5 Ways to Streamline Your Catering Offer: Have Your Plan Ready For a Heavy Catering Season!
During the summer and even while summer is winding down, restaurants often experience a dip in customer traffic due to vacations and travel plans. While the bustling holiday season and its catering opportunities may still seem far away, now is actually the perfect time to start preparing and revamping your catering menu.
With just a few months until the holiday catering orders start rolling in, it is time to light that sterno and heat up your catering operations.
Here are some ways to assess and improve your restaurant's catering experience:
1 - Create an online catering menu
If you don’t already offer catering or haven’t explored taking these orders online, it’s time to invest in this lucrative opportunity for your restaurant! Need some more convincing, here are 5 reasons why you should have a catering menu.
Not all online catering menus are built equal, make sure the online catering menu you choose has these features:
Intuitive price breakdowns: most corporate catering orders are priced per person so having these different price views helps to improve customer experience.
Advanced notice requirements: build in prep time to ensure your kitchen has sufficient time to complete orders by setting automatic ordering deadlines.
Complete visual experience: make your catering menu irresistible, incorporate high-quality images to help customers visualize your food at their event.
Family Fun Packs: creating these pre-designed packages will help your customers decide and feel confident to order themselves.
2 - Upgrade your images
If you don’t have images on your menu yet, it's time to add them. If you already have images, ask yourself, "When was the last time I updated them?"
Even if your menu items haven't changed, refreshing your pictures ensures they accurately reflect your offerings. Consider hiring a local photographer to create stunning, eye-catching images that will make your menu irresistible.
For more ideas about revamping your menu, click here!
3 - Make data-driven menu decisions
While crafting your menu may be mainly a creative endeavor, using data can help give a voice to your customers. Using previous holidays to inform your menu for this year can help you increase your revenue and satisfy your customers.
Some ideas when looking at data:
Identify your top-selling items by reviewing your reports.
Add new menu items that use similar ingredients to your top-selling items.
Remove items from your menu that did not sell well.
4 - Plan out your marketing
While menu planning is crucial, equally important is informing your customers about your catering services. Remind your customers to place their orders early and persuade those on the fence to utilize your easy-to-use ordering menu.
Additionally, effective marketing can inform customers who may not know that their favorite restaurant offers catering, expanding your reach and potential orders. A great way to create awareness is during special occasions by creating special menus and special promotions.
Utilize our campaign calendar to get ideas for unique catering events!
5 - Upgrade your operations
Beyond orders, menu creation, and marketing, optimizing your operations is crucial for this catering season. Streamlining your processes ensures a seamless experience for your restaurant and enhances customer satisfaction, creating the best possible catering experience.
Here are a few things to consider:
Can your POS handle catering or do you need a more sophisticated catering management system? Check out our Caterease integration!
Have you been missing out on offering delivery? Get connected with last-mile delivery providers who can start delivering your catering orders without hiring additional staff.
Now is the time to focus on the future and maximize your revenue potential with a finely-tuned catering plan. So, replace that outdated system with a modern, online catering menu allowing customers to place their orders 100% online.