Food & Beverage - How to Build Mid-Week Evening Trade - By Ken Burgin

Not just because the food and drinks are cheap, but because the value is fantastic or we get 'special treatment' that's not available on busy Friday and Saturday. Cheap isn't hard to find, but Good is rare...

If all you do is shift customers from one day to another, not much has changed, and if you do it by discounting the profit away, what's the point? The key is to attract new customers, and have the regulars visit more often. And of course the 3 key words for mid-week service are relaxed -- friendly -- efficient.

Boosting quiet mid-week nights will need new thinking (and effort), not a repetition of the 'old' methods that worked in prosperous times:

Invite staff, friends and family: employees, their friends and family, plus all your pals. It needs rules and an organised, very generous range of discounts (sufficient to arouse enthusiasm). Now's the time to give your staff (and those from other restaurants & bars) an opportunity to experience your hospitality at a considerable discount. These will be genuinely new customers, so the real cost to you is only the food and drink.

Promote special nights for special groups: families, neighbours, students, clubs and local workers - the groups you target can be best catered for with their own special nights. You won't be targetting all of them, and they don't all want to be in the same room together. Students with corporates...er, no.

Families: if you're promoting to young families, make sure the deal fits in with homework and bed times. This could also mean special deals for people who are in and out before 7pm.

Students: the focus is usually fun and music, with cheap food and drinks. But hey, a crowds a crowd. Just make sure that it doesn't overrun the rest of the week when you may want a more conventional crowd.
Local workers: this could mean small groups or lots of singles - is your seating set up the right way?

Neighbours: if you've built a local following, this is a great opportunity to share the love with those nearby, and all their friends. 'Local' is such a powerful marketing word - play it up so neighbours feel they're getting something that others aren't normally offered. Midweek is when we relax more - at your place!

Create special deals with their own unique character: I've seen several restaurants creating early-evening platter offers, where delicious food is served 'family style' at a set time, early, to several large tables. Sit down and share, and when it's gone, it's gone - by 7pm they're preparing for the regular trade. Lots of range on the platter, but not the regular menu items. It helps if you already have a reputation for good food! This is a great opportunity for suppliers to help with fantastic deals on items that will be used just once - special fish, over-abundant produce or something they baked too much of.

Promote 'functions in the restaurant': it's more fun anyway, when 10 people share a large table and platters, instead of being tucked away as 'private dining'. Now we need them up front! Make sure their energy doesn't upset the quite couples neaby, and yes, they do have to obey the rules about what can and can't be included in a package deal. These arrangements are ideal for corporate groups, clubs and associations. Make it easy for them to find and share information with downloadable menus and online reservations.

Pile on the 'soft dollar' extras: for midweek groups, add on all those extras that have a price but don't cost you a direct expense each time: whiteboards and projectors in the private space, room hire costs, extra decorations, AV equipment, special music and lighting. Put the red pencil through these 'soft-dollar' prices to create a sensational offer.

Build up your Frequent Diner Programme: just like a coffee card, but applying to a wider range of food and drink. Ideally, it's run from your POS, or have a simple card printed while you try it out - make sure the benefits are used quickly. If you offer a fantastic deal, consider selling the card for $10 dollars - this lets you capture customer details. Check what local cinemas offer - they create powerful win-win deals.

Take special care of Singles: they're likely to eat out more often, and your place can become 'home away from home'. They're after seating where they don't stand out eg at a bar or smaller table, and may want to read while waiting for their order - have magazines available. They're open to conversation with the staff, and like wine by the glass or a beer. They appreciate it if you remember their usual order or service preference. It's hard for single women to find a place where they can eat without being hassled - if you create this, you'll have great loyalty!

Emphasise parking and security: if 'relaxed' is one of the keys to make evenings work better, do what you can to take away concerns about 'where does the car go' or 'is it safe to walk back to it in the dark'. Add parking information to your website and all communication with customers.

Use your Customer List to tell the News: as you keep building your contact list, sharing the message becomes easier. In the meantime, use staff to promote, plus information with the account or printed on the menu. If you trust the reach of your local paper, there may be value in using them for promotion, and they like having dinner prizes to offer.

Be smart and be careful:

Make sure you avoid cannibal pricing , where you steal from your own sales. This is meant to make you more money, not less.

Big corporate groups can be great, but make sure you can really offer what they get in the big hotels they're used to - lots of space and privacy.

If your reputation is just average (or worse), discount deals won't be very effective. There's lots of cynicism about dreary discounts and endless SALES - your offer should be surprisingly good value if its to be noticed at all.

It's OK to make some mistakes: some offers will work and some won't. Set them up for a short season eg 'the February Special' so they disappear quickly if results are disappointing. If it flies, just keep going!

Profitable Hospitality offers management and cost-control systems (Manuals & CD-ROMs) for restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars and clubs. The systems are based on the extensive consulting and operating experience of CEO Ken Burgin, and enable busy owners and managers to set up complete operating and cost-control systems in minutes, not months. Profitable Hospitality also runs regular management training workshops in the areas of kitchen profit & efficiency, restaurant marketing and functions management. A free monthly e-newsletter keeps you up to date on the latest industry management issues. www.profitablehospitality.com.

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