Off-peak hours can still be profitable for your restaurant. You just have to get strategic.

Today, we’re going to be covering three different strategies you can employ to help your restaurant get more out of off-peak hours. We’ll tackle Happy Hour, delivery services, and digital promotions. Let’s take a look!

Happy Hour

A killer Happy Hour is one of the best (and easier) ways to give off-peak hours a boost.

So, what do Happy Hour patrons care about? Smaller portions, deals on drinks, appetizers, and a social atmosphere just to name a few. A successful Happy Hour is never just one of these components by themselves. It’s a combination of factors, contributing to a greater whole.

For example, let’s say your potential customer has just gotten off work. They, along with their group of coworkers, decide to head out and unwind somewhere for Happy Hour. The group winds up at a restaurant with awesome deals and great food, but the atmosphere is sort of dead. They’re having an okay time, but some of them get the feeling that they could be somewhere a tad bit more exciting.

After a bit, one of the coworkers suggests they head over to your restaurant down the street – where you’ve got a live band going and great deals! Everyone loves the idea. They head over immediately. They end up liking your place so much that they decide to start coming there regularly.

Now, when implementing your restaurant’s Happy Hour, you don’t have to commit to a live band. Just do your best to differentiate your atmosphere from the competition. Different entertainment can help (i.e. karaoke, wine tastings, etc.), but fostering a social atmosphere will help ensure your success during Happy Hour.

Consider delivery – Just don’t count on it

With the recent rise of delivery apps such as Bite Squad, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and many others, partnering with one of these services may seem like an enticing option. However, it’s a choice that should be carefully considered before implementing.

Depending on the size of your operation (among other factors), the answer to increasing sales may not necessarily lie in a delivery service. If you own a restaurant, or even just work at one, you’re certainly aware of the slim profit margins associated with the industry. High commission rates for delivery services may not be fiscally feasible for your restaurant.

Of course, some sources claim that delivery may be an important market to get in on. According to research from Morgan Stanley, the delivery market could encompass 40% of total restaurant sales by 2020. Whether or not it’s right for your restaurant, it’s an important trend to be aware of!

Promote Digitally With CoGoBuzz

By far, one of the best ways to build up off-peak sales in your restaurant, is to leverage the power of digital. Here’s a few ways you can do it.

  • A boosted social media presence
  • Appealing to customers via mobile-based loyalty program services
  • Digital engagement (i.e. WiFi, SMS, Email)

Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. That’s where CoGoBuzz comes in. With our fully-featured digital marketing service, we’ll take your restaurant’s digital engagement to the next level.

Through state-of-the-art WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, CoGoBuzz promotes your restaurant both in-store and out. Via WiFi, CoGoBuzz displays an interactive landing page on your customers’ mobile devices when they login to your in-store HotSpot. You’ll get a full customer profile for every login! Via SMS, you’ll be able to enroll customers in your digital text-based loyalty program. Send automated text messages at specific times to promote deals during off-peak periods!

To top that off, CoGoBuzz connects you with your customers via social media, helping you discover their interests, likes, and more. Our service gets your more Facebook followers automatically!

To learn more about CoGoBuzz, check out the rest of our website!

What does your restaurant do during off-peak hours? Let us know in the comments!