Summer is a peak time for restaurants. It’s a great time to earn more money for your business and make the most of the season.
A UK hospitality business study has found that the hospitality industry is in crisis, with only 37% of businesses turning a profit. If you want to avoid falling into the same trap, you must take some measures to ensure that your business is running well during this time.
Summer is full of events, festivals, and other opportunities that can help you bring in more customers than usual. If you still need to plan to take advantage of these events, it’s time to start brainstorming now.
Create a Summer-Specific Menu
When you think about it, summer is the time for fresh fruits and vegetables. People want to eat lighter foods when the sun comes out. So why not create a menu that highlights these offerings?
The most important thing is to make sure that your menu is seasonal. The best way to do this is by taking advantage of fresh produce that’s in season during the summer months. For example, you can also use ingredients popular among consumers during this time of year, like ice cream or barbecue sauce.
This means you can keep your entire menu the same. Just add some summery items that will help you appeal to the people who want something fun and different this season. You can even create an entire section that’s dedicated to seasonal offerings. The Gordon Ramsay Restaurants website recommends using seasonal ingredients like strawberries, rhubarb, and peaches.
Your summer-specific menu may include items like:
- Watermelon salad
- Strawberry shortcake
- Peaches with quinoa and goat cheese
Add Refreshing Drinks to the Menu
Slushies are the perfect way to cool off after a long day, and they’re also a great way to get people talking. Slushies are a fun, icy treat that’s perfect for summertime, and they’ll help you stand out from the crowd. Slushy machines are easy to use, versatile, and inexpensive. Hence, you’ll easily capture that sweet spot between profits and cost-effectiveness.
With professional slushy machines, you can offer your customers all kinds of delicious flavours, lemon-lime, orange, cherry cola, mango, strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, and more. If you’re looking for a way to boost your bottom line this summer, consider adding slush machines to your restaurant. Slushies are a fun treat that’ll help you stand out.
Offer Seasonal Cocktails, Like Fruity Sangria or Margaritas
If your restaurant offers a wide variety of cocktails this summer, why not offer a seasonal cocktail? The fun part about this is that it can be anything you want. You could make a fruity sangria or margarita and call it “Summer Sizzler” or “Flaming Mojito,” endless possibilities.
The key to success for these cocktails is making them tasty, easy to make, and easy to drink. According to the Bacardi consumer survey 2021 results, over 30% of consumers asked to add fresh fruit and berries to their cocktails. Therefore, these would make the most popular cocktails.
It’s important that they’re also easily identifiable as being related to summer so that customers know what they’re getting into when they order one. For example, you can say, “We’re serving our signature flaming mojito this summer.”
Decorate Your Restaurant to Make It Feel More Like Summer
To make your restaurant feel like summer, you can add the following:
- Bring in plants tied to the season and place them throughout your restaurant. For example, hanging ferns will be great for displaying on a patio or outside seating area.
- You can also bring in outdoor furniture if you’re running an outdoor-oriented establishment like a cafe or bar with an outdoor area where people can hang out while waiting for their food order.
- Artwork featuring beach scenes or other images associated with summertime fun.
Adding tropical decor may be a good idea, as seen in some restaurants featured in Architectural Digest. Consider adding awnings over windows and entrances so guests don’t have to deal with direct sunlight when ordering inside the restaurant. This will help ensure everyone stays cool.
Offering Al Fresco Dining Can Help Attract Customers in the Summer Months
There are several ways to bring your restaurant outdoors and attract customers who want to enjoy the warm weather. For example, you can offer outdoor dining on a patio or outside your building.
You could also offer outdoor dining at a nearby park with live music, entertainment, and games during lunchtime. You can introduce an al fresco menu for summertime eating that features seasonal fruits and vegetables in salads or appetizers and light dishes like seafood salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, and fruit smoothies.
You can also offer live music or entertainment during dinner hours to attract customers into the evening when it’s cooler outside. Researchers have found that background music in restaurants can make food taste more enjoyable by up to 60%.
You Can Also Add Decorations to Your Takeout Packaging
- Use a fun design. You can use a fun pattern like polka dots or stripes, or you can even use all one colour as long as it’s bright and cheerful.
- Add some bright colours. Use yellow, orange, and red colours as bright and cheery will work for summertime packaging.
- Put in a festive pattern if you want more detail than solid colours or patterns. If you want something exciting but still festive-looking, try using geometric shapes like triangles, squares, or even circles. You could also try using flowers representing the season. Sunflowers are great during summer.
Also, give them something extra when they order from you online. For example, printable coupons, discounts on future orders, and free shipping are all great ways to entice customers who aren’t local enough to visit regularly but still want access to your food delivery services during the summer months.
Conclusion:
It’s important to remember that the summer season is a great time to earn more money for your business. You can do this by offering unique menu items and decorations that help build excitement around your restaurant.
