Mother’s Day is celebrated worldwide, a dedicated special day to show your love and appreciation for not only your Mum, but all mothers and mothers to be. Going out to share a meal together has become a popular way for families to celebrate the special day and spoil Mum.
Unlike Valentine's Day, which is typically celebrated by couples, Mother's Day is a family-oriented celebration. Hospitality operators should anticipate larger groups coming in and offer a child-friendly dining experience.
According to TheFork (formerly known as Dimmi), Mother's Day is one of the busiest weekends of the year for restaurant operators in Australia, with a spike of 161% more bookings than the average weekend.
In Australia, Mother's Day always falls on the second Sunday of May, which is May 12th in 2024. Worldwide that date varies a little:
- United Kingdom & Ireland - March 10, 2024
- Spain, Portugal - May 5, 2024
- United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Central and Eastern Europe - May 12, 2024
- Mexico and Latin America - May 10, 2024
- France - May 26, 2024
As this is the busiest weekend of the year for restaurant operators, it's essential to be prepared. Here are 5 tips to help your business get the most out of this Mother's Day weekend!
1. Analyse data from previous Mother’s Day weekends
Forecasting sales can be challenging, which is why it's essential to analyse data from previous periods to find out which dishes and drinks were favourites and which sold poorly. You can easily check sales data from any previous period in your POS system reporting.
Menu Customisation
After reviewing the data, identify which dishes and drinks were popular and will likely be popular again this Mother’s Day. With this information, you can customise your menus to optimise profits.
POS Menu Layout
Identify your best sellers and most popular dishes to rearrange your POS system menu with expected popular items at the top in easy-to-find spots. Designing a specialised menu layout for staff on the day allows for a user-friendly experience, reduces processing time, and allows for a streamlined ordering process and better customer service on the day.
Prepare Stock
This information not only benefits menu planning but also helps organise your stock on hand. A more accurate estimate of the stock that will be needed will also help reduce food wastage and save money.
TIP: Check out the Help Guide for our Item Sold Report.
2. Offer Set Menus
TheFork reports there has been an increase in the number of people booking set menus for Mother's Day. A reduced menu offered to guests allows for a more streamlined service in the kitchen, which speeds up their processes and results in faster service to guests. However, it's important to remember that Mother's Day is a time for family outings, so including a kids menu or kid-friendly options is just as important.
When planning your menu, get creative. Studies show that providing old favourites with a twist makes it more memorable for the special day and sets your business apart from the rest.
3. Provide Gift Vouchers
Gift vouchers are a popular present to gift on Mother's Day. So it's important to have gift vouchers readily available for purchase, both online and in-venue.
Online
Integrations can be set up with your POS to allow vouchers to be purchased online via your website. Now Book It is a popular integration and has an Online Gift Voucher Platform that can be used to set up the online purchase of gift vouchers for your venue. They make it easy to add widgets to your venue's website so these Gift vouchers are easily purchased and accessible to all.
In-venue
In preparation for the day, it's important to train staff on both how to create and how to process a gift voucher as a form of payment on your POS system. This type of training can help create a streamlined process and help the day run that much smoother.
TIP: Check out our Gift Voucher Help Guides for how to create, sell and redeem.
4. Manage Reservations
During the busy Mother’s Day weekend, it's crucial to manage reservations efficiently to allow for more efficient table turnover and a higher level of customer service. Consider charging a deposit for table reservations to reduce the number of no-shows. Set a time limit on the sitting, commonly 90 - 120 minutes to ensure punctuality.
Having a strong social media presence is essential as millennials are more likely to book a venue after seeing it online first. Promote your business across different channels to optimise booking opportunities. Partnering with reservations platforms can also help increase your businesses discoverability, as well as help you manage bookings. Integrations include:
5. Special Offerings
Restaurant promotions are a great way to bring customers through your doors and extra incentives are a good way to help make the day feel special.
With wine being a big selling point on Mother’s Day a special such as a 2 for 1 drink deal could easily be incorporated to make the day feel more memorable. Offerings such as a complimentary dessert could also be included as part of the celebration.
TIP: Check out our Combos Help Guides for all the options.
Hospitality owners are in for a busy upcoming Mother's Day weekend. These tips will help the day run all that much smoother and help reduce mistakes, allowing your business to get the most out of Mother’s Day.
Published: