Black Friday is quickly approaching, bringing one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The National Retail Foundation (NRF) reported that last year 174 million Americans shopped in stores and online between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday. That number is expected to increase to 180 million in 2018.
Retailers are not the only ones who can capitalize on this consumer holiday; restaurants are getting in on the action, too. Everywhere, restaurants are offering special deals and incentives to convince customers to make a pit-stop during their holiday shopping spree.
Here are a few tips on how you can generate more revenue during this holiday spending extravaganza.
Gift Card Promotions
Nowadays, gift cards are on everyone's holiday shopping list. Once considered impersonal, gift cards are still the best gift option for tricky to shop for family members, friends, or professional contacts.
Gift cards in all industries remain extremely popular, but restaurant gift cards capture the lion’s share of sales at 34.8 percent, according to Gift Card Granny.
An excellent way to boost your gift card sales is to offer additional monetary purchase cards for the sale of each gift card. For example, if a customer purchases a $50 gift card, give them an extra $10 gift card as a bonus. This will almost ensure that you'll have two customers with the sale of one gift card. The $50 gift card will be given as a gift, while the $10 gift card will be kept by the purchaser, giving them an excuse to re-visit your restaurant.
Luckily, your Revel POS seamlessly integrates your gift card services and processing!
Partner with a Neighboring Retailer
If you’re located near retail stores, use your geographical location to your advantage by partnering with a neighboring retailer. Offer customers a special deal for visiting both businesses, giving you and your neighbor a boost.
A customer can show the receipt from your neighboring retailer and receive a special discount from your restaurant. On the flipside, that customer can also show their receipt from your restaurant to the retail store and receive a discount off their purchase from them.
Another good idea is to match hours with your partnering retailer. If you know they’re offering special Black Friday hours, you should match those hours as well. Open an hour before the retail store to feed hungry shoppers before they begin their shopping adventure.
Offer a Special Menu
You should consider creating a specialty holiday menu to entice patrons to stop in and take a break from the shopping chaos.
For example, you can create unique seasonal items that'll build excitement for years to come, or you can also offer unique a-la-carte items, for guests who just want to grab a quick bite.
If your restaurant also offers a bar, have your bartenders create unique cocktails and offer them during a "Black Friday Holiday Shopping Happy Hour." Also, keep in mind that shoppers will be out early in the day, so maybe start the happy hour earlier than usual.
Check out this Menu Building Guide, to learn how to customize your menu for the holidays.
Extend Promotions Through Cyber Monday
A final approach to gain as much as you can from the shopping pandemonium is to extend your Black Friday promotions until Cyber Monday.
Keep any potential customers interested by extending your offers throughout the weekend. Whether consumers are shopping in stores or digitally, continue to lure them to your restaurant with bonuses and special offers for dine-in, takeout, or delivery.
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