The Holiday shopping season begins with Black Friday and that’s the best time for retailers to turn a profit. It’s hard to believe but Black Friday is less than 30 days away. Get ready for hungry shopping crowds. This is the perfect opportunity for restaurant owners to nab new customers, increase sales, and establish a loyal clientele for the slow winter months.
Here are 5 tips to make this a happier, more profitable time for your restaurant.
- Develop a holiday plan with your chefs, managers, and servers. Be creative. Treat those weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Year like they are a long weekend.
- Staff awareness is important. Have a staff meeting before Thanksgiving discussing your plan, and the importance of customer service. Remind them that tips increase during the holidays because customers are generally in festive frame of mind.
- Control your portions to control those profits. Portions can be smaller during the Holiday. Most people are more weight-conscious. This is a proven way to cut food costs and boost your profits.
- Promote your restaurant. Just because the streets are busy doesn’t mean your restaurant is top of mind. Facebook, email, and even old-fashioned check holder insert are easy ways tell customers about your Holiday promotions.
- It won’t last forever. You get five weeks. Then January is here. Belts get tightened, cash is low, and those credit card bills are due. The good thing.. people still need to eat. Create a couple of holiday bounce-backs — those little incentives to keep customers coming in after the holidays. Not only are they great to increase your customer count, they are essential to your cash flow.