your social media followers and e-mail subscribers. If you don’t already have a good method for collecting customers’ contact information, make sure to implement one soon. A great way to do this is to strategize a loyalty program that requires guests to sign up using their e-mail address or phone number.
- Holiday Promotional Messaging — When you’re crafting your print ads and digital marketing campaigns, remember that your wording and overall messaging is often the first impression you’ll make to brand-new customers. Provide some value to your audience—a special menu item, a discount, or an event, for example—to get potential patrons excited about dining at your restaurant.
- Promote a Special Menu Item — Thanks to the pervasive nature of food-obsessed media, we now know the power a unique or special menu item can bring. If you’ve ever heard of Dominique Ansel’s Cronut® (a croissant-doughnut hybrid that’s now officially trademarked) or the eye-catching rainbow bagels from Brooklyn’s The Bagel Store, then you know the influence of unique foodstuffs gone viral. Leverage your creativity by coming up with an unconventional or over-the-top menu item, and then post it to all of your digital channels.
Stocking Up on Supplies
The last thing you want to deal with during a particularly demanding holiday rush is your restaurant equipment failing or your resources diminishing. Fall is the perfect time to do a wellness check on all of your most vital restaurant equipment to make sure that you don’t need to replace restaurant equipment parts or call the repairman.
Re-up on essentials like industrial blades and knives, kitchen tools, and serving ware so that you don’t have to bother too much with ordering during the busier months of the year.
This is also the ideal time to make sure that you’re loaded up on nonperishable food items, food storage containers, small appliances, and general commercial kitchen supplies. Working out any kinks with food and drink distributors early will also help ensure that you have all of the essential seasonal ingredients on standby when the time rolls around.
Don’t forget to talk with your beer and wine distributor about getting those limited-edition customer favorites in early. Running out of Christmas Ale could be seriously problematic!
Giving Back for the Holidays
Does the buzz phrase “corporate social responsibility” sound familiar? If it doesn’t, you should get acquainted with it fast! The idea is that businesses which take responsibility for their effects on the environment and culture around them and give back to worthy causes are thought of in a more positive light by consumers. Weaving in a charitable angle this season is a great way to show your support for the community and pave a positive brand image that customers will notice and appreciate.
This is an especially important approach for bars and restaurants that cater to millennials since studies show that two-thirds of people between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to support companies that give to charities. Most companies and non-profit organizations ramp up their giving during the holidays to help less-fortunate community members with housing, warm clothes, and holiday gifts. It doesn’t hurt that the end of the year is a great time to give back to boost your deductions before tax time.
If you’re looking for some simple and effective ways to encourage your employees and customers to give back this holiday season, start here:
- Discount for Drive — Food, coat, and toy drives are an easy and effective way to provide necessary supplies for families in need, and they’re often operated by hyper-local non-profits, so you know they’ll go straight back into your community. Set up a box for donations in your restaurant and provide an incentive for patrons to give, like a percent-off coupon or a free drink or appetizer.
- Give a Portion of Sales to Charity — Designate a few days during the holiday months when you give a portion of the day’s sales to a charity of your choice. To ensure that your designated organization is one that your customers are passionate about, host a Facebook or e-mail poll asking which groups your base would prefer to divert their giving-back investments. Make sure to stick to neutral, non-political charities with a good track record of ethical spending and promote the event with digital invitations and ads.
- Invite the Homeless — You’ve probably read those viral stories about establishments like Robin Hood Restaurants, the Spain café that charges the rich and feeds the poor, and plenty of American restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon by designating special nights where needy patrons can eat for free. Ask your employees and suppliers to donate their time and resources to host a special Thanksgiving or Christmas meal for the less fortunate in your city.
Decorating for the Holidays
We don’t have to tell you that a restaurant’s ambiance can seriously affect the consumer’s perception, but studies show just that. For example, one study showed that customers in a more pleasant environment were more likely to dismiss service failure as being a one-time event. Decorating your establishment to have a more warm, festive feel during the holidays is one of the best things you can do to improve customers’ experiences and make them feel special and appreciated during the holiday months.
So, how do you achieve this? If it’s in the budget, rely on local businesses. Contact your preferred local florist and develop a plan for fresh centerpieces, wreaths, and potted plants that reflect the spirit of the season. Many florists also offer holiday decorating services. Fresh flowers can be costly, but they can really add something extra-special to your space year-round. The exterior of your establishment brings a big opportunity for eye-catching holiday décor, too, and this will definitely help potential visitors single out your storefront from the rest.
Perfecting Your Gift Card Strategy
Every good restaurant or bar should offer gift cards. If you only have the resources or wherewithal to offer them at one time of year, make it this during the holidays. Your loyal patrons are, of course, more likely to buy gift cards for their friends and family as holiday gifts, so make sure you’re well-prepared for the seasonal influx long before the requests start rolling in. Here are some great ways to boost gift card sales this season:- Offer Discounts — Encourage patrons to order higher gift card amounts when you offer reasonable discounts on cards over $100. For example, you can provide a 10 percent discount when customers by $100 or more in gift cards. This not only encourages patrons to buy gift cards for friends and family but also for themselves if they know they’ll regularly dine at your restaurant throughout the year.
- Sell Gift Cards Online — Remember that not everyone who will be interested in purchasing a gift card will live in the area, so offering the ability to buy online can help you expand your reach. Offer e-mail delivery to keep things quick and affordable, but allow patrons to have their gift cards shipped as well.
- Provide Rewards — If you’re not totally keen on the idea of discounting your gift cards, you can still incentivize patrons to buy high-dollar amounts when you offer rewards, such as a free drink or a percent off their total bill, when they reach a certain amount.
7 years ago
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