From the WHENTOMANAGE.COM Restaurant Biz Blog: The Holidays are fast approaching and tis the season for being a busy restaurant owner! From catering Holiday parties to last minute 20-seat family dine-in parties with noisy kids, as restauranteurs we see it all, and with a smile, welcome it! But that doesn't mean we can't be prepared for the inevitable disaster bound to be waiting each day. With a few simple preparations, as owners, we can be prepared for the worst and the best of the Holidays! At WhenToManage, we compiled some of the best ideas we've heard/see/witnessed and created a list that might be nice, and not naughty!
- Create a Holiday drink. It is time to get creative with your drink menu and the time to do it is now. Check out this great list of ideas fromTheBar.com.
- Get creatively festive with your music. Believe it or not, people want to hear Holiday music, but that doesn't mean you have to play the same old stuff as everyone else. Here is a great list of the top 100 songs from OnTheRadio.net.
- Create a worldly sensation with tastes from other countries. Here we found some traditional Austrian Holiday recipes that might entice your guests!
- Get on Groupon! Many times it takes having instant access to savings and let's face it this year a deal is on everyone's mind.
- Remind people about your business with a Holiday greeting. Many times families are in a rush just to get through the week and your restaurant might be just what they need to slow "it" down and relax; that's what the Holidays are all about, right!? Here's a cool iPhone app that allows you to send post cards in just a few clicks.
- Donate time or food to a local charity. So many restaurants are helping out; have you found a charity that might benefit from your good deeds? Charity not only helps the needy it also lets your staff participate as stewards of the community!
- Track, measure and report. The Holidays are a great time to set up systems to let you know what is selling and how well. Don't slack as you can learn a lot by measuring what items are moving out the door on a daily basis. Once you know what is moving, try advertising this item or running a promotion.
- Get ahead of your labor scheduling, and GO WEB BASED! No this isn't a promotion... Web-based labor scheduling is a must have. Imagine a big party comes in, you just post and notify and your staff shows up. You'll want this to organize on the fly.
- Send out an Evite. If you are having a special event, send an Evite and know in advance who is coming, don't wait until the last minute.
- HAVE FUN! Mostly, if you are relaxed and having fun then your staff will see that and be relaxed. According to research from University of California, Irvine, short-term stress causes memory loss. You'll want to do everything you can to prevent uncomfortable situations based on stress as your guests will see it all over your Holiday non-cheer.
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