Published: December 2019<\/p>\n
As we edge ever closer to December, we reach one of the busiest times of the year for restaurants. Whether you\u2019re located within a shopping mall or you\u2019re 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. <\/span><\/p>\n Are you a little worried about how it\u2019s going to go? If so, keep reading because we have advice that could help! <\/span><\/p>\n Prepare All Staff<\/b> \u2013 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\u2019s expected of them over the coming weeks. For some, they\u2019ll have to cope with additional hours and even increased responsibilities. For others, they\u2019ll have adjusted systems and the mental preparation is often more important than anything else. <\/span><\/p>\n 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\u2019ll 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. <\/span><\/p>\n Hire Seasonal Employees<\/b> \u2013 Remember, you don\u2019t need to hire new full-time staff just to get through the season (nor do you have to suffer with a team that\u2019s too small just because you don\u2019t 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. <\/span><\/p>\n If this is your first year in business, it\u2019s 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\u2019re better trained for the season?<\/span><\/p>\n Over-Ordering Could Be Important<\/b> \u2013 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\u2019re to keep guests happy, it might be wise to over-order stock (especially for food with an extended date). Again, it\u2019s 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. <\/span><\/p>\n Consider Takeaway Options<\/b> \u2013 In the lead up to the holidays, the mind of many is already on the big Christmas feast so they\u2019re more likely to order takeaway. In addition to this, diets are more likely to go by the wayside and \u2018cheat days\u2019 become common. If you don\u2019t 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. <\/span><\/p>\n 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. <\/span><\/p>\n Seasonal Offers and Deals<\/b> \u2013 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\u2019s a special appetizer\/desert or a \u20182 for 1\u2019 dinner option before a certain time, give people a reason. If you offer this deal before seven o\u2019clock, guests will come in after work and a busy restaurant will attract even more people in a self-fulfilling system. <\/span><\/p>\n Remain Positive<\/b> \u2013 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\u2019re working away. However, you will be rewarded for dealing with tricky customers calmly and providing the best service possible. <\/span><\/p>\n As you stay positive, your team will do the same and you\u2019ll 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\u2019t get this already) on their last shift before Christmas. Often, restaurant staff think owners and managers don\u2019t understand the pressure they\u2019re under during this busy time but you can prove them wrong. <\/span><\/p>\n Conclusion<\/b> \u2013 Every day, we\u2019re 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\u2019ll appreciate it even if it\u2019s tough to find a minute during those busy days!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Published: December 2019 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\u2019re located within a shopping mall or you\u2019re dealing with multiple end-of-year office meals, this is the time that could make or break your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}