The days are get shorter and the nights are drawing in and with it brings thoughts of Christmas! Christmas is a magical time of year when family and friends gather to celebrate; creating precious memories that last a lifetime.
But Christmas is not just an important time of year for family and friend get-togethers. It is also a crucial time of year for the hospitality and catering industries and getting it right can have a significant impact on your yearly profits.
At the heart of getting it right at this time of year, is making sure your restaurant or cafe is a warm and inviting place where those Christmas time gatherings can take place…
Ensure Customers Choose Your Restaurant or Cafe (& not your competitor's!)
Try to think about what your customers expect from a place to hang out at Christmas; a place that is able to provide the perfect backdrop to their Christmas gatherings.
If you want to make your place of business appealing to customers throughout the month of December, your Christmas decor is one of the most important factors to success.
The atmosphere and ambience you create through your decorations will be what sets your cafe or restaurant apart from your competitors; helping regular customers to keep coming back for more as well as attracting new customers.
Still not convinced on the importance of decorations?
Christmas decorations do more than simply create an atmosphere; they encourage customers to book Christmas parties and order seasonal catering (if you choose to offer this). As a result, Christmas decoration can help you to reap the financial rewards of a successful Christmas period.
On a tight budget?
Whilst the sky is the limit in the outlay costs of Christmas decorations, you don’t have to have a large budget to transform your cafe or restaurant. On the contrary, your decorations do not need to be upmarket or fancy with customers often finding simple decorations to be full of charm! Inexpensive decorations, carefully chosen, can have the classic appeal that many people are looking for at Christmas.
6 Tips to Help You Set the Tone for Christmas
Well-decorated windows enchants passerby to wander in and experience the feeling of the season. Simply adding strings of lights will not only brighten your windows, it will add color, energy and magic to your shopfront; catching the interest of passersby and setting you apart from shops on either side.
Dress your staff in red or white colours; this can be through clothing or less expensively through the addition of accessories such as aprons, hats or hair bands. If budget allows consider providing key front line staff with Santa hats to create a good impression and a warm welcome.
Make a big impact with small changes like seasonal tablecloths, napkins and centerpieces. Regardless of your budget, these little changes will help transform the look and feel of your restaurant or cafe and can be reused each year making them a long term investment. If your budget is really tight, fear not… Turn to nature for a helping hand and you can create beautiful centrepieces for the price of a walk in the woods.
If your budget can extend further, consider a temporary change of your curtains, chair cushions or any throw pillows in Christmas colors: silver, gold, green, red or white. Whilst these items may incur greater cost, they again can be used for years to come for a one off investment.
If your budget is tight, fear not! Dress up the already existing decor in your restaurant or cafe. Add fairy lights around your plants or on any surfaces and throw a garland or tinsel around your other decorations; a simple and inexpensive way to create a Christmas setting.
As a final budgeting tip…. remember that the best time to buy Christmas decorations are at the end of the season when these seasonal items go on sale. Bag yourself a bargain in January; making an investment in your business for years to come.
