The summertime can be a great and fun time for owners of restaurants and their guests provided that you stay busy enough to keep paying the bills! There are a few basic items to remember if you want to compete with the warmer temperatures, beach, vacations, loads of outdoor events and have customers coming to your establishment over and over again.
Here we'll highlight our Top 7 Ways to Increase Summer Business and draw customers to your place to keep your doors opened. We do them or we've done them and they work for restaurant success!
** Live Entertainment - add some live musical entertainment to your restaurant, inside or outdoors if you have the space. We have live entertainment every weekend from 7-10pm for our dining customers and also for the bar crowd. People like live music, dancing or just to hear the bands. Do you have local musicians in your area? Ask around, search the internet and your local phone book to find the type of music that would blend well with your atmosphere and decor.
** Karaoke - it's hard to deny that karaoke is very popular so it's one way to increase your summer entertainment for your friends and customers. Be careful choosing a karaoke machine - some are quite inexpensive but, you'll get speakers that don't reach the room and microphones that crackle and are hard to hear as well as distort voices. Check out Wow Videoke Concerto Pro 2 for the difference between other less expensive machines and one that without being thousands of dollars will fit the bill.
** Fundraisers - contact your favorite local charity and discuss hosting a fundraiser at your restaurant. These events are win - win situations that can help new people find your business that otherwise would not know where you are located or what you offer. Typically, a fundraiser can be a one low price to enter, part of the proceeds benefit the charity after your costs are paid or there is no fee, no menu but the menu is opened for those that want to eat. Consider hosting a fundraiser on your closed day of business.
** Outdoor dining - you can't blame people for wanting to spend time eating alfresco when the weather is warm and sunny! Offer your customers outdoor seating, even if it's just a few bistro tables or patio tables or even an outdoor bar area. Check out our Best Outdoor Patio Sets Review for furniture that is rust resistant, folds, easy to move and inexpensive.
** Cool Summer menus - change your summer menu to offer more light fare including salads, chilled soups, barbeque, light sandwiches or snack foods. Need a little inspiration? Buy Summer: Recipes Inspired by Nature's Bounty (Williams-Sonoma) for some fresh and mouth watering recipes you're guaranteed to love and don't forget to add the always fun summer cocktails! Name a few of your drinks after your theme, atmosphere, the owner, your specialty or other way to get a signature drink known. Don't make it using the cheapest alcohol either - use quality ingredients every time and your customers will appreciate it and return to your business. No one wants to get sick or have hangovers because of cheap booze!
** Add fun and festive glassware for summer to your restaurant - check out these fun set of
4 Margarita Colored Glasses and get a few sets. Wouldn't you love to see your guests having one of your signature drinks in this Multicolored Tropical Hurricane Glass? These are plastic, stems are removable so you can mix and match them and chances of breakage is much less than with glass and they still look nice for summertime. Glassware is an inexpensive way to add color, zest, originality and flavor to your restaurant. If you're good and lucky, you'll need to buy more!
** Host a Summer Hawaiian Luau - play Hawaiian music - with the best Hawaiian music and customer favorite in The Descendants soundtrack for real authentic music you and your guests will love, give your guests a complimentary lei flower bracelet, choose a discounted summer fruity drink and offer an entree to match. Set your buffet table up with this Hawaiian luau green table skirt. Use your imagination and have fun in the summer!
Bonus Idea:
Consider offering your customers a discount through restaurant.com as we shared in this article.
Use these top 7 ways to increase summer business for your restaurant. Let us know what you try and what works best for you and your customers. Don't give up! Use your creativity and find ways to share in the summer fun at your restaurant, everyone's situation is different depending on your location. Summer is short and if you find new and exciting ways to draw customers in, they will have fun and will spread the word about your place plus help you stay in business.
Until next time, Cheers!
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