According to CNBC, Auntie Anne's saw the highest volume on Black Friday week when the majority of its stores remained open between 10 p.m. Thanksgiving and midnight Friday after opening closer to midnight in 2011. "We saw that sales went up—volume on Black Friday was up 9.04 percent," said Bill Dunn, the pretzel chain's president and chief operating officer.
Aside from adjusting open hours, how else can restaurants see sales spike over the Black Friday week?
How Your Restaurant Can Benefit from Black Friday
Prep your workforce
Just like you prep for peak hours, be sure to prep for peak days with a well-staffed restaurant. Allow for ample time to train your staff for the busiest days of the year. And once you have an idea of who from your full-time team will be available for the busy week ahead and forecasted how many staff you need, based on last years data, you can focus on recruiting.
Be the line-less option
Shoppers have been standing all day, they are tired, hungry, and impatient. Position your restaurant for success by being the lineless, waitless option that the customer desires. If the customer is looking for a quick bite and you are a fast casual or QSR establishment, be sure to prep your restaurant to handle large volumes, quickly. With Mobile Order Takers you can meet your customers in line, take their order, and they can rely on a speedy and accurate order.
Need another way to increase service speeds? Implement Self-Service Kiosks so customers can place their own orders, and speed through the Black Friday rush without breaking a sweat or sacrificing customer service.
While some customers are looking for a grab-and-go place during their shopping, others are looking to escape the madness and relax at a sit-down restaurant. Sit-down doesn’t mean slow-service. With Restaurant POS Systems, you can get customers quickly seated and increase table turnover!
Get in the spirit
Retail stores are known to use the sentiment around the holidays to entice shoppers to buy. Charm your customers with a festively decorated restaurant, featuring holiday music classics and the aroma of fall favorite foods. Tapping into nostalgia is a great way to entice customers to indulge in the holiday spirit at your restaurant!
Be sure to market your holiday goods! Highlight your limited-time offerings, whether that be a special prix-fixe menu or a featured holiday drink on your social channels, online, and through in-store signage. Play to the “limited-time offer” card to create a sense of urgency among customers.
Offer your own discounts
On Black Friday shoppers expect that all shops will be showcasing discounts, promos, and deals. So why should they expect anything different from restaurants or quick service restaurants? These shoppers are discount-savvy, so whether it be a lunch special, happy hour, or a special combo meal – your restaurant can leverage the spirit of deals and drive real revenue.
This year, Black Friday is expected to rake in a total of $682 Billion. Make sure retailers are not the only ones turning a profit and leverage the high traffic to capture customers, and boost your bottom line.
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