Once summer’s over, party organisers are already booking venues and the sooner you’re prepared and have your special events and menus in place, the better you’ll be able to attract groups, negotiate deals with suppliers and sort out your staffing.
Are you ready? Here’s your festive checklist.
1. The menu
■ Planning your dishes early should help you negotiate discounts with suppliers and passing the savings on to your customers will give them an extra incentive to book their Christmas party at your pub.
■ Create a pre-paid set menu, including vegetarian options and special offers on festive drinks, or perhaps a complimentary glass of mulled wine for each customer.
2. Bookings
■ Once you’ve finalised the menu take a flyer to local offices, workplaces and other organisations including a form to pre-order their meals.
■ Filling your booking diary as soon as possible will help you plan, so it’s a good idea to offer customers discounts for making their decision early. Mention the details of the offer and the cut-off date for early bookings prominently on your flyers and other advertising. And encourage large parties to pre-order food and wine by offering a free bottle of house red and white.
■ Make sure all your team know where the booking diary is kept and how to handle enquiries from both large and small groups.
■ Set up a simple spreadsheet that will give you a snapshot of tables that are available on different dates so you don’t have to trawl through the diary looking for gaps.
■ Appoint a member of staff as Christmas co-ordinator, who will focus on being the point of contact for Christmas enquiries.
■ Set a target for booking and incentivise staff by offering them a bonus if they achieve your expectations.
■ Confirm all bookings and gain commitment from customers through a signed booking form and/or paid deposit.
■ Encourage customers to follow the pub on Twitter and Facebook and use it to communicate updates on your Christmas offer.
■ Keep the kitchen up to speed with bookings and how your plans are progressing. Daily and weekly updates will help the chef manage ordering and food preparation.
■ Reward the people organising Christmas parties at your pub with a complimentary meal or gift and they’ll be your biggest fans.
3. Pre-Christmas events
Get your customers in the mood by:
■ Hosting a food fayre for local businesses
■ Offering a late-night shopping meal deal
■ Setting up a Santa’s grotto for the school holidays
■ Organising a festive quiz or maybe a carol karaoke
■ Staging a Christmas movie night
■ Holding a taster evening to promote your Christmas menu.
4. Staffing
Prepare staff rotas to give you the right number of people you need and book in casual replacements for anyone who wants time off.
5. Christmas table
Boldly decorate a table in a prominent place, ideally near the door, to showcase your Christmas menu, events, loyalty cards and other promotions. Have an e-mail sign-up sheet where customers can leave their details to receive newsletters and offers.
6. Advertising
■ Book space in the local press well in advance and post your seasonal food and drink menus on the home page of your website.
■ Reinforce the message with at least two flyer drops, in October and November, targeting local offices, shops and residential areas.
7. Spirits
Sales of spirits in December increase by 40% over an average month. In 2012, 10.6 million extra drinks were served over the Christmas period of which 52% were spirits.
■ With people willing to trade up and spend more, make sure your staff know their premium spirits and cocktails and and recommend them to customers.
■ Create a seasonal cocktails menu of no more than 12 options that are quick and easy to make and train staff so they’re perfectly and consistently served.
8. Champagne
Champagne is the ultimate festive drink, and there is lots you can do to encourage customers to plump for a glass to get their Christmas fizzing.
■ Ensure your staff have tasted the Champagne and know what they’re talking about. It will give them the confidence to serve and sell it successfully and create a better experience for customers.
■ Add value through seasonal promotions, food pairing suggestions and by-the-glass incentives.
■ Add a sense of theatre with branded ice buckets and tasting glasses and a Champagne display.
■ Create a menu that includes a glass of Champagne, or offer large parties a magnum.
9. Next year
Organise a staff meeting in January to analyse the Christmas period while it is still fresh in the minds of everyone and use this information as a foundation for next year.