With Christmas fast approaching, restaurants will be knuckling down to plan their Christmas menus, events and celebrations. Christmas should be the most lucrative time of the year for hospitality and catering businesses so you need to ensure you are prepared as much as possible for the festive season. Here are a few tips to help you make the most out of Christmas:

Our Amber Candle Holders are very festive!

These Amber Candles are perfect for the festive season!

1/ Prepare your staff as the festive season approaches. Ensure that you have a team who are willing and ready to efficiently greet the large number of customers and event bookings that will be coming your way. Prep members of the team in multiple areas, such as bar work, waitressing and assisting the kitchen, so that you will never be short of hands. All staff should be approachable and friendly, and knowledgeable and up-to-date with Christmas changes, such as the Christmas menu or different booking procedures for the busy season.

Our Elia Deluxe Champagne bucket and stand is bound to make your customers have a very special dining experience.

Our Elia Deluxe Champagne Stand and Bucket is bound to make your customers have a very special dining experience.

2/ Catering for everyone who may enter your establishment is especially important at Christmas. A lot of the customers won’t have visited before, so it is a great opportunity to build up relationships with loyal customers for the upcoming year. Make sure you have multiple vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options, or even a separate menu for each allergy/ preference so that customers aren’t stuck with only one choice or a half hearted meal minus a certain ingredient.

Christmas crackers are obviously an essential.

Crackers are a Christmas essential!  

3/ A great drinks menu will attract crowds looking for somewhere to chill out after work or celebrate with their friends. If you impress them with your drinks, they are more likely to think of you for a Christmas dinner do. Consider Christmas themed cocktails, quirky after-dinner drinks and mulled wine. Stylish glassware and unique ways of serving drinks will make the experience more memorable for the customer, so check out our range here. Create a happy hour or a drinks deal such as 2-4-1 and advertise this as soon as it’s ready. Give out menus or leaflets in November to let your current visitors know your Deals.

Our Copper Parisian Cocktail Shaker 24.5OZ is on offer at only £13.40

Our Copper parisian Cocktail Shaker 24.5OZ is on offer at only £13.40 4/ Social media is also a great way to advertise your deals, menu changes and Christmas events to the public. Promote your food and drink through posting photos of dishes- you may even want to have a photo shoot to create that real Christmas feeling. Encourage your customers to share their experience, through giving them card with your account details and a memorable hashtag.

These Light UV cocktail glasses glow slightly in dark bars or clubs… a definite success on social media!

These Light UV cocktail glasses glow slightly in dark bars or clubs… a definite success on social media!

5/ Your Christmas menu could stick with the traditional dishes, such as roast dinners, Christmas pudding and mince pies, or you could go a more unconventional route. Both can be a great success, or you can alway try a slight combination- say a roast dinner with a few exciting twists. Serve everything up on quality tableware, trying to keep to the traditional or unconventional theme. For instance these Churchill Stonecast triangular plates would work perfectly with a contemporary dish. With Christmas being such a busy time, you need to ensure you have enough tableware and glassware to maintain a completely saturated restaurant. Buy in bulk to ensure you have a consistent style over the festive period- check out our ranges here.

This new Nutmeg Cream colour from Churchill Stonecast is great choice for Christmas!

 This new Nutmeg Cream colour from Churchill Stonecast is great choice for Christmas!

When to start? Now! Planning can take time, so if you haven’t started already, you better get on it quickly. Your Christmas marketing is essential, so make sure you leave enough time for brochures, leaflets and menus to be printed. Order any tableware far in advance to ensure it will arrive in time and you can double check it is what you expected. Finally, add a few candles, some tinsel and fairy lights and turn up the Christmas tunes to get the festive mood rolling!

We have a huge range of glassware, barware and tableware, so don’t hesitate to get in touch on 01256 769990 to see how we can accommodate your wants and requirements for your establishment this Christmas.