As we approach the middle of October, we are embarking on a very special time of year. The holiday season is right around the corner. But, before then, it’s all about preparing for Halloween! As a restaurateur, this is definitely something you should take advantage of. For many people, Halloween is one of the most fun occasions of the entire year. Making your eatery a fun place to celebrate Halloween can be very profitable.
Host a Halloween costume party.
At this time of year, it’s almost always party time. People love getting dressed up in their Halloween costumes for fun nights out on the town. Why not make your place of business a go-to location for a fun Halloween party? Allen Graves of Bloom Intelligence encourages restaurant owners to get the word out via social media, email and word-of-mouth.
“Make sure your front-of-house staff inform all patrons of your Halloween party plans and consider printing table tents and signage to help promote your ideas,” he advises, “On Halloween, encourage your wait staff to come to work in costume, and make sure to give out prizes to customers with the most authentic, the scariest, the funniest and the most outrageous costumes of the evening.”
Launch a “Kids in costume eat free” promotion.
Needless to say, the Halloween season is one when people of all ages dress up in spooky and ghoulish costumes. Welcome more families into your restaurant by offering free meals to children who show up in their Halloween costumes. As Phil Kendall points out on RotaCloud.com, “Kids eat free” is a common tactic in the hospitality industry. It always involves at least one hungry parent and kids eat far less than adults.
“Put a twist on this classic promo at Halloween by inviting parents to bring their costume-wearing kids to dine with you on certain days (or between certain times if you have a lull or a rush hour),” suggests Kendall, “You could even take photos of the best costumes (with parents’ permission, of course) that come through your door and share them online — those proud parents are bound to give you a few likes and retweets!”
Offer spooky menu items.
This suggestion probably belongs in the no-brainer category. It only makes sense to transition some of your popular menu items into more spookily-named offerings. Create a new Halloween menu that offers whimsical choices like Frankenburgers, Spookghetti and Bat Wings. Be sure to promote this new menu online via social media and your website.
“Don’t forget to get creative with your drink menu as well,” reminds Graves, “And consider adding dessert items like pumpkin pie, carrot cake, or a multi-person ‘death by dessert’ item. And remember, nothing is hotter right now than pumpkin-spiced <insert any food or drink item here>!”
Allow customers to place orders online.
With Unity Payments’ online ordering system for restaurants, you can get customers to place online orders directly from your website. You can easily set up your menu, make live menu updates, manage inventory, process takeout and delivery requests, schedule pick-ups, create promo codes and more! For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca.
