How To Help Your Restaurant Have Its Hottest Summer Ever

Ah, beautiful, beautiful summer! It’s finally here! And, like most Canadians, the Canadian POS team couldn’t be happier that the next few months will be filled with warm and sunny days. If you own a restaurant, we would imagine you’re just as happy. The summertime enables you to open up that patio of yours and seat several more customers than you would be able to in the chillier months of the year.

Not to mention, with better weather, more people tend to leave their homes to eat. Your restaurant has a great opportunity to cash in on people’s needs for summertime fun for the next few months. How do you plan on making the most of it?

Lower your prices as the temperature rises.

An excellent summertime promotion for your restaurant would be to offer discounts on the hottest days of the season. That way, you will encourage greater patronage on days when people may otherwise stay at home to beat the heat. According to WhenIWork.com, this is a proven strategy. Nashville, Tennesee-based Goodbuy Girls enjoyed great success by implementing this idea.

According to the website, customers received $10 off any purchase of $100 or more when the temperature rose above 100 degrees. “For your coffee shop, you could offer $1 off any large iced latte when the temperature rises above 100 degrees,” the site suggests.

Host a tasting event.

Is there anything that people like better than free food? Arguably, the best way to secure new fans of your establishment – well into the future – is to allow them to taste your delicious dishes for free. This isn’t to say that you should offer free meals. But, by hosting tasting events a few times throughout the summer, you’ll spark greater interest in your restaurant. Moreover, you’ll entice visitors to sit down and pay for the meals they’ve had the opportunity to sample.

“Tasting events might include partnering with a local winery or craft beer brewery,” says Michael Elkins on Waiterio.com, “You can hold a wine or beer tasting once a week throughout the summer months. You can also hold tasting events for your summer menu. Creating some interesting new bar beverages, ice cream sodas, homemade lemonade, smoothies and iced coffee beverages can ignite sales during the hot months.”

Start a loyalty program.

The more customers who visit your restaurant this summer, the more opportunities you will have to inspire them to keep coming back long after summer is over. A loyalty program is a great way to accomplish that. WhenIWork.com suggests that you partner with online food apps which encourage visitors to check-in to your restaurant, cafe or coffee shop through gamification.

“Of course, you could always stick to good ole’ fashion stamp cards,” the website notes, “Either way, customers will appreciate you appreciating them.”

Make it easy for customers to pay with their credit and debit cards.

At Canadian POS, we proudly offer Canadian restaurant owners the Poynt Smart Terminal. It’s a revolutionary wireless terminal that makes paying the bill easier than ever! For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost.