Food & Beverage - How to Get More Christmas Bookings, More Quickly - By Ken Burgin

For sure, but the more you plan, the more you earn. And the more you're prepared, the sharper you are with negotiations.

Shake up your Action Plan to include:

Prepare and upgrade your booking system: is a book still adequate? Reservation systems are growing in popularity, online or software. Competition between vendors means better deals - have you inquired lately? This way customers do the work, according to guidelines you set.

Finalise Christmas menus: have them ready late August. The difference now is more extras and pizzaz so customers are receiving much better value, even if you've raised some prices. Start talking about Christmas bookings the minute they're available.

No other discounts in December: keep the focus on the Christmas packages, which of course have a big focus on value (and hopefully some price rises). Make sure other coupons and deals don't undermine this peak revenue time.

Prepare a Christmas web page: Christmas menus, photos, staff in santa hats - it's not too corny. Find your old Christmas photos and put them onto Flickr.com or an album.

Create special deals for less popular times: these could be Sunday to Wednesday, or late November. Times when you drop the room fees or add beverage package extras - make the offer very clear and really valuable. An empty room gives zero revenue.

Manage revenue on popular dates: key Fridays and Saturdays in December, or whenever you know is most in demand. Set a minimum spend for rooms or spaces, and stay firm. Do staff who take bookings understand the guidelines?

Make it easier for customers to pay deposits: ideally, they can pay with a few clicks online. It's easy to set up a business Paypal button on your booking page - it's known and trusted, and has a high response rate.

Find space for different types of events: can the balcony be roped off for a drinks party? Or a tent set up in the car park? Where can a stand-up event be held?

Contact last year's event organisers: give them first option on dates - they already know your style and price range.

Prepare for serious list building: run a competition to obtain name, email, mobile number and basic preferences - do they want to hear about new wines, new bands, new food or football nights? Use Constant Contact to manage the list.

Prepare to promote Gift Vouchers and Hampers - ideal gifts for people who don't need more clothes or 'things' in their life


Profitable Hospitality offers management and cost-control systems (Manuals & CD-ROMs) for restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars and clubs. The systems are based on the extensive consulting and operating experience of CEO Ken Burgin, and enable busy owners and managers to set up complete operating and cost-control systems in minutes, not months. Profitable Hospitality also runs regular management training workshops in the areas of kitchen profit & efficiency, restaurant marketing and functions management. A free monthly e-newsletter keeps you up to date on the latest industry management issues. www.profitablehospitality.com.

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