Summer Promotions (The Hospitality Edit)
If you’re in the hospitality business, the summer months might mean a slimdown in takings from the office crowd, but it’s also a great time to promote what you have on offer, expand your clientele and increase profits.
There’s tourists to be enticed, families trying to fill the school’s out void and an ever-increasing ‘staycation’ crowd looking to kick back, have fun and spend a little more of their hard-earned money!
Whether you’re running a cafe, restaurant or bar, these are all markets you can capitalise on with a good promotion or campaign – and that’s where the in-built features of a smart POS system like those provided by the Good Till can prove its worth. Here’s a few ideas:
Summer nights – Keep things simple by introducing a happy hour with 2 for 1 specials or go all out tropical with a brand-new cocktail menu! And, if you’ve got any kind of outdoor space, now is the time to make the most of it by offering the patio dining experience – although perhaps with heaters at the ready!
Menu sizzlers – Words like ‘BBQ’ and ‘grilled’ peak on Google in the summer months so make sure you hit that trend by adding some new summer sizzlers to your menu – and don’t forget to post some tempting photos on all your social media channels.
Bundles and rewards – Everyone likes a discount or freebie so how about bundling up a summer special such as a 10-20% discount on an appetiser, main, desert and bottle of wine. Or put in place a simple e-loyalty programme where every 10th coffee or cooler comes free.
Kids zone – For many parents, summer is a constant battle to keep the kids occupied. Target families by offering them something that helps fill those summer days without breaking the bank and they’ll soon be telling everyone about it. You could go for a ‘kids eat free’ promotion during certain periods or bring in a ‘giveaway’ with every children’s meal.
Staycations to remember – Internet searches for ‘staycation’ are apparently increasing by about 10% year on year, so take time to help this booming crowd have a great time at home. Find out what else is going on in your area and promote it in your café or bar to show you’re part of the local scene or host a ‘staycation’ event of your own with live music or other entertainment.
Whatever type of promotion you decide to go for, none of them have to be complicated or cause too much extra work. In fact, if you’re operating a smart POS system like the Good Till, they can all be quick and simple to introduce.
Standard features like table management make it easy for you to run indoor and outdoor covers and the intuitive iPad-based system makes adding new menu items or pre-set discounts like happy hours a breeze. Our advanced promotion module can be used to create bundles, multi-buys or add freebies and there’s even an e-loyalty module to help you run any number of specific customer loyalty programmes.
If that wasn’t enough, standard and advanced stock management modules will help you ensure everything you have on promotion stays in stock and you can use the data reporting features to work out what makes your summer customers happy and keep them coming back for more!
Call us now for a chat about how the Good Till can help your café, restaurant or bar to become more profitable this summer and during year ahead.