Preparing for the Holiday Season in Your Restaurant
As we edge ever closer to December, we reach one of the busiest times of the year for restaurants. Whether you’re located within a shopping mall or you’re dealing with multiple end-of-year office meals, this is the time that could make or break your year. With a successful holiday season, surviving the next year becomes more comfortable and this provides more flexibility to try new things. With a poor holiday season, it could be a case of scraping through until next year.
Are you a little worried about how it’s going to go? If so, keep reading because we have advice that could help!
Prepare All Staff – For your business to excel at this time of year, your staff need to be prepared at the bar, in the kitchen, and when dealing with customers. Therefore, we recommend having a meeting so they know what’s expected of them over the coming weeks. For some, they’ll have to cope with additional hours and even increased responsibilities. For others, they’ll have adjusted systems and the mental preparation is often more important than anything else.
For most restaurants, they see their visitor numbers increase during the holiday season so it could also be a good idea to have staff offer suggestions to make their jobs more efficient. Since this benefits you both in terms of money earned over a single night, they’ll probably have some feedback. As a starting point, consider proactively handing out the bill, pre-lining bins with multiple bags, and suggesting specials when giving out the drinks to speed up thinking time.
Hire Seasonal Employees – Remember, you don’t need to hire new full-time staff just to get through the season (nor do you have to suffer with a team that’s too small just because you don’t want to hire!). Every year, there are people looking for seasonal work who expect to help over the holidays and then leave after New Year.
If this is your first year in business, it’s better to hire too many than not enough. If you have been in business for some time, think back to last year and learn from your mistakes. Do you need more people? Do you need larger numbers on certain days? Do you need to hire earlier so they’re better trained for the season?
Over-Ordering Could Be Important – Remember, your suppliers will shut down over the holiday season where you may continue so you need to factor this into your decision-making. If you’re to keep guests happy, it might be wise to over-order stock (especially for food with an extended date). Again, it’s a good idea to learn lessons from last year if you were forced to pull items from the menu or buy expensive emergency ingredients from elsewhere. While planning this, consider your most popular dishes and adjust your ordering accordingly.
Consider Takeaway Options – In the lead up to the holidays, the mind of many is already on the big Christmas feast so they’re more likely to order takeaway. In addition to this, diets are more likely to go by the wayside and ‘cheat days’ become common. If you don’t already, it might be worth exposing your restaurant to a takeaway menu. With some mobile apps these days, the company will take care of delivery on your behalf so all you need to do is sign up and order some takeaway packaging.
While adhering to the demands of customers, this also gives you a chance to trial a business expansion. If customers can order their food online, it eliminates errors and gives them a chance to order in a more relaxed manner so explore your options.
Seasonal Offers and Deals – Why should people visit your restaurant over every other this holiday season? When work starts to dwindle and holiday fever takes over, people generally throw themselves into the spirit so complement this with special seasonal dishes and offers. Whether it’s a special appetizer/desert or a ‘2 for 1’ dinner option before a certain time, give people a reason. If you offer this deal before seven o’clock, guests will come in after work and a busy restaurant will attract even more people in a self-fulfilling system.
Remain Positive – The minute you lose your cool, the team loses its concentration and the whole season can fall apart. We know, the holidays can be stressful when people are spending time with their families and you’re working away. However, you will be rewarded for dealing with tricky customers calmly and providing the best service possible.
As you stay positive, your team will do the same and you’ll all start to work for each other. If your team work especially hard, treat them to free drinks and maybe even a free dinner (if they don’t get this already) on their last shift before Christmas. Often, restaurant staff think owners and managers don’t understand the pressure they’re under during this busy time but you can prove them wrong.
Conclusion – Every day, we’re getting closer so prepare and everything will work out just fine. If you want to make next year even easier, make notes of your observations this year. Trust us, you’ll appreciate it even if it’s tough to find a minute during those busy days!