Trends are everywhere from fashion to food and can change at the drop of a hat, which means businesses must be flexible with what they promote. The holidays bring about a new set of trends and challenges to go along with that. Whether you plan to revamp your menu, deck out your restaurant Hallmark Movie-style, or haven’t had the time to think about the holidays, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered.
We’ve made a list (and checked it twice) of the predicted holiday trends so you can prepare your restaurant accordingly. And if you’re trying to decide whether you should remain open on the holidays, check out our previous post for some data insights from seasons past.
Digital Ordering Upswing
Millennials’ habits have reshaped a lot of pieces of the restaurant industry, and holiday dining is on that list. In fact, millennials consume food in a restaurant or bar around 30% more often than any other generation. But when the weather turns cold, your dining room may not be overflowing with guests.
Instead, we predict your carryout and delivery counter will be bustling. If you don’t yet have digital ordering capabilities, talk to your POS provider about the integration options they offer, or partner with GrubHub or UberEats directly. This will keep your phones from ringing off the hook all season long and, with the right POS system, you can even streamline digital orders directly to your kitchen without the added burden of a server manually ringing in the to-go items.
Gift Card Surges
Gift card sales are one of the many traditional tactics for restaurants to guarantee repeat guests as well as benefit your diners, because who doesn’t love gift cards? A 2018 Prepaid Consumer Insights Study conducted by FirstData revealed that over 80% of consumers with a fine dining, fast casual, or drug store gift card spend more than the value of the card.
Gift cards can be further used to entice guests by giving the purchaser a gift card for spending a certain amount, such as “Spend $100 on gift cards, receive a $20 credit for yourself!” Additionally, you can make these credits redeemable beginning January 1, ensuring your business will be booming after the holiday glitter has settled. [Read more…]