{"id":25640,"date":"2020-03-13T08:03:28","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T12:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-gordon-food-service-canada.pantheonsite.io\/ideas\/spring-holidays-6-ways-to-drive-success\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T11:08:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T15:08:46","slug":"spring-holidays-6-ways-to-drive-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/spring-holidays-6-ways-to-drive-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Holidays: 6 Ways to Drive Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everything\u2019s coming up spring. One of the biggest restaurant holidays of the year is Mother\u2019s Day. A National Restaurant Association survey in 2023 reported 40% of adults planned to use a restaurant as part of their Mother\u2019s Day meal.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring holiday dining \u2013 Easter, Cinco de Mayo, Mother\u2019s Day, Father\u2019s Day, Memorial Day \u2013 covers a lot of meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and carryout orders. In 2023, Statista.com reports about 41% of consumers planned to spend $50 to $100 at a restaurant on Easter. Cinco de Mayo has seen restaurant sales jump as much as 44% over a typical day.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With people choosing restaurants over cooking at home, making plans to maximize sales and satisfy customers can pay dividends this spring and beyond. Here are some tips to get the most out of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Be Strategic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Make sure you have a plan. Write everything down and start early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many restaurants do buffets on Easter and Mother\u2019s Day because it turns tables quicker, but it\u2019s hard to do buffets well if you don\u2019t do them all the time. Consider a brunch or a fixed menu that pulls out all the stops instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Spread the word and secure reservations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Start promoting your event 90 days out via in-restaurant signage, social media and email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reach out to your regulars and ask them if they\u2019d like to make a reservation. Consider offering a small discount or a special perk for reserving early. Mother\u2019s Day roses and Easter candy baskets are great incentives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Elevate and indulge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People aren\u2019t typically watching their diets on these holidays, so think about upping the indulgence with special dishes, desserts or drinks. Just make sure your kitchen and serving staff can execute any deviations from the norm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget to think beyond food. What else can you do to enhance the dining experience? Valet parking? Live music? A complimentary mimosa for Mom? Consider extra details to make the experience really memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Prep staff<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mother\u2019s Day is an all-hands-on-deck situation. Make employees aware well in advance that they\u2019ll all be expected to work it. Need additional staff? Start by reaching out to last summer\u2019s crew. They\u2019re already familiar with your operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Welcome guests and follow up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re likely to welcome a number of first-timers. Train staff to capture their contact information. Post-holiday, consider sending a bounce-back deal with a warm invite to come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encourage customers to connect with you on social media to be in the know about future events and specials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Review and assess<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sit down with your team soon after the event for a thorough debriefing. What went wrong? What went right? What improvements can be made? Document everything so you have it when creating next year\u2019s plan\u2014ready to build on this year\u2019s success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maximize sales, guest counts and customer satisfaction with these tips for navigating Easter, Mother\u2019s Day and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":26936,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,68,123,112,69,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-culinary-ideas","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business","category-healthcare"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSpring Holidays: 6 Ways to Drive Success | Gordon Food Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/spring-holidays-6-ways-to-drive-success\/\" \/>\n<meta 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