The holidays are again upon us. Even before Halloween was over, colorful Christmas displays were erected in many retail venues to get customers in the mood. When we are in a holiday frame of mind, we are inclined to spend more money. It's what businesses rely on to help them finish out the year on a positive note.
For restaurants, the same holds true. Increases in revenues can come from a variety of areas including group dining, parties and gift cards. In the case of group dining and parties, you have the opportunity to impress a lot of people at one time who are already in a good mood. Make sure that every one of them is offered a menu to take home with them. A manager visiting the group celebration (to ensure that everyone is enjoying themselves) can also make an impact.
If you do have a gift card program, make sure that it is designed to do more than just give a bonus to customers for buying them. Tie it into bringing you additional business. How do you do that? Instead of adding a bonus to the card they are purchasing, include a second smaller gift card that can be used for a limited period of time to build customer traffic during the first 3 months of the year when people are paying off holiday bills and are less inclined to splurge.
Make sure too that the way you package your gift cards furthers your brand and impresses the recipient - a little creativity goes a long way.
Of course, after putting everything in place, if your staff doesn't promote any of it, it's a missed opportunity and a waste of money. So make sure that all of your front of house staff is on board and ready to tell everyone about what a great deal the cards are!
For restaurants, the same holds true. Increases in revenues can come from a variety of areas including group dining, parties and gift cards. In the case of group dining and parties, you have the opportunity to impress a lot of people at one time who are already in a good mood. Make sure that every one of them is offered a menu to take home with them. A manager visiting the group celebration (to ensure that everyone is enjoying themselves) can also make an impact.
If you do have a gift card program, make sure that it is designed to do more than just give a bonus to customers for buying them. Tie it into bringing you additional business. How do you do that? Instead of adding a bonus to the card they are purchasing, include a second smaller gift card that can be used for a limited period of time to build customer traffic during the first 3 months of the year when people are paying off holiday bills and are less inclined to splurge.
Make sure too that the way you package your gift cards furthers your brand and impresses the recipient - a little creativity goes a long way.
Of course, after putting everything in place, if your staff doesn't promote any of it, it's a missed opportunity and a waste of money. So make sure that all of your front of house staff is on board and ready to tell everyone about what a great deal the cards are!
