Get ready for the rush: Holiday prep checklist for restaurant managers
Picture this: The dining room is packed, your holiday menu is a hit, and your front-of-house (FOH) staff are managing the holiday rush with ease. You can make this dream a reality by following a holiday prep checklist for restaurant managers.
The holiday season is often the busiest time of year for restaurants and comes with high guest expectations, staffing challenges, and crowded waiting areas and dining rooms. Preparing early for holiday events prevents last-minute stress and sets the stage for a successful season.
When we say “prepare early,” you get to decide what “early” means for your business—but in many cases, the earlier the better. Think of October or September as a good benchmark.
To help you get ready, use this holiday prep checklist that covers action items around staffing, inventory, reservations, marketing, and decor.
17-item holiday prep checklist for restaurant managers
The holiday season comes with unique challenges for restaurants, but it also gives you opportunities to try new things, tighten up processes, and attract new customers. Follow this checklist to prepare your staffing, inventory, reservations, marketing, and decor for the holiday rush.
1. Assess staffing needs early
Check your historical data (if you have any) to see what your busiest days and peak-iest hours are during the holiday rush. Then, forecast your staffing needs for this season based on those previous trends. For example, you may notice each of the Fridays and Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas are extra busy, and more than your regular staff can handle. Use that information to decide how many seasonal employees to hire.
When you’re planning staffing needs, ensure you consider the whole restaurant. Yes, extra servers are often necessary, but keep an eye out for extra kitchen staff or hosts as well. Consult your chefs and managers to learn what “enough staff” means to them.
2. Train and schedule staff
Spend time training new hires and existing staff about how to:
- Handle high-pressure situations.
- Upsell holiday specials and special menu items.
- Use the tech stack to make their jobs easier.
When you’re creating schedules, aim for flexibility when possible so your staff feels taken care of and respected. Scheduling software can help streamline communication and build that flexible team that can respond to any crisis the festive season throws at you.
3. Keep morale high
Working in a restaurant during the holiday season can be demanding. Aim to keep your staff members’ morale high to optimize service and prevent burnout. Some ideas include:
- Incentives like bonuses, holiday perks, or gift cards
- Free employee meals
- Open channels of communication between managers and staff
- Discounts for employees’ families
Keeping your staff happy will push them to keep the customer experience positive and make sure loyal customers are happy.
4. Forecast your inventory needs
Decide what your holiday menus will be and predict demand for ingredients. Look at last year’s sales to determine what crowd pleasers you want to bring back and what new items to try this year. You may also want to stock extra champagne and premium wine, especially if you’re hosting any event or holiday parties.
5. Partner with reliable suppliers
Get ahead of the curve with your suppliers, and confirm their timelines for holiday deliveries to prevent shortages. Negotiate bulk deals in advance to save money when possible.
6. Manage your inventory efficiently
If you haven’t already, set up an inventory tracking system to monitor your stock levels in real time. Some modern inventory management systems automate orders, saving time and ensuring you don’t run out of crucial ingredients.
Tailor your inventory needs specifically to your holiday menu, down to the sesame seeds and spices, and plan portion sizes for optimal profits.
7. Optimize your reservation system
Many customers make reservations for the holiday season since it’s no secret restaurants can fill up. Get your restaurant’s reservations right, and customers will come a-knocking. After all, 66% of diners say they are more likely to choose a restaurant that takes reservations.
A good reservation system should do most of the work for you. It should also be user-friendly and mobile-optimized, meaning customers can find you and make a reservation with the push of a button or two.
For that, we highly recommend using Yelp Guest Manager as your reservation platform. It’s easy to use for both customers and staff, automating most reservations. Customers can book via the Yelp app, Google, Apple Maps, social media, or your website.
Before any real service run, practice a mock service with staff complete with mock reservations. The software is intuitive, and training is smooth.
8. Plan for peak booking times
Tap into data from the previous year to anticipate high-demand dates like Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Set booking limits to make sure customers can enjoy the night as much as they like without feeling rushed.
Customizable table management software like Yelp Guest Manager thrives in these situations. Seating times can be staggered to maximize table turnover while maintaining an excellent guest experience.
9. Communicate policies clearly
Sometimes after a customer books a reservation, things come up, and holiday plans change. Each cancellation and no-show means business lost for a restaurant. Set clear cancellation or no-show policies to minimize revenue loss.
You can also reduce no-shows with credit card holds, automated alerts, and two-way texting.
10. Build a holiday marketing plan
Launch holiday-themed promotions early via social media and email marketing. Create holiday-specific offers to attract diners, like prix fixe menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve; bundled deals like “dinner for two” specials; and gift card promotions to encourage repeat business in the new year.
Start with a series of emails and social media posts in October. Announce your holiday menus, special events, or exclusive offers for loyal customers. Tap into segmentation to target different customer groups, like families or corporate clients looking to book holiday parties. Make sure to include clear calls-to-action like “Reserve Your Table Now” to drive reservations.
11. Maximize social media engagement
Social media marketing is a must. Visually appealing posts go a long way in the current media environment, so lean into it. Share photos of your signature dishes and snapshots of your decor. Go for a mix of still images and short-form video to optimize engagement.
Engage with user-generated content whenever possible, especially during the holiday season. Encourage customers to share their holiday dining experience and repost their content to build an online community.
Keep your posting consistent. Plan ahead and use a social media scheduling tool to keep a solid presence throughout the season.
12. Team up with local businesses
Collaborating with other local businesses can create the rising tide that lifts all boats. Team up to make holiday gift packages, like a voucher for a spa that customers receive after dining at your restaurant. The spa can similarly give vouchers for your restaurant after customers visit there. Doing this across multiple businesses can foster community goodwill and create an informal business alliance for the next year.
Similarly, pairing up with charities fits with the spirit of the holiday season and can draw new customers. A charity dinner or festive ceremony like a tree-lighting or live music gets people in the giving mood and creates warm feelings.
13. Optimize online visibility
Before heading into the holiday rush, you’ll want to update your website and all online profiles. Make sure your website is accurate with holiday hours, menus, and booking options, and touch up your restaurant SEO where possible.
Update your Yelp Page with festive photos and holiday details. Consider running Yelp Ads. Restaurants that use Yelp Guest Manager and Yelp Ads experience up to a 17% monthly lift in diner bookings through Yelp.
14. Plan your holiday decor early
Creating a festive atmosphere can make a world of difference for the customer experience. Restaurant owners and managers can flex their creative side and make it fun, so get thinking early.
Choose a cohesive theme, like a cozy rustic feel, elegant winter whites, or vibrant festive colors, depending on your restaurant brand. For example, a fine dining restaurant might go with gold and silver accents, whereas a family-friendly restaurant may want to embrace playful Santa motifs.
Set a budget for decorations like lights, wreaths, table centerpieces, artwork, and exterior displays. Shop early for deals on bulk items to avoid price surges closer to the holidays.
15. Balance aesthetics and functionality
It’s nice to look festive, but make sure your decor enhances the ambiance without disrupting restaurant operations. For example, oversized centerpieces that take up tablespace may interfere with customers and staff alike. Stick to low-profile items like holiday-themed napkin rings or candles for elegance without obtrusion.
Your menu can be holiday-ified as well, such as with custom menu covers or printed inserts highlighting seasonal specials.
If you’re unsure whether something works or not, conduct a walk-through with your FOH staff to see if there are any bottlenecks created by decor.
16. Create instagrammable moments
Set up a dedicated area, like a holiday-themed selfie wall with a branded backdrop or a decorated corner to encourage guests to snap and share photos. Use warm, ambient lighting to create a cozy and shareable vibe that social media eats up.
Offer incentives like a free dessert or glass of wine for customers who take a photo and share it to social media while tagging your business.
17. Refresh your decor
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve each have a different aesthetic. Swap out decorations as needed to keep up with the flow of the season and ensure the atmosphere stays fresh. Schedule weekly checks to replace worn or damaged decorations as well to prevent the place from looking run-down.
Make the holidays a highlight
Prepare for the holidays can set you up for great success during the busy holiday rush. Use the holiday prep checklist for restaurant managers to map out your staffing needs, get your reservations humming smoothly, set up your inventory, plan ahead for marketing, and make a decor plan.
When service flows efficiently, it keeps everyone happy, from restaurant owners to staff to customers. A simple yet powerful way to ensure that happens is to upgrade your restaurant management software.
Yelp Guest Manager automates most reservation and waitlist needs, allows for fully customizable table management, is intuitive to use, and comes in at a set price with no charge for covers.
Want to learn more about it? Give us a shout for a free demo. Setting up the best software in the business can only elevate your holiday service, and make customers want to keep coming back.