Easter is just around the corner. The one day a year where it’s acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast… and lunch and dinner. This year, Easter falls on Sunday, 17th April – here’s hoping spring is fully in the air and the sun is shining.
Easter’s about spending time with family, whether that’s going for long walks, indulging in culinary delights or playing games – who doesn’t love an Easter Egg Hunt? But it also opens up a lot of opportunities for restaurants and bars to increase their sales. Depending on your establishment, there are many ways you can attract customers over the Easter period, from menu specials to themed afternoon teas, family games days and more.
Here’s our top tips to boost sales this Easter:
CREATE AN EASTER THEMED AFTERNOON TEA
If big lunches aren’t your thing, why not host an intimate afternoon tea? Get creative with the menu, have some fun. And add some decorations to the table too. One of the best things is that afternoon tea doesn’t have to be saved for Easter Day, it’s something you could run all week.
EASTER BRUNCH
Bottomless or not, everyone loves a brunch. And as noted above, not everyone can host a big Sunday lunch. Brunch is a great way to attract customers. You could run it from 10am – 4pm, decorate the tables, add some Easter treats. And why not dial it up with some drinks like Mimosas or Prosecco – and of course a non-alcoholic alternative too.
HOST AN EASTER EGG HUNT
It may not be the most imaginative idea but it’s a hit with families. Whether you go all out and have one of your staff dress as an Easter bunny or just hide a few chocolate eggs around the room (or garden if you have one), kids will be sure to love it. You could even have prizes for the person who collects the most eggs. This could be a free meal or discount, or something donated by a local business – these types of cross-promotions are great for building valuable relationships within your community.
GO BIG WITH A SUNDAY ROAST
You may already host a regular Sunday lunch, if so, all you need to do is tweak it to make it a little bit more Easter(ish). Aside from the usual: choice of meats, veg, roast potatoes and lashings of gravy, think about how you can add an Easter touch. Maybe it’s simple table decorations, placing a welcome chocolate by everyone’s seat, creating an Easter cocktail, offering a meat you wouldn’t usually like duck or turkey. And definitely get imaginative with pudding. Think crushed mini eggs, popping candy, chocolate pudding surprise (the surprise being a festive choc).
SELL EASTER GIFTS
Start cashing in on the Easter sales early by offering Easter gifts. This could be homemade chocolates or cakes. Think chocolate cornflake cakes with mini eggs, brownies with cream eggs baked into them, carrot cake with Easter decorations. You could even partner with local businesses too, offering to sell cards, chocolates or gift sets.
CREATE A SET MENU
Create a set menu for Easter Day with some Easter-inspired dishes, charging a set rate per person – you could even offer wine pairings. You should be able to fill most tables ahead of the day, which will also give you a good idea of numbers and allow you to prepare accordingly for a stress-free service.
OFFER ARTS AND CRAFTS FOR THE CHILDREN
Keep the kids occupied with some arts and crafts. Offer colouring sheets (with Easter pictures on, of course) to scribble on while they’re waiting for their food. Or create a designated area where children can create their own Easter cards or make pictures out of old magazines/newspapers etc. Families often come in big groups, so the parents will likely thank you for keeping the children busy!
ADVERTISE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
As with anything special or a little bit different that you do, make sure you advertise it on your social media pages, as well as at your establishment. This is the time when sponsored ads really work – and you don’t have to pay much on platforms like Facebook or Instagram to see the difference boosting a post makes.