Getting ready for the Spring/Summer season
Forget the beach body, the clocks have changed so it’s time to get your business in shape for the season.
Take the headache out of seasonal menu planning
We know – planning a full menu from scratch takes time. It’s not just the dishes themselves, it’s the costs for ingredients, the sale price/margin calculations, the allergens, the nutritional info…it goes on and on…
But this is exactly why we work with the suppliers we do!
For example, Brakes have thousands of recipes already written (like this perfect-for-Summer Seared Tuna and Thai Noodle Salad), complete with ingredients, costs and nutritional info. You can even make sure you price it up for optimum profitability using their margin calculator.
Keep on top of trends
Some customers love what they love and never vary their order. But most appreciate seasonal changes, as well as changes in line with food trends and evolving tastes.
Bidfood (who, like Brakes, offer menu planning and other business support tools) are particularly good at reporting on trends, such as…
Flavours less travelled
We’re seeing far fewer French and Italian influences in food, replaced by a great deal more variety. Theme nights are a great way to test the waters. Embrace the spirit of Mardi with this Creole blackened fish or go all apres-ski with Swiss style melted cheese rostis.
Healthy eating for gut and heart
Yes, some like to indulge, but consumers are becoming increasingly health conscious, so featuring lower calorie/higher fibre dishes (like this roasted chickpea, falafel and quinoa Buddha bowl on your menu is a must.
Plan your promotional events
Maximise your seasonal revenue by making the most of celebration dates and hosting your own special events.
Easter is just around the corner
CGA data indicates that spend increases by around £150 on celebration dates – and that’s on drinks alone! Upgrade your offering using really simple recipes like KFF‘s Lotus Biscoff Hot Cross Buns.
Summer kick-off party 
Launch the season with live music, a mega BBQ and drink deals to match.
Why have just one? Sprinkle parties throughout the summer…taco & tequila night, smokehouse special, bouncing beach party…
Outdoor movie nights
Do you set up a screen for the Summer sports? Make more use of the investment by showing classic films complete with fresh popcorn and sharing platters.
You could even go all ‘Secret Cinema‘ with themed decor, costumes, and a sing along.
Small scale festivals
Mega festival Pennfest might not run any more, but it started out as a collaboration between three village pubs, two local breweries and a few farmers market favourites.
What a brilliant way to build the community bond!
Get your garden great
Landscaping
If your guests can head outside, you’ll at least want a neat and well-kept garden. But don’t overlook the impact of kerb appeal! Even if the front door is all you have to decorate, make your site look like it’s the perfect place to cool down with a drink.
Furniture
Once you’ve lured your customers outside, they’re going to need to sit on something. And there are so many more colours and interesting furniture options available these days. Is it time for an update?
Creature comforts
When it comes to function, you need three things: Lighting, heating and cooling (with rain cover as a Brucey-bonus). Upgrade from practical (like basic car park lighting and parasols) to pretty (think festoon lights and cosy blankets).
Fortunately, our truly incredible partners at Woodberry, have everything you need to make your outdoor space season-ready.
They focus on quality wares that will last and will help you plan and design your garden (although you’ll have to do the ‘planting’ bit yourself!).
Sort your staffing
We know that costs are higher than ever. The recent changes regarding tips, minimum wages and NI contributions are making margins tighter so every second of workers’ time (including yours!) counts.
Follow our three steps to make sure you are up to date and maximising your most expensive resource.
1) Check you are fully compliant
It can be difficult to keep up when there have been SO MANY changes made to employment law over a short period of time! But getting things wrong can prove costly so you want to avoid making expensive mistakes.
Croner HR & Legal Services host frequent webinars on all things employment, but this one (taking place on the 29th April) on ensuring you’re compliant is not to be missed.
2) Invest in your team’s training
Every business book in print will remind you how expensive it is to recruit and train new team-members and that the best way to keep your staff engaged with (and therefore committed to) your business is to invest in their development.
We love Flow Learning because their training is designed specifically for the hospitality sector, covering basics (compliance, f&b safety) as well as stretch topics like management development and exceeding customer expectations.
3) Set the rota in perfect line with demand
At the new minimum wage rate, every 1 hour of overstaffing per week will cost you over £600 per year so you need to manage your staffing levels very carefully.
S4 Labour‘s affordable tool manages rotas, automatically links staff working hours to calculate pay roll and learns when you’re likely to be busy/quiet so you can schedule exactly the staffing you need day to day, hour to hour.