Christmas Promotion Ideas for Restaurants: Festive Promotional Tips

 

 

We’ve curated a list of Christmas promotion ideas for restaurants, so you don’t have to.

The magic of festive vibes brings in this cheerful, vibrant atmosphere that makes us all look forward to the holiday season.

Even as a restaurant business, we’re sure you have a lot of hustle-bustle in your space this time of the year. But this year, let’s put some extra emphasis on your festive marketing strategies.

Many restaurants have their marketing strategies in place – but let’s look at the festive marketing strategy with a fresh approach.

Let’s do something different, something unique, so that you have an amazing footfall in your restaurant.

Thinking out of the box isn’t easy – you have to put in a lot of time and effort to craft a promotional strategy for your restaurant.

But no worries – we have your back!

We have come up with some creative Christmas promotion ideas for restaurants and listed them here – so do have a look into these fresh, unique marketing ideas!

Let’s get started:

 

1. Holiday themed events
2. Curate a special holiday menu
3. Deck the halls with rows of hollies
4. Make use of your social media platforms
5. Keep posting relevant Christmas content
6. Send out special Christmas cards
7. Countdown giveaways
8. Update your website

 

1. Holiday themed events

 

In the past few years, people couldn’t step outside their homes because of the pandemic restrictions.

But this time, they are looking for reasons to venture out and spend some quality fun time with their friends and family. And as a business, you have to use this opportunity to give people a reason to step outside their homes.

Organizing holiday-themed events is a great way to get started. People of all age groups enjoy such events, so you can come up with some interesting themes throughout the holiday season to attract crowds to your business.

Before you organize any events, do keep in mind the crowd you are targeting.

 

 

Having an idea of the type of crowd that hits your restaurant often— their age groups and their preferences— will help you come up with events to cater to their requirements.

Do make sure everything has a Christmassy touch, though – like you can host carol nights, decor-themed games, or include holiday inspired food & drink.

You can be as creative as you want to and think of unique events as well.

The whole idea is to get the crowd reveling in the festive spirit – so do all you can to get them grooving!

 

2. Curate a special holiday menu

 

Food is the best way to people’s hearts.

And if you’re at a restaurant, you already know what you have to do!

Come up with a holiday-themed menu for the holiday season, and watch how guests flock to your restaurant for all those delectable delicacies!

You don’t need to whip up MasterChef-style recipes for the Christmas season.

Instead, you can sit with your staff and ask them their favorite Christmas dishes that bring back fond memories of their childhood.

 

 

You can also conduct a poll on your social media platforms to find out what people love to gorge on during this special time of the year.

If some patrons are willing to share their family recipes, you can also incorporate these Christmas specials in your menu, giving them their due credit.

There are many ways to compile a menu that’s unique and not repetitive.

People want to try unusual things and are always looking out for restaurants that offer a different experience.

All you have to do is put in some extra effort to become a restaurant that people would love to unwind at in the holidays.

Along with food, you can also come up with Christmas special drinks.

Drinks are a great way to keep people around the table for a longer time – they can go on for hours chatting, having fun, and ordering more food to accompany their drinks.

 

 

While meat food items thrive during Christmas, you also need to remember that many people are now following vegan or vegetarian diets.

You need to make sure that you have ample delicious recipes to cater to their requirements as well.

And again, adding a Christmassy touch to the recipes is essential.

Right from the starters to the main course and the desserts, everything should scream ‘tis the time to be jolly’ – so get started with crafting your “Special Holiday Menu” already!

 

3. Deck the halls with rows of hollies

 

And a lot more!

Why stop at hollies when you can go above and beyond with extravagant decor!

Christmas calls for fairy-tale-ish decor – so go all out with the fairy lights, Christmas trees, wreaths to add some (a lot actually!) color and spark to your restaurant.

Now here’s something you need to know – you don’t need to spend massive amounts to get your restaurant all decked up.

You can decorate your restaurant splendidly on a limited budget as well.

 

 

All you need to do is find the right person who will help you get the task done in limited amounts.

Before you begin planning the decor of your restaurant, do keep in mind the theme of your restaurant as well.

Ensure that all the decor is in sync with the theme so that your restaurant’s decor and vibe of complement each other.

Keeping the essence of your restaurant intact is essential as well – so if your restaurant is a cozy space, look for toned-down decor that elevates the simplicity of your restaurant.

On the other hand, if you’re a hip and happening restaurant, you can go all flashy and vibrant with your decor choice!

 

4. Make use of your social media platforms

 

Now that you are planning so many holiday-special events, the world must also know about these, right?

And there’s no better way than using your social media platforms to get the attention your efforts deserve.

Many businesses out there feel social media does not work for them the way it should.

So, this time around, try adopting a different approach.

Instead of posting what you want to post, try looking from the perspective of your customer base and start posting things that they would want to see.

This is the best way to garner attention from social media for your business.

 

 

Know who your customer base is and what exactly their expectations are – this would help you come up with relevant content.

Also, like all the other promotional tips, you need to add a Christmassy touch to your social media pages as well.

Add a little Santa hat to your logo or change the color scheme to match the festive vibe.

It’s the little things that matter, and it’s these little things that count – so go ahead and do it!

Also, if you feel that you aren’t a social media expert, you can seek assistance from someone who is!

Many small businesses would help you develop a great social media strategy for the festive season (and even otherwise), and these yield good results as well!

So, whatever works best for you and your business, go for it!

 

5. Keep posting relevant Christmas content

 

The holiday season begins right from Thanksgiving and goes all the way into New Year.

So, make sure to have relevant content handy for the entire season.

If you haven’t started yet, you still have time in hand – you can begin even now.

When it comes to social media, along with quality content, the frequency of your content also matters a lot.

 

 

You can even organize some quick quizzes, games, giveaways, and other fun ways to improve people’s interaction with your page.

This will give a boost to your business, as people are aware of your restaurant as a fun place where they can unwind and revel during the holidays.

Also, you need to be careful about the type of content you post on different social media platforms – Instagram is all about impeccable, eye-catching images and witty captions, whereas Twitter is all about crisp content.

Knowing what to post is essential. A content calendar would be helpful to help keep track of the content schedule for the holiday season.

 

6. Send out special Christmas cards

 

The holiday season is a great way to acknowledge your patrons.

After all, they have been your loyal customers all this while and have been around ever since you started.

While everyone deserves to be treated specially during the holiday season, your loyal patrons deserve a little more than just special.

You can send out personalized cards to them, inviting them to join you in for Christmas celebrations.

 

 

You can go a step ahead and give out a handmade, handwritten card to them – these little gestures leave a mark on people’s hearts, so you can always consider doing them.

Also, place a discount coupon in the card, which they can redeem when they visit the restaurant during Christmas and the following days.

People love to be remembered – a little card may not be a grand gesture, but it is a great way to let people know that you care about them.

So, start sending out your cards and coupons as soon as you can, so that your patrons can plan their holidays.

 

7. Countdown giveaways

 

12 Days of Christmas is now popular across the world.

While most businesses opt for giveaways during this season, you can also think of different ways to mark the 12-day countdown to Christmas.

Even if you do opt for a giveaway, you need to make it creative so that people are interested in your giveaway, among others going on out there.

 

 

Irrespective of what you plan for the 12 days countdown, ensure the best events are lined up towards the end.

This would keep people excited throughout the 12 days, making them look up to the D-day.

And, of course, social media is a great way to create the hype around your 12 days of Christmas countdown.

So, display the countdown and get creative with the themes for each day.

 

8. Update your website

 

Your website is a great way to connect with people looking for restaurants to visit this Christmas.

The first thing you need to put out on your website is that your restaurant is open on Christmas. Not many places are open on the holidays, but if you’re one of them, let them know.

Next, you can also start taking reservations for the big day.

This would help you plan better regarding food and services, ensuring your guests have the best experience ever.

 

 

You can also create a lovely festive banner on your website, “We’re Open for Christmas,” and call for people to book their seats to enjoy the Christmas food and other events.

It will help ensure you follow the social distancing norms.

You can also start posting Christmas-relevant blogs on your website.

Call upon guest bloggers, patrons who are willing to contribute or hire a team to churn out special content for the month.

It can be anything – favorite Christmas recipes, fond childhood memories of Christmas, why people love the holiday seasons the most – the scope is wide here.

You can even take in children’s entries and post them on your website.

 

Summing up

 

Christmas promotion ideas for restaurants is something you need to put effort into for the lead up to Christmas far in advance.

But with festivals, marketing becomes more fun – because you have so much to explore and play around with.

So, this year, make sure you think out of the box and offer people enough reasons to visit your restaurant for Christmas.

 

While we have listed some Christmas promotion ideas for restaurants, you need not restrict yourself to these.

Instead, think out of the box and come up with marketing plans that are more compatible with your budget and the overall vibe of your restaurant business.