How are you enjoying your summer so far? If you’re a restaurateur, you’re likely having a good time. The combination of warmer weather and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions has enabled you to welcome back customers in higher numbers than the last two years have permitted. You should definitely take advantage of the couple of months of warmth and sunshine ahead. What can you do to turn up the heat in your restaurant this summer?
Unveil a new summer menu.
It’s so fun for customers when they get to experience something new. The entire act of dining out is especially exciting since it was done so infrequently over the past couple of years. But, with the summer now here, your restaurant has a brand new opportunity to excite its patrons. Introduce some new dishes that are exclusive to the summer season. It will help to encourage visits all throughout the season which will be the only time when those menu items are available.
“Whether it means adding gazpacho and refreshing cocktails to appease seasonal tastes, or opening windows to evoke a patio feel, it’s important to make sure you’re ready to appeal to customers’ season-specific mindsets,” says Renzi Foodservice, “Keep your menu fresh and interesting by updating it with summer-inspired specials.”
Host outdoor events.
Naturally, the summertime provides us with warmer weather conditions. That gives you the ability to open up your patio to the public. It also allows you to take things one step further by hosting events outdoors. Outdoor events in the summer are especially beloved in Canada. As Bentobox points out, in cold climates, summer is the best time to be outside at night.
“In hot climates, night is the best time to be outside during summer,” notes their website, “Either way, summer nights are a luxury, and restaurant events should take advantage of it. Ranch 45 in Solana Beach, California, does just that with its Wine Dinner Under the Stars, which includes a prix fixe pairing menu and generates demand with limited seating.”
Promote a live music series.
Summer is easily the best time of year to host a concert series. Set up a stage either indoors or outdoors. Offering live entertainment at your venue is a great way to make your restaurant a summer hot spot. According to Bentobox, few things pair with warm weather as well as live music does.
“That’s why live music series — where restaurants host musicians during set days and times — are so popular during the summer,” informs their website, “The series component encourages repeat guests, who can use the consistent timing to make live music part of their summer routines. It also allows restaurants to drum up business during typically slow hours, or drive extra revenue with cover charges during peak hours.”
Allow your customers to place orders online.
Take advantage of Unity Payments’ online ordering system for restaurants! With it, 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.
