Reports from Statistics Canada show that people are dining out more. Restaurant sales have steadily risen for 16 years straight. In 2010, Canadians spent about 28% of their total budget on dining out. During the holidays, that spending increases for most people.
The holidays are a busy time. There are parties to attend, presents to buy, not to mention taking the kids to sit on Santa’s lap for a photo opportunity and the million other small tasks. At the end of the day, people don’t feel like taking the time to make a home cooked meal and will likely turn to your restaurant to nourish their family. Are you prepared? There are 5 things every restaurant owner needs to do to get ready for the holiday season.
1. Hire Seasonal Staff
Don’t try to cover more tables with the same number of staff. One of the keys to a successful dining experience for your customers is fast and friendly service. If the customer has to wait for a server to even make her way to the table, frustration has already set in.
2. Set the Mood
Most people love the holidays. The season brings happy memories of time with family and friends. Set the mood to help get your customers in the spirit of the season. Add a few decorations and play seasonal music.
3. Add Specialty Menu Items
Plan ahead to add some seasonal favourites. Customers might enjoy tried and true items like a good glass of eggnog, but let your chef come up with a unique creation or two that customers can’t find anywhere else. If that peppermint white chocolate raspberry cheesecake is a hit, offer it every year at the same time to entice those customers who loved the special back in year after year.
4. Be Prepared for Delayed Payments
December is sometimes a slow month for some industries. While people are out shopping for presents, they may not be as focused on other things. If you make money from licensing, sell some of your special items, such as a sauce, in local stores or expect money from any other source, expect that payments probably will be delayed until after the first of the year and possibly beyond.
This is probably the worst time for this to happen as you grow increasingly busy and thus your wage and supply costs go up. Do your best to plan ahead for this occurrence by creating a small buffer to cover non-payment by clients. If that isn’t possible, consider a merchant cash advance to get you through.
5. Decide Ahead of Time if You’ll Be Open on the Major Holidays
Make a decision about whether or not you’ll be open on the major holidays. You’ll want to let your customers know ahead of time if you plan to be open, for example, on Christmas and New Year’s. Most people make plans well in advance of that day about whether or not they’ll dine at home and where they will eat if they go out.
You’ll also want to allow plenty of time to arrange to have enough staff to cover the day.
Hopefully these 5 things every restaurant owner needs to do to get ready for the holiday season have given you some ideas on how to prepare. Enjoy the new customers who will frequent your restaurant during the holidays. It just might come to represent the most successful season for your business.
Disclaimer: A merchant cash advance is the purchase of future credit card or debit card sales and is not a loan product.
