How To Boost Patronage In Your Eatery Over The Holiday Long Weekend

In just a couple of days, the Civic Holiday long weekend gets underway! As we pointed out in our last blog, the holiday actually has several different names all throughout Canada. One thing remains the same, however. The long weekend gives business owners many opportunities to boost sales. This is especially true for restaurant owners.

Needless to say, many holiday celebrations take place at eateries. What can you do to boost patronage in your eatery over the holiday long weekend?

Turn your restaurant into party central.

Make this forthcoming holiday long weekend one to remember by turning your establishment into party central. Decorate the dining room with such items as flags and balloons. Turn your eatery into a concert venue and hire live entertainment for the weekend. By creating a vibrant and celebratory environment, you can make your restaurant the go-to spot for the popular summer long weekend. The memories created at your events will generate future visits.

“According to a survey by OpenTable, 93% of diners are more likely to make a reservation at a restaurant that offers special events, and 61% are willing to pay more for a special event menu,” reports Checkmate, “Additionally, 72% of restaurants say that special events have a positive impact on their bottom line.”

Introduce a new loyalty program.

As we just intimated, your holiday long weekend promotions should seek to do more than just boost sales over three days. Generating repeat business is the name of the game. Perhaps, this forthcoming weekend would be the best time to introduce a loyalty program. Offer discounts, free menu items or exclusive deals to those who sign up. As well, promote the program through in-house signage and your digital channels to ensure maximum participation.

As reported by Amanda Hamel of Incentivio, the National Restaurant Association conducted a study that found that customers would increase their business with a particular restaurant by 35% if it had an appealing loyalty card program. “Along with that, the study found that 73% of customers would recommend a restaurant with an appealing loyalty program to friends and family,” she writes.

Tag team with a local business.

Partner up with a non-restaurant in order to further the reach of your establishment. By creating a business tag team, you can introduce exclusive joint promotions. For example, offer a discount at your restaurant with every a purchase from a nearby store. Cross-promotions can be very effective at driving traffic between two businesses. They are excellent ways to expand your customer base, especially during a busy holiday weekend.

On behalf of RestoBiz, Mark Plumlee suggests that restaurateurs partner up with alcohol providers. “Create recipes featuring the purveyor’s products — for instance, beer-braised brats featuring a local beer or chocolate wine cake made using products from a local winery,” he suggests, “Create a one-time-only event where customers can get cut-rate deals on the provider’s products, such as a bottomless mimosa brunch featuring local sparkling wine.”

Apply for a merchant cash advance.

No matter the holiday long weekend advertising strategy you choose for your restaurant, Synergy Merchants can help you to afford it. To learn all about our unique merchant cash advance program, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-718-2026 or email us at info@synergymerchants.com. You can also apply online for a free, no obligation quote!