For many Canadians, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with loved ones and indulge in delicious food. However, not everyone has the time, space or energy to prepare a grand feast at home. This is where restaurants can step in. Does your eatery offer a warm, inviting atmosphere along with a mouth-watering Thanksgiving menu? How can your restaurant make this Thanksgiving a special one for its customers?
Offer to cater a Thanksgiving dinner.
Although many people may be too overwhelmed to prepare their own Thanksgiving feasts, they won’t necessarily want to go out to eat. This doesn’t mean that your restaurant should suffer. Promote the fact that your eatery offers catering. As Jessica Leone notes on Valpak.com, catering gives you an opportunity to increase sales without customers having to sit down to eat at your restaurant.
“After all the effort that goes into preparing Thanksgiving dinner, people are happy to take a break from cooking for the weekend while still wanting to enjoy great food with loved ones,” she writes, “Try offering special Thanksgiving weekend catering packages geared toward customers in need of a break from their own kitchens.”
Launch a contest on social media.
Do you know anyone who isn’t on social media? Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t find joy in getting something for free? Utilize your social media platforms to offer a prize through a Thanksgiving-based competition. It can be as simple as asking people to submit what they’re thankful for. Choose a winner and offer a free meal!
There is an excellent chance that your contest will help to grow word of mouth promotion for your eatery. For your Thanksgiving-based contest, create your own hashtag and keep track of which customers use it. This will not only help you to select your winner, but keep track of how much engagement you’re getting online. It’s a great way to get people to spread the word about your brand.
Host a “Friendsgiving” event.
It’s so important to remember that not everyone has a family to celebrate Thanksgiving with. There are many Canadians who may wish to get together with friends, this forthcoming holiday weekend. Offer them the opportunity to share in the joy of friendship at your restaurant. By hosting a “Friendsgiving” event, you promote inclusivity. It provides guests with an opportunity to celebrate the holiday and not feel left out because they have no family members to dine with.
“You might host a ‘Friendsgiving’ event to provide guests with an opportunity to celebrate the holiday with friends,” says Leone, “You can offer a traditional Thanksgiving menu or create a specialized menu. Ask your guests to share photos of their dinners using a special event hashtag to drive engagement for your social media channels.”
Make it easy for customers to pay for their meals.
At Divvia, we proudly offer Canadian restaurant owners a wide variety of payment terminals including the Poynt Smart Terminal. It’s a revolutionary wireless terminal that makes paying a restaurant bill easier than ever! For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-748-2884. You may also send us a message on our Contact Us page! Happy Thanksgiving!
