Make Your Post-Holiday Plan
Deal With Surplus Inventory, Staff Changes, and January Slowdowns
Tis the season to celebrate. November and December are the top time of year for traveling and dining out. But what happens when the merriment is over, and the guests go home? From extra staff to a surplus of inventory, you may find yourself facing some new challenges after the holiday season ends.
Make and execute your plan for dealing with post-holiday difficulties by reading advice from the experts below.
Working With Your Staff’s Schedules
The holidays are all-hands-on-deck at most establishments. After New Year’s, however, you may find yourself with an overloaded team, due to busy season hires. You’ll want to balance your staffing to make sure that everyone gets the hours they need, without overstaffing any shifts.
One way to make greater use of extra staff is to cross-train where possible. You can leverage seasoned staff’s skills through teaching, giving newer employees experience and the potential to fill additional niches.
Managing Surplus Inventory
Most businesses up their order volumes in anticipation of a holiday rush. However, you may end up with surplus inventory once all is said and done. To avoid waste – especially food products – you’ll want to first get organized. Make a list of surplus items and their expiration dates.
Once you know what’s waiting for you in the walk-in, you can plan to use what you can. This may mean getting creative with your menuing. Your team can use leftover inventory to launch creative LTOs or new permanent menu items.
For non-food surplus inventory, on the other hand, your focus will be on storage solutions. Seasonal items and decorations may still be useful next year so finding the right place to put them until then should be a focus.
Finally, you’ll want to adjust your upcoming orders for food and non-food programs alike to reflect your surplus needs. If you have too much of certain products, you’ll want to make sure you’re not reordering them for the next month.
Keeping Your Customers Engaged
You don’t want your guests to forget about you after the holiday rush has ended. Maintaining customer engagement is crucial when creating long-lasting relationships and encouraging repeat stays. There are several ways to stay top of mind with your guests after their vacation ends:
Email them a personalized thank you note for staying with your team.
Send them a satisfaction survey to gauge their experience at your business.
Offer a discount for returning guests that can be redeemed within the slow season.
You can also run special promotions during the slow season to attract new and returning guests or host events with local organizations to keep a focus on your business.
Taking Time to Reflect
Once the confetti has cleared, your team likely has more time to reflect on the highs and lows of the busy season. This is the ideal time to assess which strategies worked and where your plans fell short. The best way to do this is to compare your revenue with spend. A data management platform will be key in this area.
Foodbuy Hospitality Members have access to MPower, a customizable online analytics platform that reports on elements like spending and procurement saving opportunities.
Whether you need help dealing with surplus inventory, data collection, or menu development, Foodbuy Hospitality can help. Speak with an account manager now to get started.