Gearing Up for the Holiday Season

The holidays are right around the corner!  As they approach, restaurateurs can expect a boost in sales heading into the end of the year.  Here are some tips to make sure you’re leveraging your business for maximum impact this time of year.

Use Online Visibility to Increase Sales

It’s predicted that online sales will increase by 14% this holiday season.  New product offerings, online specials, and easier way’s to pay (including a mobile payment option) are option to consider when making an attempt to increase online traffic.  With weather always being a major threat during the holidays, and something that’s difficult to predict, online sales will need to make up a majority of holiday profits this season.

As always, chain restaurants are coming up with inventive offerings to drive customers to their businesses.  Starbucks will offer a contest to win free coffee for a year to customers who use their mobile payment option or Starbucks card to pay for purchases.  Loyalty programs can help increase visits to restaurants during major holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Nearly 3 in 10 families will also serve dishes during holiday dinners that were purchased from local restaurants.  Instead of letting your customers don their own white chef coat, consider promoting your own signature dishes, at special holiday pricing, as a way to increase your sales.  A smaller but significant percentage will choose to skip the entire Thanksgiving meal in their homes and go to a restaurant for dinner.  Offering those who purchase a full meal at Thanksgiving a coupon for use at Christmas may help boost your Christmas profits.

Holiday Shoppers are Hungry, too!

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the biggest shopping day of the year.  After spending hours shopping, many will be anxious for lunch or an early dinner.  Many restaurants are opening earlier to accommodate the crowd and early shopping hours.  Some will offer discounts to those who show receipts to particular stores who put up their advertisements in-store. 

Many restaurants that don’t traditionally offer breakfast will do so on this one-day of the year.  Chef coats will make a special appearance at the Mall of America, as cooks offer samples from Tucci’s, a local Italian restaurant to weary and hungry shoppers.  Samples of food are a great way to increase foot traffic to your restaurant, especially from customers who aren’t frequent visitors.

Looking for new and exciting restaurant wear for the holidays? Check out Fiumara Apparel’s exciting line of chef and restaurant clothing.