10 Restaurant Strategies to Prepare for the Holiday Season
We’re approaching the busiest season for the hospitality industry, so we wanted to share a few strategies to prepare your teams and your businesses. With just a few weeks left, there is a lot to do between now and the end of the year. If you need more support this holiday season (or any time of the year), reach out.
1. Plan Ahead
When you’re focused on a hundred different tasks, it’s easy to forget to update holiday hours on your digital channels – Google Maps, Apple Business, Yelp, and Trip Advisor. You can adjust hours ahead of time for seamless changes. If you often communicate with guests via Instagram, save a highlight to your stories with “Holiday Hours” making this information easy for your guests to access.
2. Update Your Digital Channels
If you haven’t already, it is time to finalize your holiday plans and offerings. Our team starts working with clients as early as August to plan out special menus, events, and promotions in advance to ensure a seamless execution during the busy season.
3. Gifting Strategy
The holidays are a time to think about gifting. We recommend our clients promote push gift card and merchandise sales if you have them on-hand digitally and on-site.
4. Staffing Strategy
Evaluate your staffing needs based on historical data and expected foot traffic to ensure you can meet the influx of guests and continue to deliver the same quality of service and hospitality.
5. Private Events
If you’re looking for extra revenue to close out the year strong, private events are amazing opportunities to provide a unique offering while driving revenue. It’s not too late to push this across digital channels and with your most loyal guests.
6. Surprise & Delight
The holiday season is a key opportunity to thank your guests and add a personal touch. We’ve worked with our clients to create handwritten thank you cards, complimentary desserts, and build relationships with local holiday decoration partners (we love The Judy Garlands custom garlands based out of Lafayette, Louisiana). At the end of the day, your team knows the best way to surprise and delight your guests.
7. Team Training
Around the holidays there are often more dietary restrictions, large group service opportunities, and the need to manage customer expectations during peak hours. Ensure your team is ready for the season with additional training.
8. Give Back
The holidays are an important time to give back to those in need. Our team recommends thinking through a give-back strategy to deepen community ties and to use food as a vehicle for spreading joy. Ideas include donating a percentage of proceeds from a certain dish or drink, pushing guests to a non-profit you have close ties with, or organizing a day of volunteering for your team.
9. Keep Your Team Healthy
Now is the time to protect our immune systems. During the busy season is when we tend to get run down and sick. Make sure your team has the proper resources to get their flu shots and COVID boosters. OS BENEFiTS is a great resource that offers reduced-cost access to telehealth appointments, vitamins, mental/physical wellness classes and more.
10. Create Holiday Content
The holiday season is a great time to post across your digital channels about your team and holiday offerings. Plus, if you’re a bit behind on holiday plans, consider a digital offering such as a recipe of a beloved dish for your followers to enjoy at home, or sending a virtual holiday card thanking your most loyal guests and inviting them in to celebrate the holidays with you.
