Introduction
With all the festivities surrounding Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Eve – the many interactions with work colleagues, friends, and extended family – the holiday season can tire out even the most resilient people, including restaurateurs!
Why not give your customers a break from the craziness with some solid restaurant holiday planning – and offer them easy holiday meal deals and food bundles?
Make life easier for loyal and potential customers by becoming a one-stop shop for everything needed for a successful holiday gathering. And yes: this includes festive lunches for corporate holiday outings or catering options for nearby offices.
Ready to get started? Keep reading to find out more.
- Lean Into the Theme
As part of your restaurant holiday marketing campaign, start by choosing a theme for your restaurant this holiday season.
Transforming your restaurant with a Winter Wonderland theme can draw customers in. With festive decorations, your venue can become the go-to restaurant in your area for celebrations and holiday get-togethers.
Take special care to curate a holiday soundtrack, and work with your marketing team to create an enthusiastic social media schedule and update your website with specific hours of operation. In-store, consider offering decorated gift cards and other easy-to-grab gifts.
- Unwrap New Catering and Takeout Options
Simplify meals for busy customers by offering a complete holiday spread or easy a la carte items to add to home-cooked meals.
There are opportunities to contribute to holiday meals by offering specials on loaves of bread, rolls, desserts, coffee, and pastries to help guests complete their holiday.
- Make Your Menu Festive
Festive holiday menu specials, bundled take-out options, and straightforward catering opportunities can give your patrons uncomplicated solutions during the busy season.
If you have the space, consider offering a buffet option for guests who want to eat something filling on the go.
- Include a Gift With Purchase
A memorable holiday gift is an opportunity to bring new and old customers through your door. You can also spread holiday cheer by offering unique gifts with your restaurant’s branding.
Starbucks, for example, is known for offering reusable coffee cups every holiday season and incentivizing customers to return all season long by offering reusable coffee cups.
- Consider Staff Incentives
Your restaurant staff can make or break the customer experience throughout the year, especially during the holidays.
Offering special incentives during the holiday season can help support and recognize your busy team. Also, consider paid time off during the holiday season so everyone can spend time with their loved ones.
If possible, plan to close for a short period to give all time off to rest and relax. These choices can go far toward the overall customer experience and improving retention across your restaurant throughout the year.
A final note on your staff: before the total holiday rush officially starts, schedule a mandatory team sit-down meeting to review the holiday schedule and answer any questions your team might have. This is a great time to ensure everyone’s roles are clear, so there are no questions regarding who’s responsible for what.
- Holiday Desserts-To-Go
Serving desserts can often take a lot of work in kitchens. Furthermore, when customers extend their stay at a table for dessert, their time can reduce table turnovers.
To encourage patrons to clear the table for other guests, consider devising holiday-themed desserts that travel well and promote desserts to take away.
This idea has several benefits, including potentially more dessert purchases from customers who are full now but might want something sweet later. This encourages customers to enjoy desserts away from the table and allows your team to prep and wrap numerous desserts ahead of time.
- Host Ho-ho-happy Hour Events
Happy Hour can be hugely profitable, attracting new customers while encouraging others to stay longer and purchase even more food and drinks.
During the holidays, you might offer special seasonal drinks or dishes at discounted prices or have specific well-promoted happy hour events throughout the festive season.
- Offer Gift Card Promotions
Several of the most successful restaurant holiday promotions center around gift cards, as gift card sales more than double during the holiday season. Some promotion ideas include:
- Buy one, get one free (BOGO). Offering a gift card for a small amount of money by purchasing a more significant gift card is an easy way to increase spending. Customers should be happy to receive a $10 gift card and are likely to spend more than what the gift card covers when they come in to use it.
- Coupon booklets. Consider providing a coupon booklet with the purchase of a gift card over a certain amount. These coupons, which may include free dessert items or discounts on meals, will encourage gift card recipients to return long after using the gift card.
- Charity donations. Assist a specific local charity with offerings for gift card purchases over a certain amount.
- Partner with a Local Charity
By partnering with a local charity, you can encourage people to visit your restaurant while supporting the local community.
Hopefully, this partnership will be an ongoing relationship and not just something you do once a year. Consider closing the restaurant to regular patrons for one night and serving alongside a charity or donating a portion of your profits on a specific night during the festive season.
- Bundle Office-Friendly Meals
Office managers and others in charge of office holiday functions usually look for cost-saving and easy menu choices to select for festive celebrations. This can include in-person dining or catered events for office parties.
Make plans to offer numerous packages for different numbers and groups in your restaurant.
- Include Unique Festive Gifts
Many guests will enter your restaurant looking for last-minute gift ideas, such as affordable stocking stuffers or gift cards.
These products might include a gourmet gift box with products that your venue is known for, a recipe book with some of the most loved recipes from your establishment, or a unique holiday mug with your restaurant’s logo.
With these bundles, there is also an opportunity to include information about your restaurant’s loyalty program.
- Share the Cheer!
If you have unique plans for the holiday season, show off what you’re doing to all of your followers! Consider these ideas, especially for social media:
- Behind-the-scenes views on decorating your restaurant
- Making how-to TikTok videos on creating holiday drinks
- Writing posts to showcase holiday recipes
- Sending email marketing emails to alert followers about your holiday specials and events
- Creating unique holiday content for Instagram.
Reap the Joys of the Holiday Season
The holiday season can be stressful for those in the F&B industry. With advance restaurant holiday planning, you and your entire team can turn this time into a fun and profitable time for everyone.
Consider bringing themes alive online and in person. By finding creative ways to advertise your restaurant’s holiday promotional efforts, you can become the go-to destination for patrons of all ages looking for exciting and fun ways to celebrate the season.