There are 365 days in a year, but you can probably attribute spikes in sales to a handful of special holidays or events in your town. These special days are great for boosting sales and making connections with new customers, however they can also be the downfall of your reputation if not handled correctly. How can you plan for peak periods, and how can you make the most out of these days? Here’s our advice on navigating the world of special events in the restaurant industry…

Planning

Look at your calendar and see what holidays are likely to affect you. For instance, if Valentine’s day is on a Friday, you are probably going to be busy, and you should know what your menu will be and how you will handle the rush in advance.

The first thing to think about when planning for peak sale days is how much to order. If you are an established restaurant, look back to the past two or three Valentine’s Days and see the trend in sales. If your steaks were flying off the grills, be sure to order a reasonable number of them based off previous sales. Or, if you are a new restaurant and have nothing to look back to, ask similar establishments in your city what their sales look like and judge from there. Always make sure to talk to your suppliers early and make sure that they know in advance what you need so that you can get your order on time.

The second thing to think about is staffing. If you are going to be busier you are going to need to make sure you have the staff to handle it and calculate that into your prices, so you don’t lose money on increased staff. This is another time to investigate previous trends, look at whatever scheduling tool you use and see the trend in how many servers will be needed to keep the flow running smoothly, and schedule servers accordingly. This is not a time to scrimp on wait staff, long wait times and poor service can put a bad taste in customer’s mouths and keep them from coming back in the future.

Marketing

Planning is also essential for being able to lay out an effective marketing plan. You shouldn’t be coming up with ideas the day of and haphazardly throwing it together, you should know what your specials, deals, etc. will be weeks or preferably months in advance, then lay out a solid marketing plan.
While building your marketing campaign know who your demographic is and what they like. If it is Mother’s Day and you know that your salmon salad is a big hit with women, then maybe that’s what you should be featuring in your email blasts or targeted ads. If it is Valentine’s day, maybe you have a special couple’s meal for $100. Whatever your shtick is, make sure you are marketing it appropriately so that your target demographic is hearing about it. If you are unsure about how to appropriately market these events, consider getting help from a marketing company or an independent marketer.

Be efficient

In every decision you make you should be trying to optimize profit and provide the best experience possible. Figuring out prep times and hold times can get dicey, but there is plenty of technology out there that can help you optimize your time and your product so that you are giving guests the best experience possible while still managing things efficiently. Many restaurants utilize a KDS system such as Table Up to manage the flow of customers so that you can know how to best manage your guests.
Another part of operating at peak efficiency during these busy times is establishing a menu with items that are easy to produce, can stand long wait times and that are going to make you the most profit. For example, make risotto a featured item that is part of a deal, risotto can sit in the kitchen for the whole day and be fine, add a little stock and heat it up and it will still be delicious whereas lobster can only sit out a few minutes before getting cold and putting it at risk of getting sent back.

To see if your menu is working to its best ability, look at your point of sales system. See what items are getting sent back and what items are getting comped at higher rates. This gives you valuable insights into what dishes are costing you more than they are worth and can help you make better and more informed decisions, so you know that you’re increasing your bottom line.

Never miss a chance to make an impression

On Father’s Day B.J’s had a deal where if you bought a beer, you got a free pint glass. Now, anyone who bought a beer that day has a B.J’s branded glass sitting in their cupboard reminding them of B.J’s and the wonderful time they had there. When you are preparing for a special event, you should also have a plan on how you are going to make a long lasting impression on your customers so that they are enticed to come back, maybe it is a branded glass, maybe it is a $10 off deal for a positive Yelp review, maybe you make a special snapchat filter and give a deal to people who post pictures using it or who check in at your restaurant. These spike days are when most people coming in are new, so find a way that fits your brand to make an impression on them and others, so they want to come back again or are helping you bring more new people in. Impressions are important, use them to your advantage to create a new regular customer.

Special events don’t have to be a headache, with proper planning and a little bit of creativity-you can utilize these days to make money and create long lasting relationships with new customers. There are many benefits hidden amongst a select few days on the calendar, find what works for you and see how far it can take you.

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