Tock’s recent webinar offers valuable insights for restaurants during the holiday season. Industry experts Megan Garrelts (Rye Leawood) and Lacey Irby (Dear Margaret) joined Tock’s Melissa Maciejewski and Nation’s Restaurant News to share strategies for boosting revenue, making guests happy, and running smooth holiday services. See some key takeaways below and watch the full webinar for more.
1. Double down on special experiences
Guests are looking for festive ways to enjoy the holidays with friends and family. By differentiating your business with unique experiences, you can engage both guests and staff, while driving bookings.
2. Manage guest expectations
With special celebrations, turn times tend to increase. Set expectations with guests by communicating how long they can expect to enjoy their experience at the time of booking.
3. Promote early
Get the word out early as many guests tend to book special holiday experiences weeks in advance.
4. Prioritize your regulars
Letting your guests know that holiday reservations are about to open is a great way to prioritize repeat guests and build relationships.
5. Be proactive about adjusting your floor plan
Tock offers complete flexibility to modify your availability and pacing in order to optimize service, which is especially relevant on busy holidays. For example, it can be helpful to push large parties to shoulder times.
6. Offer prepayment
Not only does it reduce no-shows and capture sales in advance, but by having guests prepay, your team can be prepared to keep the food and drinks flowing and the service top notch.
7. Use pre-visit questionnaires and tags
It’s the best way to prepare for dietary restrictions and allergies, mobility issues, and any special requests.
8. Keep the bubbles flowing
Store a couple of budget-friendly bottles behind the bar to pour for guests when you need to offer a personalized touch.
For more strategies and insights on holiday success, watch the full webinar.
