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Welcome to another episode of Making Dough Show where we believe every restaurant deserves owning a profitable restaurant does not own them.
If this is your first time reading our blog please consider subscribing. Here we talk about management, restaurant marketing, we answer your question and much more. Today is Making Dough Q and A Show was I gonna answer Christal question and Christal asked..
“Looking for ideas to boost are Wednesday night and Friday through Sunday lunch business... not really interested in kids. Kids eat free and no room inside for live entertainment.”
Let’s tackle Sunday lunch.
I’m going to stick with Sunday lunch. One of our busiest lunches and I want to tell you how it got it because it was used before the slowest lunches. One of the things you need to know is especially when slower days and time is understanding the mood and the psychology of what people go through. What is on their mind on a Sunday night? A lot of times we need to get in bed early because they need to go to school in the morning. The vibes are different on a Friday night as we were all very busy on a Friday night.
People are in different mood Sunday lunch, vs Wednesday night vs Friday night!
It is important for you to study your demographic.
Why would folks come to your restaurant for lunch on Sunday?! Maybe they are not in a mood not to do dishes. Usually, people go to church in the morning and afterwards, they feel hungry. They have planned for lunch if they don’t have a plan for lunch which happens a lot of time. They want to go out and eat. That is been what our study and to figure out how we can bring the customers to our restaurant for lunch on Sundays.
So today I wanna share you few tips on how we’re able to do that.
If your Sunday lunch is currently slow what are the things you figure out is where are people going? Is everybody is slow or is it just me? You can have to drive around and look where people go for that restaurant.
Study it.
Study why people come to that restaurant. Is it because they have many offering, is it they located in a church so study why they getting a lot of customers for Sunday lunch? You need to study and figure out how you gonna do better. Are you going to do the same similar offering or lunch special?
We have a lunch buffet that is super popular for all families.
In our restaurant, we do have Sunday Lunch Buffet. Lunch buffet does usually our Sunday lunches but a different crowd that are Wednesday lunches because Wednesday lunches are workers in the area. Sunday lunches are a lot of families. Families want a ride because of the kids. Kids like cheese pizza, mom wants chicken pasta or veggie, and the dad begins to want meatballs.
Having a lunch buffet for instance, for us on Sunday is great because families keep coming in and get a little bit variety. Everybody in the family is happy. They go home and ready for a nap. So we did our job well.
Do you have lunch specials or can have something exclusive on Sundays 11- 1 pm?
Think about the offerings for like a lunch special. Why should people come to your restaurant? You have to give them a reason to come to your restaurant. So then what we have done is that in our first year we had a board in our dining room where it said “10% off with your church bulletin. Valid Sundays..” On Sundays, folks bring their church bulletin we give them 10% off.
We promote that all throughout the week and people know for a lunch buffet and whatever thing it is so were sowing all those seeds throughout the week and that’s one of the ways people aware of us. We include it on our email, newsletter about our Sunday lunch buffet and 10% off for Church bulletin. We posted in also in our social media and we’ve done that for a month. It takes a little while but gradually and you are one of the busiest restaurants on Sunday lunches.
Or would you be able to take some food to your local churches to bless them.
One of the things you can do is whether for Wednesday lunch or Sunday lunch, have a bundle of this food, go out of your restaurant and find people where you can put your food on their mouth. What do I mean on that?
Get to know them so they know you exist?!
I’m telling you on Sundays a lot of folks go to church. We have a good relationship with churches. Fo one reason is obviously we are Christian and we wanna be aligned to whoever we want to come down in our restaurant. So we are not just doing it for the sales, we’re doing it what’s align in our brand messaging our values.
Always build a relationship with people.
We take food to our local churches just to boost them and build relationships. We shake hands, we get to know each other, where they are working on or how can we serve them. Always think about how you gonna build partnership with people. Through a week, on a Wednesday lunch and do the same thing, have a bundle of this food, go out of your restaurant and find people businesses and take out some samples, take out some desserts. It doesn't matter what it is.
Go out shake some hands. You got to meet people ahead, a manager and invite them or check your lunch special for exclusively on this day. Have you been in our restaurant or not? How long are you been here? Ask them so you can understand their business and their needs. Like how many people work here. Do you have often meetings this sometimes? We would love to cater your lunch sometimes. Let me know. Can I have your business card? Build a relationship or partnership.
You go to sow seeds.
It takes a little while but it is what it is. I wanna tell you that if there is another restaurant in your community on your slower days or time know that there is always an opportunity for you to take some market share.
Christal, I hope this blog is helpful and you got some ideas. Be sure you let me know, you can always send me an email at makingdoughshow@gmail.com.
If you have questions and you want us to cover here in our show please make sure to go to our website at makingdoughshow.com scroll all the way down and there is a section where you can submit your questions up.
We are more than happy to answer your question. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it and now let go back to work and make some dough.