Winter restaurant menu ideas using seasonal ingredients

There’s something special about winter food—it’s warm, cozy, and represents a whole mood. The seasonal ingredients combined with the belly-warming recipes meant to fight off cold weather are intimately tied to memories of winters past and stir up all sorts of nostalgia. So, restaurants can lean into this vibe with winter restaurant menu ideas, keeping the classics and adding to them.

You don’t have to wait for Christmas to start serving comfort food. The first cold snap of the year can be a great time to implement a winter menu. And no matter what kind of restaurant you run, you can find a way to work winter recipes into your offerings.

Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to warm up customers with winter menu items.

Why offer a winter menu?

Serving a winter menu can keep customers interested, give your kitchen staff a creative outlet, and make for excellent advertising material. But that’s not all: Switching to seasonal ingredients wherever possible can help lower your costs and keep your food fresher.

You can choose to offer a winter menu in addition to your regular menu, or swap out most of your menu for seasonal offerings. In general, it’s wise to focus on a few key dishes you can make excellently, rather than have a broad range of dishes that your chefs might not have mastered. Doing so keeps inventory costs down and quality up, plus, helps customers make decisions about what to eat.

Serving a prix fixe menu can encourage customers to get to your establishment since they know exactly what they’ll be getting and how much it’ll cost. Consider how often people struggle to decide what to eat: Help them make the decision and they’ll be grateful to you.

Most-loved restaurant menu ideas for winter

There’s an opportunity to refresh each section of your menu, from appetizers to desserts, for the winter months. Here are some ideas that will get customers in the door.

Soups and stews

Winter soups and stews are mainstays of the season. Some classics include:

• Irish beef stew (with Guinness and winter vegetables)
• German potato soup or loaded baked potato soup (with crispy bacon, green onions, and cheese)
• French onion soup (with the requisite toasted bread and melted cheese on top)
• Chicken noodle soup (not just for sick days!)
• Chili con carne, which can be fancified with venison as the main protein
• Lentil soup, French-style, with some buttery toasted bread to dip

These kinds of classics can make excellent advertisements, since customers are naturally drawn to hearty, filling soups and stews when it’s chilly out. As a personal anecdote as a former pub owner, advertising loaded baked potato soup during a particularly chilly and rainy night brought in customers I’d never seen before and the soup sold out quickly. Its popularity surprised me.

Naturally, you can elevate your soup recipes by incorporating new or unexpected ingredients. For example, you could make a creamy butternut squash soup with a touch of maple and some toasted pumpkin seeds, or offer a sweet and savory sweet potato and pumpkin stew with caramelized onions on top. Let your chefs get creative in the kitchen and try something new, which you can then advertise on social media.

Keep in mind visual appeal when serving customers. Serving soups and stews in rustic, earthenware bowls and adding a drizzle of flavored oil and fresh herbs signals you’re really on your game and will make for photo-worthy moments.

Main courses

Winter dinner recipes are popular for a reason, and it’s wise to give customers the kind of comfort food they’re looking for. You don’t have to be a purely Italian restaurant to serve crowd pleasers like lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs, for example, and any kind of restaurant can serve roast chicken as a weeknight dinner special.

Chicken pot pie can be made in large quantities and makes for a relatively easy dinner for chefs to whip up, since the filling simply needs to be topped with pastry and baked. If you have extra filling, offering a chicken and dumplings special can scratch customers’ nostalgia itch.

Restaurants can also go for broke and bring out some showstoppers, like a succulent prime rib, roast pork loin, beef wellington, roast turkey, or lamb rib roast. These highlights can make for exceptionally popular offerings—and restaurants can charge up for them too, since they’re not everyday foods for most people.

To enhance the flavors of main courses and make them wintry, consider incorporating seasonal herbs and spices like rosemary, garlic, and mustard. Don’t skimp on the gravy or sauce either, since it’s practically illegal to serve roast turkey without cranberry sauce.

Side dishes

Root vegetables are often the star of the side dish world and can steal the show in many cases. If you make the best mashed potatoes in the area, for example, the word will get out. Let your chefs customize your veggies and get creative, since you can be certain they have opinions of their own.

Popular veggies during the winter include Brussels sprouts, beets, leeks, and any seasonal root vegetable you can get your hands on. Check with your wholesaler to see what’s fresh and rotate your side dishes to keep things fresh and keep customers interested.

Freshly baked rolls or cornbread complement hearty winter meals well and are low-cost people pleasers that can help customers leave satisfied.

Desserts

No winter menu would be complete without a selection of indulgent desserts that showcase the best of the season’s flavors. There are plenty of ways to get creative here, as rich and creamy puddings and warm, comforting tarts and pies can come in just about any flavor.

Consider the classic apple pie. It can be elevated with the addition of seasonal ingredients like cranberries, walnuts, or a touch of bourbon. Consider experimenting with other seasonal fruits like pears and plums to create a unique twist. Serve the pie warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream to round out the experience.

Look also to the humble bread pudding as a palette on which your cooks can paint their imaginations. Using a combination of hearty breads like challah and brioche makes for an excellent base, which can then be winterized with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Top it off with a vanilla sauce or creme fraiche.

Cocktails and beverages

While the main focus of your winter restaurant menu may be on the food, don’t forget the beverages that round out the dining experience. Seasonal cocktails and warm, cozy drinks can be a great way to set the tone for your winter menu and create an immersive experience for customers.

A popular option is the hot toddy, which can be made with spirits like whiskey, brandy, or rum, and infused with a blend of spices and citrus. This comforting drink can be a perfect accompaniment to a hearty stew or a rich, creamy soup.

Alternatively, mulled wines and ciders spiked with seasonal spices and garnished with fruit and a cinnamon stick are always popular and get people into the winter spirit. White wine pairs well with most poultry dishes, and dessert wines of many varieties get popular every year, so consider updating your wine menu (if you have one).

Non-alcoholic options are a must as well, and can include hot spiced apple cider, hot chocolate, or a creamy chai latte. The key ingredient in winter beverages is warmth, even if the beverage isn’t served hot.

Revamp your software for the New Year

Whether you’re running a fine dining restaurant, a family-style establishment, or anything in between, you’ll want to make sure your service is impeccable. The service doesn’t just begin when the customer walks in the door—it begins the moment they hear about you, whether it’s online or from a friend.

Restaurants have to play the online game these days. Make the customer journey a rewarding one, from finding you to having their last bite and paying their bill. You’ll want to have the best software at your disposal, and the good news is front-of-house software is better than ever.

Easy-to-use restaurant booking links, fully customizable table management, automated reservations and waitlists, and compatibility with tons of third-party software—that’s just the start of what you can expect from Yelp Guest Manager. It makes restaurant service a breeze, which keeps everyone happy in what can be a hectic, fast-paced world.

Reach out to us for a free demo and we’ll show you the ropes. Consider the investment an early Christmas gift for you, your staff, and your future guests.