The seasonal menu is one of the smartest and actually the cheapest ways you can provide your guests with a new, unique experience four times a year.
In addition, the seasonal menu is an ideal opportunity for your chef to show creativity in full light, and ultimately, it is an opportunity for you to make better money. So, you selected and set the seasonal menu, and then what? Which is the best way to bring it closer to your guests? Here are eight effective ways to make autumn easier for you, and then winter, and spring, summer…
1. Design seasonal drinks that will complement the dishes on the menu.
The pleasure of changing the season is not just about the groceries and food we eat, part of the fun on colder days is also the change in the drinks we consume. In the upcoming colder days, it can be character craft beers that you can recommend with certain dishes, while in summer, refreshing cocktails will definitely be at the top of the list. Seasonal drinks also allow you to tie your seasonal menu to happy hour special offers, which will surely meet the approval and interest of guests.
2. Create a seasonal atmosphere on your social networks
Make sure that the autumn atmosphere reigns on your profiles as well. Imagine for a second you were a food stylist and arrange your meals for photos to better reflect the flavours, colours, smells and atmosphere of autumn. For example, if you are offering a pumpkin cheescake, create a scene where a dessert plate is surrounded with leaves of vibrant colours, or place the plate next to real pumpkins. Such photos on social networks will awaken the seasonal spirit in people and make your seasonal menu even more attractive.
3. Make your seasonal specialties available only for a limited time.
If your menu is constantly the same guests have no special reason to come to you often. However, if your seasonal specialties are on the menu only for a certain period, a sense of urgency is created for the guest to come to you while the special seasonal offer of a certain specialty is still available. In addition to creating limited supply and demand, it encourages your guests to order something different each time and maybe more than usual because these dishes will no longer be available the next time they arrive.
4. Create a special seasonal menu
Create a separate menu for your seasonal specialties. Make them visible and easily recognisable, set aside a part of your website for seasonal specialties, print them out on special paper or write them on a board in the bar. By separating seasonal specialties, you give them importance and thus make them worthy of guests' attention. You can also point out here that they are only available for a limited time.
TIP PLUS: If you are still not online, we recommend Restaumatic Croatia, which will easily make sure that you are trendy and competitive. They will create a professional website for you or just an online menu that you can easily add to an existing one. In addition, they will create visuals for you to post on your social networks every week.
5. Offer an autumn package. Packages are ideal for mixing and combining different products and of course, increasing sales. For example, if you have craft beer on the seasonal menu for 18 kn, a seasonal appetizer for 20 kn and an autumn specialty (main course) for 56 kn, you can offer all three in a package for 85 kn. The guest thus saves because he takes the package, and you generally sell more because otherwise you might order just one of them.
6. Tell the story of your seasonal menu. A good background story gives everything a better taste, so your menu is no exception. Use seasonal specialties to tell your guests pictures, memories, events related to a particular food or dish. This will not only enrich the guest experience, but you will achieve an emotional connection between the guest and your restaurant. There are many ways to tell a food story. You can, for example, mention that your mushroom soup is a recipe that has been in your family for five generations. Or how the apples from the pie are no less and no more from the chefs of a private orchard. Such details will make the dishes even more tempting.
7. Train the staff to sell these dishes
To begin with, make sure that each server has tasted each of the dishes on the seasonal menu so that they can describe them to the guest as adequately as possible. If, due to dietary or other reasons, the waiter cannot taste a certain dish, make sure that he receives as detailed instructions and descriptions as possible from his colleagues so that he can present the dish. Also, make sure that the waiters know the characteristics of each dish, such as where each food comes from or any detail that makes a particular dish special. A well-trained waiter can not only increase the earnings of the bar, but he will also get better tips.
EXTRA TIP: One of the great ways to monitor the quality of your waiters' work is revolutionary Review Booster Pro. It is primarily designed as a simple and easy solution to increase the number of online reviews and followers on social media in less than 30 seconds. If your guests are happy with the waiter, they will gladly leave him a tip, but will also be happy to leave a review when asked. Each RBP Board has its own unique serial number, which allows you to keep track of how many reviews you have received through each RBP Board. This way you can improve the quality of service and productivity of your employees by monitoring customer satisfaction for each member of your staff.
8. Bring a touch of autumn into the space.
Don’t just sell fall food, sell the whole fall mindset. Let your guests feel autumn atmosphere through the decorations. You can achieve this with the simplest bouquets with mini pumpkins or fresh field flowers in the summer. You may have special tablecloths or napkins just for fall. Creating a special autumn atmosphere will encourage guests to taste your seasonal menu.
