Ah the festive season: one of the best yet busiest times of year for hospitality. From Christmas afternoon tea to Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve Party nights it’s one themed event after another, leaving you and your team rushed off your feet.
We’re here to deliver your present a little early and tell you how to get your restaurant ready for Christmas in order to maximise revenue and minimise your stress.
How To Get Your Restaurant Ready For Christmas
Online Table Booking
Your customers want to get organised for Christmas early, booking tables months in advance so they can get excited for their celebrations and avoid missing out on their favourite festive spots. And, with last year’s festivities a lockdown affair, it is predicted that hospitality bookings will soar this year as we all make up for lost time.
With this in mind, it is key that your restaurant offers online table booking so you can be in front of your customers when they are looking and booking.
This won’t just benefit your customers though. It means you can increase your covers throughout December (and even earlier) as well as giving you an idea how many bookings you have coming into the Christmas period. Both of these factors allow you to plan ahead which brings us on to our next point.
Manage your festive tables
As the age old saying goes fail to prepare, prepare to fail…
Our table management system is fully integrated with our online booking system. That means all your reservations and their important details are sent straight through to an easy to manage table management system.
Here you can fine tune your table plans to create that merry ambience, plan what staff you need and also prepare your food and menus well in advance, making your Christmas service run smoother for both you and your customers.
Take deposits for Christmas events
No one wants a no show, least of all at Christmas. Our online booking system allows you to take deposits or hold card details at the point of booking. There’s also the option to take payment in full for ticketed events or larger meals such as Christmas Dinner.
These various payment options prevent you losing income in the event of no shows and therefore secure your income. They can also help you calculate roughly how much income you will bring in for ticketed events. Customers often expect to place deposits during peak seasons such as Christmas, in fact, many are more than willing to given the tough time they know hospitality have had throughout the pandemic.
Read more about the benefits of restaurant deposits here.
Table order and pay
Whether you’re serving up a festive feast or a New Year’s tipples, the Christmas season is a busy one for hospitality staff to say the least.
Take a bit of pressure from their shoulders by using our table order and pay system. Customers simply scan the QR code, view your menu then order and pay for their food and or drinks directly through their phone. This then integrates with over 50 EPOS systems so orders can go straight to the kitchen. This therefore takes one element of service away from your staff, allowing them to focus on creating the perfect festive ambience and keeping your guests happy. It has also been proven that customers using a digital interface spend on average an extra 15% per meal, boosting your revenue
Meanwhile, your customers have autonomy over their food and drink orders and can avoid any potential wait times to place their order.
Promote your restaurant
Of course, all of the above logistical tips to get your restaurant ready for Christmas are great. But, it is all pointless if your restaurant is sitting there empty.
While the festive period is booming for hospitality, it is also incredibly competitive. Therefore, promoting your Christmas and New Year menus, events and opening times is vital to getting your restaurant ready, and fully booked, over the most magical time of the year.
When you sign up for our online booking system, we include marketing on our dining guide for FREE. That includes a profile on Sugarvine.com where we can list your menus, events and opening times as well as sharing posts on our social channels publicising your events and restaurant to our followers, hence expanding your reach.
Meanwhile, when you take bookings through Sugarvine Tables, you automatically receive the contact details of those diners, providing they opt in. Therefore, you can build your restaurant’s database through the year giving you a large list of customers to email your Christmas events to when the time comes.
Sugarvine Tables provides all you need to get your restaurant ready for Christmas and ensure the festivities are the most magical time of the year for your customers and as stress free as possible for you and your staff. If you want to reap the benefits of these must-have features, call us on 01253 698328 or fill in the form below.
For more information on SVTables or to try the live system call 01253 698328 or complete the form below: