5 Effective Ways to Maximise Revenue this Festive Season

The Careful Balance Between Human Experience and Digital Opportunities

It’s true, the heart of the hospitality industry lies within the human experience. The barman at your local pub, the family restaurant that’s been running for generations, the tears, cheers and laughter all shared around perfectly lit tables. Which is why the new age of digital-first everything can be a difficult one to depict for our much beloved industry.

But times are changing, and so must we. Because it’s not all TikTok dancing and complicated POS systems, it’s digitising the hospitality experience in your restaurant or bar where possible, to benefit the brand and customer.

And with Christmas around the corner, customers are turning their attention to perfectly planned soirées and thoughtful gifting… A season rooted in experience and human emotion, the Christmas period can actually be the perfect time to embrace digital to maximise your sales, and here’s 5 ways to do just that…

1. Streamline Ordering and Paying The Bill

Many restaurants are looking to capitalise on bookings this year, with lots of making up to do from last year’s Covid Christmas. Giving customers the change to use Order & Pay at Table turns tables up to 8 minutes faster. Turning more tables is invaluable additional revenue…

Order & Pay solutions can relieve the pressure on staff. Instead of time being spent taking and processing orders and bills, staff can focus on checking in with customers to make sure they are enjoying their time in your restaurant.

It’s been found that customers order around 5% more on average when using table ordering apps, with simple up-selling such as paired wines and side dish suggestions. Customers love additional touches like easy bill splitting and individual tip contributions.

2. Give the Gift of Experience

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s the value of experience. Digital gift vouchers make it easier to purchase and send from anywhere in the World, with features like post-dated sends and personalised messages which make them perfect for the well-prepared, and the last-minute gift givers.

Gift Vouchers can also be the perfect treat from you to your customers, rewarding and inspiring loyalty that will help you push through the January blues and beyond. With data from the rest of your tech stack, you can personalise gift vouchers for menu choices or experiences tailored to your individual customers, providing a more meaningful experience.

3. Drive traffic with Christmas Events

Mulled wine pairing, cocktail classes, live music events, festive tasting menus, festive brunches… Drive traffic and secure pre-paid revenue with events and experiences this Christmas.

Drake & Morgan have nailed in-house experiences with their range of themed brunches and hosted entertainment. By launching events with their online ticketing store, they generated £70.8k in revenue on launch day.

Events can add another dimension to your brand’s experience, it allows you to gain a wealth of data to improve your business. Collect data from all individuals who attend (not just those who book), create pre-event sale waiting lists, follow up with post-event surveys – fill up your CRM with guest contacts to integrate your marketing campaigns.

4. Expand Your Brand with E-commerce

Allow your customers to take a little bit of your brand home with your own e-commerce shop:

• Cookbooks
• Tote Bags
• Wine collections
• Meal Kits
• Hampers
• Merchandise

Make gifting easy, and allow your customers to enjoy your brand at home, and share it with their loved ones or business associates.

5. Bring Click & Collection In-House

It’s party season. And with so much to think about and arrange; ugly jumpers, securing your Christmas delivery slot, decking the halls, hosts often welcome easy options for food. This is a perfect opportunity for you to bring your brand to Britain’s doorsteps with pre-ordered party food spreads.

Allow your customers to order party food from your own website for collection. This ensures your customers get a fully branded experience and you pay much less commission than selling on 3rd party provider platforms. Pre-orders taken for small to medium catering parties are a manageable way to drive takings during a lunch or evening shift.

Again, don’t forget, all that data collected will be pushed into your CRM ready to be used in the New Year.

The Proof Is In The (Christmas) Pudding

Don’t worry, the machines aren’t taking over; there’s some parts of the restaurant experience that can’t be replicated online. Eye contact, a warm welcome, pulling out a guest’s chair, all subtle but powerful moments of interaction.

But utilising technology is all about making your business run more efficiently, and profitably, by helping you to streamline the more perennial activities, such as paying the bill, and seamlessly retain your brand’s unique touch throughout the digital experience.

Driving Loyalty

The volume of data now available to you allows you to grow your business in a sustainable way. Actual customer spend data gathered across the digital platforms and in your restaurants really is the holy grail of marketing.