Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Jingle all the way…Whether bell rings in your restaurant or you are already doomed? Just kidding, but if you have not done all the preparations for the holidays in a restaurant until now, then it is time to do that immediately.
It’s the time in a year when people spend a lot of money for presents and joy and you need to take advantage of every opportunity to attract them with fresh ideas and earn money. Of course you will provide memorable experience for each one of them and maybe even get new guests. But how to do that ?
In the year 2011 the National Restaurant Association ( NRA ) released data that one in ten people will go out in a restaurant in the Christmas Eve, and 8 % of interviewees would go out to dinner on Christmas day.
NRA expects the same traffic in this year. Very high traffic would continue until the New Year Eve. According to data from the last year more than 100 million people will celebrate the New Year in the restaurants. It is very important to use all opportunities, as well as tips for restaurant holidays promotion, which are available to entice people from their homes and brought them with celebration spirit right to your restaurant.
1. Additional Staff During the Holiday Season
Higher traffic requires more staff. If you want to have a quality service in the restaurant do not ever skimp on staff. Even the best- prepared steak is not tasty as it should be, after you were waiting for an half an hour for waiter.
During the winter many students want to earn extra money for their holidays. Take this opportunity and use it to find your staff for holiday season. Assign them simple tasks such as cleaning tables. These actions do not require special training and your employees will have more time to devote to their guests, which will provide fast and efficient customer service.
2. Start Restaurant Holidays Promotion in November
You really need to start advertising of your holiday offers early and continue to ” bother ” people with it until Christmas. Starting with November I have listened the radio commercial about restaurant offers and reservations for New Year’s Eve. This is a very good advertising method. In this way you will insure that every table in your restaurant would be booked in advance, and you will be well prepared for holiday season. As you will managed restaurant holidays promotion you can expect that traffic will increase during November and December, because many of the guests will come to try your specialties and check the atmosphere in your restaurant before the Christmas or New Year’s Eve.
3. Make a Holiday Promotional Video
Video marketing is becoming increasingly popular. So many people are looking for recipes and additional information to prepare traditional holiday’s dishes. That ‘s the reason why this video could have great attendance rate and therefore this will be a very good advertisement for the promotion of your restaurant and holiday offers. Let your chef demonstrates the preparation of dishes from holiday offers. People like to know what you will cook for them, what they could eat in your restaurant.
Be sure to include the links to online booking for Christmas or New Year’s Eve in your promotional video. And yes, share video via social media channels to your fans so they could be the first one who will know about your restaurant holiday’s offers. They will be happy to share it with their friends.
Tips : A link that leads to your promotional video should be easy to remember. Example : yourrestaurant / christmasdinner
4. Offer Catering Service in Your Restaurant
This is particularly suitable for small restaurants and pizzerias that are not able to organize the holiday parties in their objects. These restaurants usually have the food delivery service and so far they certainly have made ​​contact with staff from various business companies. These business companies often organize various meetings, parties and receptions where food is served. Already in November, you should have a ready-made offer of catering services with all promotional materials. Deliver your restaurant holiday’s offers to all business companies. Valuable work will pay off.
5. Contact your Last Year’s Guests
View the list of reservations for celebrations of Christmas and New Year from the previous year and contact your last year’s guests and offer them to book their place in the restaurant. Emphasize that they have benefits over the other guests. If you have e-mail contacts of your gusts send them the link to a private web address where they can make a reservation.
Tip: Check your restaurant reservations regularly to avoid mutual embarrassment. Give a gift or a discounts for those who book or make payment earlier. Make your offer time limited. You will not believe how mach reservations you will provide.
6. Send Greeting Cards to Your Guests
Send holiday cards to your regular customers. Let the greeting card stay the greeting card – not an advertisement for restaurant offer. Only at the end of your greetings instead of your signature you can write something like : ” Free dessert for couples during the New Year’s Eve dinner in our restaurant “.
Tip : Be politically correct and write in your greeting card “Happy Holidays”, it is much better than ” Merry Christmas .” In this way you will be able to send unique greetings to everyone because your guests are probably various religions and worldviews and in this way in your congratulatory message you omit everyone.
7. Organize The Best Party Ever
Nothing will lure guests into your restaurant as a good party which means good fun. Host the popular singers and musicians or DJ. There is no fun without good music. In addition to good music , you can organize a carnival at midnight. People are much more relaxed during masquerade which guarantees a good party time. Make a mask contest best or best dancing couple contest and reward them with appealing awards.
Tip: The karaoke in your restaurant is also one simple way of entertainment that is very easy to organize and it is a good way to make a happy holiday spirit in this magical nights.
8. Organize a Charity Dinner in your Restaurant
During the holiday season is a time of giving and donations. During these days people thinking about others more than usual. That is why the holiday season is very good time to organize charities. Make one of them in your restaurant. Inform people about the event through the media. The media will be happy to support such events. Make a charity dinner invitations. Use it as a part of your restaurant holidays promotion.
Tip: Participate in a charity event in a way that a certain percentage of the proceeds that night to give to charity. Invite various governmental, non-governmental and humanitarian organizations.
You will help those who need help the most and you will have good restaurant promotions.
9. Decorate Your Restaurant
You can left to the professionals to decorate your restaurant or you can do this job by yourself. In addition to traditional decorations take advantage of some of the benefits of alternative conceptual designs. The Christmas tree made ​​from glasses for champagne decorated with lights, or different colored liquids in them will be an original and attractive decoration in your restaurant.Creativity never ends. Place the Christmas tree at the entrance of the restaurant and garnish it with a spoons ?
Tip: Let your staff be dressed in red – and white. If you can not afford it then let them wear caps of Santa Claus. That will be sufficient to bring a little magic in your restaurant. Use silver, gold and red colors to decorate the tables and space. Make sure that you do not use the decorations that does not match with the restaurant’s concept.
10. Offer Gift Cards For Sale
We all like to get something as a gift. Give gift cards during the holiday days. Set up a gift card at the entrance of your restaurant. Pack them that they look nice, just like a real gift. Boxes with bows are a good choice. You can play a little bit and make them by yourself, or throw them into a pre-made greeting cards. It is important that it look nice and that is really a gift.
For example : If you buy a gift card for $ 50 you receive as a gift $20 gift card that you can use in February.
You will not believe how popular is gift card in America, in bigger restaurants they need staff which only selling these cards. During the Christmas and New Years Eve sales increased rapidly because they are the nights of giving.
Please note that gift cards are a great ” last minute ” gift that is very easy and convenient to give !
Few Additional Tips for Restaurant Holidays Promotion
- Create a special offer for the upcoming holidays, a new menu with special prices that are not marked as lower than just the holiday’s menu and post this new offer of your restaurant via social networks and other marketing channels.
- Send holiday cards to local businesses and remind them that your restaurant is the perfect place for them.
- Send e -mails with recipes of meals that you will offer for the upcoming holidays, and the restaurant events program as well as other useful information. The same content can be published on Facebook or Twitter.
- Organize restaurant staff at the time. Manage their vacation days on time. Do not left without the required number of staff for the upcoming celebrations.
- Attract new guest to your restaurant by offering them on the front door a free glass of mulled wine or a Christmas cake.
- All restaurants have similar offer of dishes for the holidays. Why you should not offer to your guests an alternative menu that will surprise them.
- Promote online booking everywhere using online restaurant marketing methods.
The upcoming holidays are the time of year when people are very emotional and most people have nice memories when thinking about it. Childhood memories are connected with nice people, festivities, gifts and delicious specialties.
The goal of your restaurant holidays marketing is to trigger guest’s memories through the atmosphere and flavors of dishes from your holiday’s offers. If you managed that success of your restaurant holidays will be guaranteed.
I wish you happy holidays and a full restaurant for New Year’s Eve !
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