As we approach the end of 2023, the demand for year-end dinner parties among consumers, both with friends and family, is steadily increasing. Additionally, there is a frequent occurrence of company anniversary dinners and business banquets. The festive atmosphere surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day has led to a sharp surge in the demand for large-scale dinner parties, resulting in a revitalized catering market.

Numerous restaurant owners are currently engaged in holiday marketing strategies, recognizing that attracting customers solely through discount offers may not be sufficient to retain them. Given this, how can catering stores effectively manage the surge in year-end customer traffic?

Provide convenient reservation service
Based on survey data, nearly 50% of consumers utilize restaurant reservation services, citing convenience as the primary reason, particularly for young individuals who value the ability to make reservations anytime, anywhere. Currently, eRun POS seamlessly integrate with popular reservation platforms like OptiTable and Sevenrooms, enabling customers to swiftly make online reservations and helping restaurants to avoid potential loss of customers due to busy phone lines. This integration also frees catering staff from the tedious task of answering phone calls through traditional reservation services, allowing them to dedicate more time to delivering high-quality services.

Implementing self-service ePayment accelerates table turnover
Despite some restaurants appearing successful, they often discover that their sales fall short of expectations. This can be attributed to two main factors. Firstly, customers experience long wait times for waiters to take their orders, resulting in a low table turnover rate. Secondly, customers endure lengthy queues to settle their bills after finishing their meals. To effectively address these challenges, restaurant owners should take a proactive approach and implement the eRun POS system. This system seamlessly integrates customer self-service ordering with widely used electronic payment platforms. By doing so, it significantly improves cashier and ordering efficiency, reducing wait times for order placement and bill settlement. As a result, it enhances customer satisfaction, reduces queues, and increases the restaurant’s table turnover rate.

Make inventory and cost control top priority at year-end marketing
During the year-end period, there is a high demand for dinner parties. To avoid running out of popular dishes, it is crucial for restaurant chefs to have access to data on shopping replenishment, ingredient usage, and inventory. With eRun’s cloud-based catering inventory and cost management system, restaurant chefs can easily request immediate replenishment of scarce ingredients through the mobile backend, ensuring a consistent supply of ingredients in stock. Furthermore, the system enables restaurant management to utilize mobile reports to monitor monthly food cost levels and compare them to the budget. In cases where ingredient costs exceed the budget, the restaurant can promptly adjust the menu to control food costs and secure profitability from potential losses.

The year-end presents moneymaking opportunities in the catering business that should not be ignored. It not only allows for customer attraction and reputation enhancement but also represents the most profitable period of the year. To capitalize on this important opportunity effortlessly, restaurants can rely on eRun’s F&B management system. This system facilitates efficient management and effective cost control, ultimately resulting in increased restaurant profits.