Whether you’re ready for it or not, Christmas is just around the corner! At this festive time of year, there’s nothing more appealing than a cosy pub. Warm lights and friendly chatter entices customers in from the miserable weather outside. But how can you make sure that your pub is the place to be this Christmas?
Nail that tempting Christmas menu….
Good food and plenty of it is synonymous with the festive period! That’s why it’s so important that you get your Christmas menus sorted, printed and advertised. Christmas bookings are extremely valuable, whether they’re on the day itself or across the holiday period, so try and secure as many of these as possible.
When it comes to a strong Christmas menu, it’s all about the perfect balance between a traditional feast and something a little different. Many customers are looking for that picture-perfect Christmas roast, so think meat with all the trimmings. But it’s also important to offer items on your Christmas menu that stand out and are a little different. Whether this is a quirky starter or surprising pudding, make sure you cover all bases this Christmas.
Go all out for Christmas party season…
‘Tis the season to be jolly, and merry, and party! With so many groups of people wanting to enjoy themselves this party season, make sure your pub gets involved and offers the best place for Christmas parties. Take a leaf out of this pub’s book, for example…
As it’s popular for businesses to have a “Christmas do”, this is a great way of securing a large group of people for food and drink in your establishment. You could do a sit-down meal or a buffet-style spread depending on your capacity. Make sure there’s lots of Christmas music and plenty of bubbly.
It’s also great to offer entertainment and, at TVC Leisure, we have a huge selection of pool tables for hire to suit your pub. A pool table is a great way of encouraging people to interact and enjoy themselves, but in a more relaxed manner – perfect for a work Christmas party!
Host a Christmas pub quiz…
You can’t go wrong with a pub quiz, they’re great at any time of year! A Christmas pub quiz is a fun way to spend a cold, dark night and is guaranteed to draw in the crowds. They’re also easy to setup and run, so get your staff to dress up in Christmas jumpers and make sure you’ve got plenty of people manning the bar.
If you’re looking for a more permanent pub quiz fixture that frees up your staff completely, TVC Leisure provide a variety of pub quiz machine terminals. These suit any pub environment and offer your customers the freedom to play a game of their choice, either on their own or as a team.
A very modern Christmas…
Another easy Christmas pub idea is to try and embrace technology this festive season. With so many people using their phones now, as a business you can harness this to your benefit.
By putting in maximum effort into decorating your pub this Christmas, you’re immediately making it “Instagram-worthy”. Your customers will want to take photos of all your Christmas sparkle and share it online with friends and family. You could even go that one step further and provide ‘Elfie Kits for people to use. These Christmas-themed selfie kits are sure to be a popular choice, especially among Christmas party groups.
Make sure you’re covered at Christmas…
With so many potential customers wanting to celebrate right across the festive period, it’s important to make the most of it in your pub. Maximise your trade potential and increase the footfall through your front-door.
One really important thing to remember when you’re preparing for your maximum capacity is to ensure that the quality of your service doesn’t slip. If you’re expecting a high volume of customers then put on extra staff to cope with the demand. You can also try making use of two-way radios to connect the front-of-house staff to the kitchen. This helps to improve communication and deliver a faster service, even at peak times.
Before you start planning for a sudden spike in takings, make sure you’ve checked your premises licence issued under the Licensing Act 2003 and make sure you can:
- Relax any restrictive conditions
- Add special events
- Add other regulated activities
- Extend your hours of trade
These are all really important factors to establish before you get stuck into the Christmas trade rush.
These are just a few pub Christmas ideas to get you thinking about how you can get into the festive spirit this season. At TVC Leisure, we’ve got plenty more amusement and fruit machines for hire to suit every pub environment.
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