SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Restaurant SmartBrief — tracks feedback from restaurant owners and managers about current trends and issues.
Last week’s poll question: Does your restaurant offer holiday promotions?
- We always roll out holiday packaging and marketing — 24.56%
- My restaurant adds seasonal menu items during the holiday season — 39.06%
- Not really, but we always sell gift cards! — 25%
- We don’t alter any of our marketing or menus for the holidays — 9.38%
Some customers wait year-round for Starbucks’ beloved red cups, which signify to many the advent of the holiday season. The cups are just one example of Starbucks’ myriad of seasonal promotions, which also include Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha offerings. Meanwhile, this year Bob Evans has rolled out a promotion designed to save busy holiday celebrators time. The Farmhouse Feast is a meal package the chain says is perfect for time-strapped diners with visiting families or office parties they don’t have time to cook for. Along the same lines as Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts has debuted gingerbread coffee, lattes, muffins, donuts and cookies in honor of the holiday season.
What are the benefits of these kinds of promotions? They can inspire loyalty in customers, create a sense of anticipation throughout the year, possibly bring in new business if you launch a campaign alongside a new product offering, and create a sense of community. More than half of Restaurant SmartBrief poll respondents offer some form of holiday promotion, showing that many of your peers see the value in this kind of marketing.
What specific holiday offerings do you have on tap this year? A special menu item? A seasonal campaign? New packaging? Let us know in the comments!