7 ways to increase restaurant footfall this summer
Summer is a wondrous time when the world loves to step out for some quality time over meals. With patio space available, customers preferring to sit outdoors and indoors mostly empty, however, instead of increasing sales, the volume remains the same sometimes.
This need not be.
A smart restauranteur can increase summer sales with some simple planning ahead and promoting the events before and during the summer.
We could write a lengthy essay on it but then we’d lose your interest and patience so we’re gonna keep it short with our ideas on increasing sales in summer😎
PLAN. PLAN. PLAN.
around the following ideas:
a. Open early for breakfast and brunch on weekends
Who doesn't like stepping out for a brunch with family or friends over weekends( and sometimes weekdays too !! )
Opening your doors early may give you a headstart compared to other restaurants in the vicinity who open late.
2. Add more seats to the patio or outdoor space you have (live music if possible)
Add an extra table on the patio to increase the turnover /month.
3. Leverage indoor space using live music
If we gave you the option of eating out with your loved ones you’d probably have ambiance as a qualifier right. Most of us do. and Music is well known to set the mood and ambiance besides the lighting and food.
4. Special events late in the night
We all love to step out to catch up with friends, lovers, partners or family over a bite.
Eating something nice after a hard and busy day at work or just catch up with those dear always gives a good feel. Staying late open helps you capture that audience especially if you can also provide live music to keep them engaged and enthralled.
Basically, when there is nothing, create them — women's night Wednesday, Bromance Fridays, Date night Thursdays.. Push the creative side here!
5. Promoting happy hours during the day
Summer is a lot about chilled beers, craft beers, Sangrias, coolers and that tribe .. Most places have happy hours during the evenings but you could attract more crowds by having special days where happy hours start earlier.
6. Weekday and holiday specials
There’s always something going on — special days, activities, local festivals, etc. Plan in advance around them and have special menus for those days.
If you have a special event coming up like the 4th of July in the US or Womens day or valentines day, create special menus and cater for some live music that goes with the day’s theme. On special days we all love to go to places where we feel nicer at ( and maybe also brag the next day at work on what cool stuff we did over the holiday)
7. Workday lunches for working people
Working lunches and team lunches are part of everyday work-life. Have a special quick fix menu that caters to this target segment so they can step out of their monotonous offices to catch some summer zing at your restaurant.
What's even better you can provide special discounts to offices in your neighborhood. This will ensure that while considering places to eat at — your offer for a 10% discount on the bill will matter.
Live music plays a big part in increasing summer sales as customers are more engaged and spend time in restaurants and bars because of live music.
