The holiday season brings an exciting and potentially lucrative time for your business. Here are a few inspiring ideas for your business, kitchen and social media to make a positive, lasting impression on your guests for the rest of the year, too.
By anticipating changes in business and guest behavior you can be prepared to handle unexpected situations like big groups taking over dining areas or menu shortages. It’s great to motivate your employees to bring in the ‘festive spirit’. You may also need to extend your business timings, which may require a few extra hands on deck. So, before you put out those stockings, prepare to pull up your leadership socks.
It’s vital your customers know about changes to your regular hours and whether you’re open or closed on public holidays. Take to social media to announce your festive changes. And don’t just tell but show them with photos of your season specials and videos of the festive experiences to attract more customers. Try creating an assortment of deserts, cookies or even beverages that work best for this time of the year.
Most Restaurant and Café owners agree that while the holiday season is a great way to bring in festive themes but it’s not necessary to go fully traditional. Even during special occasions customers will come because they already like what you do and have on your menu.
For example, non-western restaurants can create exciting dishes by coming festive ingredients to their authentic cuisine.
You may not be able to replicate the snow-caked roofs and towering conifers in this region, you can always spruce up your ambience to reflect the celebrations. Be it wall décor, hats for the staff or subtle festive niceties like an Elf on the Shelf or table ornaments can do wonders to bring in the magic.
Get inspired by the art of window shopping and lure walk-ins with a re-haul of your entrance. Your entrance is also an ideal spot to showcase take-away specials designed for the season too!
The busier your premises, the harder it gets on the kitchen staff. A large party of customers can catch you off guard and bottleneck the cooking schedule. Ask your employees to keep the kitchen informed in advance by using reservation lists. You can also offer your reserved guests to pre-order a few dishes to save time.
You can also discuss the opportunity for creating a simpler menu for the season to keep things working smoothly.
The festive season can be a great time for business but also tough on your employees. Reward their extended hours and efficiency to deal with workload with a few extra days off to spend time with their family too. You can also ride on the general mood to promote a sharing and giving drive to spread the festive spirit.
