A top restaurant in summer!

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That's it, we're officially in summer! Is your restaurant ready to handle the hottest months of the year? This article will help you have a great restaurant this summer in 6 essential points!

Restaurants, here's how to get ready for summer!

Summer is stretching out before us, bringing us longer days and therefore more chances for restaurants to do good business.

At this time of year, your customers are looking for refreshing moments, long summer Fridays, and delicious food to share with their friends. Tourists are an opportunity to make more sales. And it's a good bet that the holidays are going to be busy for you!

6 effective tips to have a top restaurant during the summer :

1 - Adapt your menus to the summer period

When it comes to adapting your menus to summer, let seasonal produce guide your choices! Think red berries, corn, cherries, peaches, cucumbers... And it's even better if you can partner with local producers and cook seasonal products. This way you can offer your customers the freshest options and promote eco-friendly menus.

See what items sell best and if you can add seasonal fruits or vegetables. Many customers order salads in the summer, so to add a summery touch to your menu, replace the usual ingredients with seasonal ones.

Another surefire summertime basic is seafood. Not only will you get it more easily during this season, but it will also be less expensive. If your restaurant already offers fish dishes, place seafood prominently in the months of July and August.

Take advantage of this opportunity to add fun little bites during your Happy Hour. Serve more cold drinks, like vodka lemonades, spicy Margaritas, fresh mint mojitos or colorful sangria.

Add non-alcoholic cocktails to your menus as well. That way, you're sure to get everyone involved in the festivities!

2 - Beautify your deck

If you have an outdoor space, take the opportunity to add some pretty lights and plants to create a nice atmosphere. Choose a classic summer theme and stick to it. 

If modern decor is your thing, why not opt for an Instagrammable neon sign? Keep in mind that people like to show off their outings to their friends and family, so take advantage of this to make those friends and family want to come see you!

You can eventually add garden games to your deck, or table games to encourage your customers to interact, stay longer, and therefore order more.

Get creative and put up signs on your bar or sidewalk to let customers or potential customers know what amenities you have. Add some feel-good music to keep all those good vibes going!

Finally, leave a full jug of water with pretty, colorful cups for everyone to quench their thirst without taking up your servers' time.

3 - Do your best to find staff

Finding staff is not easy for restaurants these days. Have you tried to attract the attention of teenagers and young adults? These groups often have a hard time entering the job market. This could make them ideal candidates to join your restaurant during the summer. 

Restaurant technology can also help your staff stay on track. Implementing technology at multiple touch points is an effective way to reduce labor shortages, manage operations, and simplify your staff's daily routine.

Technology can now help you deliver successfully. It can help you with your service without the need to hire more people.

4 - Implement summer promotions

Running promotions is an effective way to attract new foodies to your place, and to continue to satisfy the customers you already have. For example, you could create limited time offers for Happy Hour, brunch, and groups of more than 5 people.

Get in touch with businesses located near your restaurant and organize an original event. For example, you could ask a bookstore to organize a reading in your restaurant.

Use social media to drive engagement and new sales through your promotions. Create a "Date Night for Two" type giveaway, which would be a free meal for two. People could participate by tagging a friend and your restaurant in their comments. This will attract the attention of people who don't know your restaurant yet.

The delivery apps you use are the perfect place to display your promotions. This could encourage new customers to order from you. Moreover, this practice increases your chances of appearing on the first page of each app.

If this is too time-consuming for you, the RusHour team will help you with its marketing automation solution. You will be able to increase your sales easily, and almost effortlessly!

5 - Use a calendar for your social networks

90% of customers search for a restaurant online before they go to dinner. So it's important to improve your restaurant's digital presence to stay competitive.

Before setting up a timeline on your social networks, make sure your information is up to date. Are you sure your Google My Business profile is optimized? Are your restaurant's hours of operation correct? Are the FAQs and featured menus listed accurately on all your delivery platforms? Does your website need a little makeover?

Once all this information is up to date, list the different dates of the summer with a strong theme. For example, are there national ice cream days? A national tequila day? These are great opportunities to create unique content around those themes. It's true that having a restaurant requires prioritizing the tasks that need to be done. So preparing your content in advance will help you stay present and consistent on your social networks.

6 - Manage your customers' reviews and earn more money

Consumers who don't know you yet are more likely to read reviews about your restaurant than about any other type of business! So it's important to respond to every customer who leaves you a review. 

40% of consumers say they are more likely to visit a restaurant (or any other business) when it responds to negative reviews. Feel free to use the review response templates provided by RusHour to respond without wasting time.

The Insights feature gives you a 360-degree view of your facility. This feature makes it easier for you to understand where order problems are coming from. You can identify and eliminate ordering errors. You'll also see when orders are highest at your restaurant.

If you haven't registered with RusHour yet, don't hesitate to try our free Insights tool. It only takes a few seconds, and it can really make a difference for your restaurant this summer!

If you are looking for a partner to support you in the long term for all your delivery needs, fill out the form below and start your free trial!

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About RusHour

RusHour s mission is to become a trusted partner for restaurants worldwide, offering several products and services that help restaurants adapt to the technology and trends of tomorrow. We provide our clients with a unique way to manage all online orders from multiple platforms from one place. At the same time, our team of experts is on hand day in and day out to support restaurant owners through this change.

Any questions? Write to us: hello@rushour.io

Need a demonstration? Make an appointment right here!

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