The holidays are a huge time for restaurants. In fact, according to US Foods, as much as a quarter of the year’s entire income can be generated between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. That’s just over a month-long period at only 39 days!
Awesome, right? Right. Here’s the catch though. A quarter of the year’s entire income “can” be generated. Can doesn’t mean will. You’ve got to work for those profits.
39 days is a tight period of time. Want to maximize your revenue during those precious days? Take a look at these 6 tips.
- Understand that holiday success involves a lot more than just getting extra festive (although don’t get me wrong, that can totally help). Being prepared for the massive influx of holiday business should be a significant imperative at your restaurant. Factors like increased staffing are an absolute must. The last thing you’ll want is to be swamped with unhappy, unhelped customers.
- Offer additional (or promote existing) services such as catering and takeout. The holidays are a busy, busy time. Catering, takeout, and delivery allow you to leverage consumers who just don’t have the time to cook their own meals between all the shopping, working, and family gatherings.
- Utilize your loyalty program to reward multiple visits during the holidays. Any loyalty program you choose to implement should obviously reward repeat visits to begin with. But doing something extra or different for the holidays can yield increased dividends.
- Don’t miss out on seasonal specials and menus. The more holiday items you can offer, the better. Drinks, appetizers, you name it. Limited-time dessert specials are an especially good way to get some extra spending out of your customers.
- Market with families in mind. All of the kids are out of school and all the relatives are in town. Offer some family specials, and make sure you have kids menus ready-to-go.
- Actively promote gift card sales. Not only are they an easy sell during the holidays, but they also bring the gift card recipient back (and possibly with friends)! With gift cards, you’re potentially turning one customer into several!
Increase Holiday Sales With CoGoBuzz
This Holiday Season, CoGoBuzz is all you’ll need to digitally promote your restaurant, and maximize your sales – affordably and automatically.
CoGoBuzz takes advantage of industry-leading WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions to promote your restaurant in-store and out. Through a Facebook, Email, or phone number login, we develop a full profile for every customer that connects to your WiFi! Our service is packed with text-based digital loyalty programs, personalized advertisements, and more! Check out the rest of our website to learn more.
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What do you do to increase holiday sales in your restaurant? Let us know in the comments!