Every restaurant experiences a slow season and for many, it\u2019s the post-holiday lull of January and February. While seasonal sales swings are inevitable, proactive measures can get more people coming through the doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cA yearly marketing calendar is a must,\u201d says Grocery\/Bakery Specialist Bill Barker. \u201cThere are all sorts of ways to lift your business out of the doldrums, but, if you don\u2019t decide in advance what you\u2019re going to do and commit it to paper, it\u2019s a lot less likely to get done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn advance\u201d is the key phrase here. You may not have the time (or energy) to create a marketing calendar in November and December. So do it in September or October. <\/p>\n
\u201cSlow times are great times to focus on your menu,\u201d says Commercial Segment Specialist Vicki Thompson. \u201cLook at what did and didn\u2019t sell when you were busy. Identify what\u2019s really profitable and what\u2019s not. Think about incorporating new recipes and food trends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Downsizing your core menu in slow months can help minimize inventory and waste. <\/p>\n
\u201cRun seasonal specials that are here today, gone tomorrow,\u201d recommends Customer Development Specialist Brad Ritter. \u201cThese can be profit drivers and a good test tool for future menu items.\u201d<\/p>\n
Customer Development Specialist Thomas Sistrunk suggests reaching out to community groups. Offer a small savings to ticket-stub holders after games, faculty with a school ID, military responders or athletes in uniform. Also consider working with the local convention bureau or chamber of commerce to help coordinate a Restaurant Week-type event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose organizations can put a lot of marketing muscle behind the effort,\u201d adds Geoffrey Bonham, Commercial Segment Specialist.<\/p>\n
Brenda Adler, southern Florida-based Product Specialist for Grocery\/Bakery, recommends creating promotable occasions.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome Latin restaurants here will make a big event out of a Saturday barbecue,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019ll roast a whole pig in a caja china box in their parking lot so passersby can see and smell it. It attracts a lot of attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Theme dinners built around wines, craft beers, sports events and global cuisines, or cooking lessons, and\/or local events can also be big attention-getters and business-builders during the slow months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned this from an operator who has had great success year after year,\u201d says Sales Manager Dustin Windau. \u201cHe gives out holiday cards that contain a level of discount from 5 percent to 100 percent. But the cards can only be opened by a server at the restaurant in January or February.\u201d<\/p>\n
Any sales-building strategy depends on getting the word out to customers. The most effective means for that is social media, says Customer Development Specialist Tony Mamais. \u201cFacebook, Twitter, and Instagram are ideal for keeping customers informed about what you\u2019re doing in the slow months and enticing them to come in more often.\u201d<\/p>\n
Text-message marketing can also boost awareness and sales in the slow times, maintains Mamais and Jones.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen operators get a 30-percent jump in sales on nights they use text blasts,\u201d Jones says.<\/p>\n
Once you get customers in the door, you should try to get them to spend as much as possible, Barker maintains.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrain servers to push menu selections that enhance margins and boost check revenues and to always suggest trading up on cocktails and desserts,\u201d he advises.<\/p>\n
Implementing price hikes in slow months means there are fewer customers to raise a fuss. Do it right, and there may be no pushback at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe advised an operator to raise his prices to bring them in line with market conditions,\u201d says Commercial Sales Manager Dan Dahir. \u201cHe distracted customers from pricing by changing the menu design and layout at the same time. Not one customer mentioned the new prices.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s one thing all our respondents agreed on: Deep discounting is not the way to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just training customers to expect similar deals during the busy months,\u201d Bonham says. \u201cFocus on your strengths and what sets you apart from the competition.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every restaurant experiences a slow season and for many, it\u2019s the post-holiday lull of January and February. While seasonal sales swings are inevitable, proactive measures can get more people coming through the doors. How to Build Sales During Slow Months Plan Ahead \u201cA yearly marketing calendar is a must,\u201d says Grocery\/Bakery Specialist Bill Barker. \u201cThere […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3987,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n