restaurant planning and schedule

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Winter is Here. Time to Change the Menu

warm food

As a restaurant owner, you have to make sure you know some aspects of seasonal foods you are expected to serve in your establishment. In other words, there are some foods that you need to prepare when winter comes. This is the season when some particular foods like soup and warm casseroles are in demand. Below you can find some ideas for winter foods that will keep your clients warm and happy.

At the top of the list is the To Die for Crock Pot Roast.

During the winter season, your taste buds are looking for dishes with amazing flavor. In the case of this dish, your mouth will experience a combination of flavors.

If you want to really warm your customers during the winter season, Panera’s Cream Cheese Potato Soup is the best for you. Based from the customers of some restaurants offering this dish or a version of it, this is one of the most in demand dishes during the winter season. The taste is like a bomb and the spices are exploding inside your mouth. Definitely, this is a must try dish for winter season. (more…)

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Doorknob Hangers and Flyers Still Work for Bar and Restaurant Promotion

busy restaurant

For many years, one of the tried and true methods of getting people to come into a restaurant or a bar for the first time was through handouts. The flyers that get stuffed under windshields and the doorknob hangers that you put on the doors in the neighborhood were once a good way of getting the word out about your place. Do they still work in the digital age?

You might be surprised, but they do still offer some great benefits. One of the nice things about flyers and door hangers is that they are very cheap to produce. The door hangers are going to be a bit more expensive than the flyers are in most cases, but when you order them in bulk the price is well worth it. They are much cheaper than many other types of advertising out there today.

You need to make sure that you have a high quality flyer and hanger though, and you need to make sure that it has all of the pertinent information. It needs to have the establishment’s name, address, phone number, and website. It should also have some type of call to action that makes the customer want to use it.

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Celebrate the Oscars and Emmys at Your Restaurant

red carpet

There are a large number of people who absolutely love to watch the Oscars, the Emmys and all of the different award shows. Some people even have parties and invite their friends over so they can watch the shows together. As a restaurant owner, you want to be able to draw people into your venue, and a great way to do that is to capitalize on events such as these.

You will want to start your promotions early. In fact, have an entire week dedicated to the award show, and even rename some of your dishes for movies, shows, directors, etc. For example, last year you could have had a True Grits breakfast dish that comes with grits rather than oatmeal. Coming up with names and specials should be easy enough to do.

If you have a large television, you might want to host a special night for the awards show and let people come to your establishment to watch. Turn it into a red carpet event of your own and charge an entrance fee that includes dinner and a glass of wine. You could even make it a formal or semiformal affair if you want. If you are going to do this, you need to make sure that you have the proper amount of restaurant seating and that it is comfortable enough for people to use throughout the duration of the show.

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Email Lists can Work for Restaurant Promotions

More than likely, you’ve been asked to provide your email address for promotions through various online companies, and even brick and mortar stores that you frequent. These promotions can work for restaurants as well, but you have to make sure that you do it the right way.

Keep in mind that some people don’t like to sign away their email address to strangers. They are afraid of getting spammed and hacked, and you really can’t blame them. As great as technology is, it also comes with a lot of problems. Never tell someone that they have to sign up, as this can get a lot of people angry. Instead, have your employees point out the email signup book and let the customers know that you will be sending coupons and special offers through the address, and that is the only thing that you will be doing. Let them know that you aren’t going to sell the addresses to anyone else.

You can have a book at the front of the restaurant where people can sign up. You should also have a form or an email address on your website that people can use to sign up if they don’t want to sign up while they are at the restaurant.

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Conventions Mean Big Business for Bars and Restaurants

If you are fortunate enough to be running a bar or restaurant in a medium to large sized city, you probably have conventions roll through occasionally. These conventions bring a large number of people into the city that are from out of town, and those people are going to need to eat and find nightly entertainment. Your bar or restaurant could do some great business if you start advertising to the convention goers early.

You will be able to find out when the convention is months in advance, and that is the time to start targeting the conventioneers. Contact the people who are hosting the convention and tell them that you want to offer special discounts and coupons for all of the attendees. See if you can send them the coupons to be placed in packets for the people attending. You can also ask to drop off stacks of coupons when the convention gets underway.

Another great way of letting the attendees know about your restaurant is to contact the hotels in the area and ask if you can place coupons in their rooms or at the front desk. If they have their own restaurant onsite, they might not be agreeable immediately, but it never hurts to ask.

Granted, the convention is only going to boost your business for a few days, while the convention is happening. However, if there are a number of conventions in your city, you will find that by promoting to convention goers, you can make extra money that will keep your eatery going during the slower times.

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Pass Out Drink and Food Coupons for Your Restaurant

After a well deserved holiday we are back with more tips and advice on how to keep your restaurants and bars going and how to keep making profits even in these hard economical times. This time it’s all about coupons and discounts and how to make them work for you without loosing money:

Every bar owner wants to have a nice establishment where people can feel comfortable and have a great time. They put effort into picking out the right tables and seating, knowing that it is very important, and they make sure that the ambiance in the place is just right for the clientele they want to attract. When things don’t immediately go their way, they are sometimes tempted to give up. Now is the time to start promoting harder though! All of the hard work that promotion entails is well worth it. Here is a simple way to get more people to come into your bar in the next couple of weeks.

Coupon is a word that you generally only think of when you are heading to the grocery store or maybe a restaurant. You can use them for your bar as well though, and they can be very effective. When you create your coupons, you want to make sure that you offer some real incentives for people to come into your bar. Buy two get one free coupons are always nice. Offer 50 percent off appetizers if you have finger foods at the bar. You need to make sure that you have an expiration date on your coupon, otherwise people could take advantage.

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