Hospitality Tips & Tech for a Successful Christmas

The festive season is fast approaching, and for those in the hospitality industry, it’s a time of both excitement and challenge. Pubs, bars, restaurants, food halls, and all F&B venues alike – now is the time to prepare! A successful Christmas holds even more significance for UK businesses in 2023, offering an opportunity to thrive despite rising costs and reduced customer budgets.

For a busy and profitable Christmas, you’ll want to employ some planned strategies and harness the right technology. Here we’ll explore the top tips and best technologies to streamline busy service, impress your customers, and boost your bottom line. From reservations management to integrated order & pay, we’ve got you covered with ideas and solutions for a prosperous end to your year.

Get Prepared and Get Promoting

If you’re reading this article, you’ve already checked a key box for festive success – planning ahead.

Do you want to sell gift cards to boost December revenue and January footfall? Is your website optimised to pique the interest of those looking for where to visit over Christmas (displaying menus, events, deals, and how to book)? Questions like these should be at the forefront of your mind as you gear up for one of the busiest periods of the year.

Planning and promoting is crucial in ensuring that business thrive during this time. Advertise your festive promotions and let your customers know exactly how they can book. Promote your offerings on social media and include a link to the page where your reservation system sits. The more you prepare and promote now, the merrier your Christmas will be.

Grab Every Reservation with an Online Booking System

An online table reservation system can be a game-changer for hospitality businesses during the bustling Christmas period. As potential customers scour the internet for their festive food & drink spots, you don’t want to lose out to competitors with simpler booking processes. To capture early bookers, release your Christmas menu, promotions, and events early, and get equipped with an efficient booking system that enables you to fill tables with minimal effort.

Your online reservation system should also be able to help you eliminate no-shows by taking automatic deposits, pre-authorised payments, or sending SMS reminders. You’ll also be able to simplify table planning with automated table assignments and a digital table plan with your Christmas floor layout.

Investing in an online booking system is a highly cost-effective solution, particularly with an increased desire to secure a table at Christmas. Unlike many other solutions, Max Bookings will never charge you for doing well. With fixed monthly pricing based on the capacity of your venue, you’ll be able to take unlimited reservations with no booking commission or covers charge.

Engineer a Popular and Profitable Christmas Menu

Creating a successful Christmas menu that drives profits is crucial for hospitality operators. The key is to strike a balance between profitability and desirability with a high-margin offering your customers want to indulge in.

Utilise the power of your stock and recipe management software to guarantee your desired margins, and look to create a streamlined menu that your kitchen team can consistently produce to a high standard. When it comes to the design of your physical menu, consider drawing attention to suggested pairings, sides, or your high-profit dishes to encourage a higher spend from your customer. (We’ve got more tips on menu engineering HERE).

Now your menu is crafted, your next task is to update your EPoS system with your new functions and festive promotions. This can often be a lengthy job, so get in touch with your EPoS provider, who should be able to do this for you. And remember, as well as bringing your team up to speed, configure your EPoS system to cater for any allergens within your new menu.

Early Rota Planning and Team Preparations

Preparing your staff, rotas, and workload for the Christmas period is vital in ensuring a successful and stress-free festive season. To get the best from your team, be sure to communicate your upselling tactics, recommended sides, wine pairings, and promotions, encouraging them to share these offerings with customers. Well-informed servers can have a significant impact on your profits.

When it comes to rotas, pre-planning is essential. Not only does it help ensure that service runs smoothly, but it also allows your staff to make their own festive plans outside of work, contributing to a happier and more motivated team. If you haven’t already, consider implementing a labour & rota management solution that can simplify the process. Time-saving software like MAX HR also enables you to maximise your profits using sales vs labour cost data.

Assess whether your current team can accommodate the increased demand during the Christmas season. If you anticipate needing extra hands, it’s time to start looking for temporary hires. To optimise labour costs and make the most of your existing team, consider streamlining the workload with integrated technology, handheld ordering, or mobile order and pay systems. These tools can enhance efficiency and customer service, making the festive period a profitable and enjoyable time for both your staff and customers.

Deliver Fast, Five-star Service with Order & Pay Technologies

As mentioned above, implementing service-enhancing tools can help to optimise your labour costs and streamline the ordering process. But of course, there are many other benefits to these modern-day technologies, especially during the bustling Christmas period. Revenue, customer satisfaction, and spend per head will all receive a significant boost with the latest Order & Pay solutions. Whether upgrading the way you do table service or introducing QR-based self-ordering, you’ll be arming your team to take a maximum number of orders, often resulting in a higher average spend.

Modern Order & Pay solutions also improve upselling with better visibility of active deals and suggested pairings. Whether using handheld EPoS devices or allowing customers to self-order and pay via their smartphones, your custom digital menus can influence buying choices and elevate spending.

With pay-at-table technology speeding up service and seamless integrations with your printers and screens, your team can provide five-star customer service during festive gatherings. Happy staff equate to happy customers and a stress-free dining experience.

Get Your Customers Back Through the Door in January

It’s important to think beyond Christmas and include plans for post-December months in your festive preparations. With strategic planning, you can increase footfall during these typically slower months.

Whatever promotions you decide to run throughout January, you should utilise the data collected through your online booking system. Using the email addresses and phone numbers your customers have submitted, you can advertise your Christmas goings-on and promote your January deals. Alongside your marketing communications, perhaps consider offering discounts to those who book in December, enticing them to return in January.

Implementing a loyalty campaign such as points collection or rewards for purchases is another great way to get customers through the door. Additionally, selling gift cards in the lead-up to Christmas not only boosts revenue for the festive period but can contribute to footfall when you need it most. It also generates some extra cash that your business can work with for the post Christmas period, plus, on average, recipients tend to spend 38% more than the value of their gift card when visiting a restaurant.

Prepare your stockholding with low-alcohol and alcohol-free options to cater to those giving Dry January a go. And if you’re a food establishment, consider introducing lighter dishes to attract health-conscious customers.

To help you make the most of this festive period, we’ve compiled a list of essential technologies that will streamline operations, enhance guest experiences, and ensure a successful and stress-free Christmas for your business.