Time flies when you're having fun...or when you're just really busy running a restaurant

The holiday season is upon us! While holidays mean rest & relaxation for many, they mean revenue & endless reservations for restaurants like yours. We all know that families across the globe rely on restaurants to provide the gift of a damn good meal during the holidays, but just how big the opportunity is for your restaurant to make more money during the holidays might surprise you. Holiday restaurant spending has increased between 8 and 10% year over year and is predicted to grow even more in 2021.

If you’re looking for inspiration on how to stand out amongst competitors, attract more customers or run creative holiday promotions, look no further. The team at Otter is excited to give you the gift of potential increased revenue with the top 8 ways you can increase your restaurant’s revenue this holiday season.

The top 8 ways to increase your restaurants revenue this holiday season

1. Run specials & promotions targeted towards the holidays

Plan ahead by identifying what holidays and celebrations matter to your customers in digital marketing for restaurants. Try to get organized a few weeks in advance so you have time to build specials, identify seasonal items you want to offer, create holiday content for your customers and more.

For example, maybe your menu makes for the perfect office holiday party spread. Let businesses around you know that you have a special build just for them via mailers, phone calls, emails, social posts and more. Or maybe you decide to offer the gift of a deal that can’t be beat, or create a yearly holiday loyalty program. Present these presents via promotion on your social channels.

2. Give people the option to mix delivery + home-cooked for the holidays

While many equate the holidays with home-cooked meals, of the top 25 highest sales days for restaurants last year, 72% of them occurred in November and December. In short, there’s a huge demographic of people who can’t (or don’t want to) cook, but still need to provide food for their loved ones.

Offering meal kits or partially prepared meals (e.g. a turkey dinner set with all the traditional holiday ingredients, a holiday cookie making kit, or even something less traditional like a pizza making kit) is a great way to increase sales while giving families a chance to bond over an activity while home for the holidays.

3. Cater to the fact that people may be gathering in larger groups for the holidays in 2021 than in 2020

Last year the pandemic stopped many people from reuniting with their family and friends during their time off. As a result, many families are planning to make up for lost (holiday) time. One strategic way to bolster sales is to pair menu items into full-meal offerings and indicate that you offer catering capabilities at the top of your menu.

4. Many may still be stuck separated from their families, so offer a multi-course meal for delivery

Although more people will be reuniting this year over the holidays, some might still need to spend them away from their family and friends. However, an unaccompanied holiday doesn’t have to mean an unjolly one. There’s no need to say goodbye to tradition whether you’re celebrating alone or with loved ones. A holiday spent alone might just be the perfect excuse to splurge on a nice dinner that you get to enjoy while watching your favorite seasonal movie.

Even if you plan on spending the holidays with your family, let’s face it, hosting a dinner party can be overwhelming. Offering a special fixed price menu with various courses, drinks, and desserts included is the perfect way for your customers to celebrate the Holidays stress-free. Paying more attention to detail with the packaging can also make the meal more memorable and festive.

5. Play into the flavors of the season

The smell of pumpkin spice, peppermint, and eggnog have become Holiday staples and even cult favorites. Embracing seasonal items is the perfect way to make your online menu stand out from the rest of the competition. This is the time for your restaurant to be creative and incorporate festive flavors into limited-time-only menu items, like Chick-Fil-A's Peppermint Chip Milkshake and Subway’s Apple Pie Cookie. Celebrating the season keeps customers excited and also helps boost business.

With Otter’s Menu Management feature, making updates and changes to your menu can be done on the fly. Menu Management also allows you to rename, update pricing, and edit modifiers for individual menu items or entire categories if you want to try something new this holiday season.

6. Give your customers the present of giving back via feed it forwards or buy-one-give-ones

Did you know that 84% of Americans feel more charitable over the holidays? With the festivities usually comes that little voice in your head that reminds you the greatest gift is to give to others. Help your customers act on their philanthropic goals by playing off of the “pay it forward trend,” where customers can buy one item and donate one item to the next person in-line. Alternatively, partner with a local charity and give your customers the option to donate a meal to those less fortunate each time they buy a meal for themselves.

7. Give yourself the gift of new potential customers

We’ve all had to rush to find a last-minute gift for an extended family member, friend, or significant other. Offering gift options over the holidays is a fantastic way to gift your restaurant more customers! Perhaps you can incentivize your customers by offering a $10 gift card for a friend with every $50 spent. This approach doubles as an easy gift idea for your customers, and new customers for you!

8. Offer a snack, tasting, or hor-d'oeuvre menu for the morning & midday slump

While the quintessential holiday meal can’t be beat, there’s no denying that we’ve all felt some hunger pangs just waiting for 3, 4 or 5 p.m. to roll around. Many restaurants offer specials for that one big holiday meal, but few restaurants think about ways to offer something special for the 23 hours we spend waiting for that meal. What if this year, you offered a snack, tasting, or hor-d'oeuvre menu (potentially as a delivery-only special) to help people hold their hunger over til it’s time to really dig in? You could also consider playing into yet another less conventional holiday tradition, the holiday hangover, with a cheeky hangover special for the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, or NYE.

Give your restaurant the gift of increased revenue with our top 8 ways to increase sales over the holidays

‍We know the holidays are hectic, but there’s a lot of time to get ahead of the holidays and generate top sales before the new year with restaurant marketing promotions. Whether it’s running campaigns, catering, special programs, and more personalizing your menu and marketing in any way, you can’t make your customers’ lives easier through food delivery.

If you're a restaurant looking for new ways to simplify your delivery business, increase sales, and eliminate tablets, we’ve got just the right gift for you. Click here to get started with Otter today!