According to the U.S. Census Bureau, sales at eating and drinking spots totaled $49.6 billion in December 2014 and $49.4 billion in November 2014. These were both record volumes, signifying that the American appetite for restaurant dining during the holiday season is growing.<\/p>\n
Start planning early and begin promoting holiday activities in October. Even earlier if corporate catering is on your agenda. <\/p>\n
\u201cSet your holiday plans as part of your yearly strategy,\u201d says Gordon Food Service Commercial Segment Leader Todd Gross, CEC.\u201d<\/p>\n
Make sales forecasting a key part of your strategy. Use past holiday-sales data from your POS system to help determine inventory and staffing needs. <\/p>\n
Sharing meals with family and friends is a holiday tradition. They\u2019re a natural for large groups, but also appeal to shoppers. No sharing-plates menu? Upsize your appetizers and train staff to promote them.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are in a mood to splurge at the holidays,\u201d Gross says. Create indulgent specialty items that generate excitement and boost your bottom line. <\/p>\n
Portland, Oregon-based pastry chef Michelle Vernier says seasonal flavors are a must. At Thanksgiving, she incorporates apples\u2014especially heirloom varieties\u2014pumpkins, specialty winter squash, bourbon, pecans, sweet potato, and cranberry. In December, it\u2019s peppermint, chocolate, bright citrus, and \u201cboozy\u201d coffee.<\/p>\n
Menu creatively plated thaw-and-serve desserts. Flavored syrups\u2014mint, cinnamon, hazelnut, white chocolate\u2014add a quick \u201cshot of the season\u201d to coffees and shakes. <\/p>\n
Execution matters more than anything else during the holidays, maintains Gordon Food Service Commercial Segment Specialist Geoff Bonham. \u201cThe best way to build customer loyalty is to execute your traditional menu well.\u201d You must also consistently deliver on the basics\u2014friendliness, cleanliness, and timeliness. This can make regulars out of first-timers brought to your restaurant as holiday guests.<\/p>\n
Technomic Inc. reported that 51 percent of consumers gave gift cards during the 2013 holiday season. But gift-card redemption rates can be as low as 60 percent, according to Gordon Food Service Grocery\/Bakery product specialist Bill Barker.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a lot free money for operators,\u201d Barker says. \u201cDo away with paper gift certificates; use cards with no cash refunds. Usually cards with small amounts left on them get discarded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Remember, though, that most cards are used in January and February. \u201cThat means less actual cash coming in during traditionally slow months,\u201d Barker says. \u201cBudget for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holiday catering is an excellent way to boost revenue. Decide what you can realistically accomplish given your people, space, and brand. <\/p>\n
\u201cStart promoting to corporate customers as early as August or September,\u201d Gross urges. \u201cWeekends will fill up fast, so consider a discounted rate to push people to Mondays or Tuesdays.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you can\u2019t manage full-blown catering, offer three or four of your best (and most profitable) items that customers can order for home and office parties. \u201cSet up a separate catering phone number staffed by someone who knows the policies and procedures,\u201d Barker advises. <\/p>\n
New hires should receive the same training in November that they would in April. Anything less puts your brand at risk and impedes your ability to create return customers. Emphasize the need to make customers feel at home for the holidays. \u201cThank you for sharing your holiday season with us,\u201d and \u201cI hope you\u2019ll come back and see us again real soon\u201d are the messages you want to impart. <\/p>\n
Be sure to keep all staff in the loop about holiday hours, menu changes, and anticipated business traffic.<\/p>\n
Higher traffic requires more staff. Don\u2019t skimp on manpower, says Dan Longton, President and CEO of Florida-based TraitSet, a workforce-management service provider. \u201cDon\u2019t overschedule, either; that will eat into your profits. So will overtime.\u201d Base this year\u2019s schedule on last year\u2019s data\u2014an easier prospect if you\u2019ve automated the scheduling function.<\/p>\n
Of course, for foodservice employees, the holidays can be doubly hectic given the personal demands of the season. One way to make it easier on employees is to set their expectations ahead of time. Vernier, for example, makes it clear during the hiring process that time-off requests from November through January 1 can\u2019t be accommodated. Built within that policy, however, are ways to help employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to spread it out so staff work shorter shifts, and I work hard to make sure staff know they are appreciated,\u201d Vernier explains.<\/p>\n
Promote holiday offerings to existing customers\u2014via emails, text messages, social-media platforms, and in-store table tents\u2014as soon as you have something concrete to share. Tease photos of new holiday dishes. Announce expanded hours. Give customers first crack at New Year\u2019s Eve reservations. <\/p>\n
All the while, Barker advises, \u201cKeep a holiday diary with notes on how each day went, hourly readings, schedules, problems, and successes. That will give you a leg up for next year.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Restaurant operational execution matters most of all during the holiday season.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4156,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n