It’s been a tough 12 months for the hospitality industry. COVID-19 has led to the forced closure of restaurants around the country and in the brief period where restrictions were eased significantly lower footfall was experienced by most businesses as customers bunkered down at home. However, there’s now a light at the end of the tunnel with a vaccine on the horizon and a promise of something closer to normality this year, with restaurants reopening in the coming months, hospitality is primed for a rebound - but how can you stand out from the crowd, increase your revenue and make up for a year of lost sales?
People's preferences are changing and with customers eager to eat and drink in groups again, it’s important to cater to these changing needs to avoid the risk of losing out on these larger covers.
While there are legions of people who want nothing more than to have a few rounds in the pub with their mates as soon as legally possible, it’s worth bearing in mind that the younger demographics are drinking less and less as health becomes a key focus.
No alcohol drinks are seeing a huge increase over recent years, so stocking a couple of high quality alcohol free beers, alcohol free wines and spirits is a great way to set your business apart.
Low ABV drinks are also gaining traction and offering a range of Low ABV wine, cider and beer is something to consider. A Low ABV Cocktail caters for a new demographic of customer & also conveniently has a great margin and is a great way to increase revenue.
For those who do want to drink, more and more people are opting for fewer higher quality drinks. There are a multitude of cool local breweries or high quality imported beers you can now stock. Carling is on the way down, Craft continues to be on the way up.
Veganism and vegetarianism are growing very quickly as people change to plant based diets for health, environmental and animal welfare reasons. 6% of the UK are Vegetarian, 3% are Vegan and 4.7% are Pescatarian, with some sources predicting this to increase to a whopping 25.9% of people being meat free this year it’s important to not only have a meat free option but to absolutely nail it.
Younger generations are increasingly ditching the meat, and as they will be giving you custom for years to come its best to build the reputation for quality plant based food now, rather than trying to catch up 5 years down the road.
Vegan Food options need to be as well thought through as your meat dishes, so ditch the bean burger, falafel and stuffed peppers - and get on trend. Think Buddha Bowls, plant-based meat and also consider vegan fast food, vegan pizza, plant-based meat and Cauliflower Wings for the vegans who don't want to eat healthy vegetables 24/7.
There’s always peaks and troughs in demand in hospitality, and restaurateur’s have been trying to fill this gap for years with pre-theatre, breakfast specials, meal deals etc. As people continue to spend more time online & on their phones, it makes sense to take this message digital as well.
Swipii is a cashback app that promotes customer loyalty and can help you fill empty seats and drive incremental orders. Swipii will give your business a referral code, and each time it’s used by a customer to sign up, the customer gets £5, and your members of staff get £5 fully paid for by Swipii.
Once your customers have joined the app & have made a purchase at your business you can schedule extra cashback offers from 10%+ at your quieter times, these offers are sent to your customers and will drive extra orders when your business is quiet.
So to round up these are our three tips to increase revenue when restaurants reopen
Own a local business? Click here and see what Swipii can do for your revenue!
Enjoy this? Why not check out our article on how to boost your Trip Advisor ratings.
