How to Maximize Revenue with Restaurant Events and Summer Sales
Last year, the pandemic stopped people’s travel plans and forced everyone to stay inside their homes. But now, with warm weather fast approaching and vaccination rates starting to rise, people are itching to travel and visit restaurants and stores this summer.
How can you entice consumers into visiting your business? Here’s a quick guide to leveraging restaurant events and summer sales to boost your revenue.
Plan Unique Restaurant Events
Right now, every restaurant is in the same situation: they’re trying to recoup lost sales due to the pandemic. If you want to convince customers to choose your establishment over the many other options they have, your restaurant events need to be exciting and unique. Possible options for these include:
Holiday Celebrations
While people are going to be excited about even the “usual” holidays (Fourth of July is likely to be huge this year!), there are more unique opportunities to seize. Integrate holidays into your restaurant events that aren’t too common or mainstream. For example, July 5th is National Hawaii Day. Throw a luau!
Special, Limited-Time Menu Items
They love your regular menu, but maybe it’s just not enticing enough to draw their attention today. After all, it’ll be there tomorrow, right? Offer them something that won’t be available tomorrow in order to get them in your door.
Group-Friendly Fun
Restaurants have been without their customers, but remember that customers have also been apart from family and friends for that same amount of time. Events that allow for fun in a group setting will likely draw greater interest and ultimately higher revenue. Consider longtime favorites like paint nights or trivia/board games, or get creative with something unique to your restaurant’s offerings.
Community Partnerships
Leverage other businesses with the same goals as you. You could reach out to local talent and organize for them to play live music. Another great option is providing unique combos with your menu offering and the offerings of another business, such as a craft brewery, candle maker, or bakery. Ensure your customers get the most out of one outing; efficiency is top of mind for everyone.
Initiate Eye-Catching Promotions
Like restaurant events, sales can be a great way of drawing customers to your location. Especially if you’re not in a high-traffic area, you’re going to need to do more than offer a vague “Big Sale!” promotion to entice customers.
Instead, consider devising promotions that speak to your intended audience. Target your specials at specific demographics, like teachers, mothers, military personnel, and senior citizens. Events that require physical attendance like contests or raffles are also a great way to draw in customers. Plus, awareness or fundraising events for specific causes or organizations are perfect opportunities for getting your name out into the community—and showing that you care about those around you.
You Have to Get the Word Out
Your events and sales will never achieve their full potential if potential customers don’t know about them. You have many options for getting the word out.
- Go digital! Meet your customers where they are: online. Use whatever you have available, whether it’s social media, a website, or local blogs, to help spread the word about your restaurant or retailer.
- Other media still work, too. Don’t forget about “traditional” methods of advertising, like newspaper, radio and television.
If you’re offering unique restaurant events and sales, you’ll catch the eyes and ears of people who are so ready to get out of their house. Customers will appreciate your original, exciting ideas, but they can only do so if they know about them.
Leverage Mobile Technology to Maximize Audience
No matter how fun or unique your ideas are, there are going to be people who are hesitant to return to “normal” life for quite some time, even after the pandemic is over. To increase the number of people willing to come to your business, consider outdoor events when possible. Even if it’s just a sidewalk sale or patio party, your retail and restaurant events are going to be more successful if more people feel safe.
Additionally, take advantage of the summer weather when the sun is shining! In order to do this, you need the flexibility to adapt to outdoor events on a moment’s notice. If you want these capabilities, you’ll need to have the right tech. That includes kiosks, tablet POS systems, and mobile payment options. Having the proper technology means keeping your business operations running smoothly without compromising your customers’ and staff’s health, as people enjoy the summer weather.
If you want to make the most of your business this summer, you must be willing to get creative and try new things. None of this is possible without the flexibility of modern point of sale technology. Talk to the experts at NCC about all your POS needs.
