Tis the season for gift cards, parties, catering and employee appreciation

Updated for 2024 Holiday Season. The holiday season is quickly approaching. Will your pizzeria be ready? Capitalize on the holiday season at your pizzeria. Between November and January is an extremely busy time. Three of the busiest days at pizzerias are the day before Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The past few years of uncertainty and monster sales days on any given Friday have prepared you well for the busiest day rushes. Are you ready for the holiday’s big four: gift cards, parties, catering and employee appreciation. We’ve pulled together tips and resources for you to dive deeper into the holiday season’s vital components for pizzeria owners.

Gift Cards

The holiday season is the best time of year to sell those gift cards. We have a few tips for selling more gift cards. They are:

• Promote gift cards at the counter, on tables, in to-go and delivery packaging.
• You can even use a QR Code as a quick link to buy them directly from your website.
• Incentivize your customers: the more gift cards they buy, they will receive $x in gift cards.

For more gift card tips, check out Holiday Gift Cards: Ramp It Up. Also read Give Sales a Lift with a Gift Card Program.

Parties

Accommodating large groups can be very lucrative, but it also can provide several challenges. Here are a few areas you should start with to get party planning rolling:

• Create a large quantity menu for various sized groups.
  Outline in writing any large-party policies, such as service fees, minimum orders, advance notice, block-out times, etc.
• Establish a point person to work with groups and coordinate with managers and inventory controllers.
• Have an employee schedule plan in place for the influx of large parties and off-premise catering.
• Start a social campaign to let your followers know you are now taking reservations for holiday parties.
• Detail your large party and off-premise catering options on your Web site. Add a teaser on your homepage.

Read more on handling large parties in Group Friendly.

Catering

Courtesy of Andolini’s Pizza, Tulsa, OK

Holidays can mean big catering sales if you plan effectively.

• If want catering sales, you must set up the catering side as a business. Menus, pricing and operations should be specific to the catering function.
• Be sure you have a handle on the food quality of your off-premise items, especially your pizza dough.
• Know your limits. What is the biggest event that your operation can feasibly handle.
• Have an execution manager to stay on top of following through with prep and day of logistics.
• Don’t forget to follow up with catering clients and let them know you appreciate their business. That could include a gift card.

Get more tips on catering in The Beauty of Catering and Booking Catering and Facility Rental.

Avoid Employee Burnout

The holiday season can be a stressful time for restaurant employees, who are not only dealing with the end of the year restaurant sprint, but they are also dealing with their own lives and schedules. Focus on your employees to prevent burnout or worse turnover. Mike Bausch offers ideas to help avoid burnout:

• Communication: The Backbone
• Lock-in Those Schedules
• Incentives: More Than Just Tips
• Flexibility and Fair Play
• Hard Work Doesn’t Go Unnoticed
• Breaks are Non-Negotiable
• Post-Holiday Reality Check
• Paychecks that Make Sense
• Training: The Foundation
• Feedback Isn’t Just Top-Down

Read A Gameplan to Avoid Team Burnout where Mike details more.

With the busiest months of the year falling at the end of the year, you want to make sure you’re fully staffed. Mike Bausch also offers advice on limiting workforce attrition in your restaurant in Achieving a Fully Staffed Restaurant.

Employee Appreciation

The holiday season and end of the year are popular times to show your employees how much you appreciate them. There are so many holiday gift opportunities. Cash is always an option, in the form of bonuses and raises. What about other ideas? Here are few alternatives or even additions to cash that your employees may appreciate:

• Paid time off
• Closing for the holidays
• Personal, handwritten “Thank you” note from the owner(s)
• Throw a holiday party
• Partner with other businesses to give employee gifts

Explore more Employee Appreciation ideas.

Have a great holiday season at your pizzeria.