Tips to operators offering prepared meals to go this holiday season

Specialized meal kits and full restaurant-prepared dinners can spruce up sales during the holidays

With social distancing still in effect, people are planning fewer parties and gatherings, particularly for the holidays. When they do hold gatherings, they are significantly smaller in size. Additionally, industry experts claim people are tired of cooking at home and want to dine out again. Operators can capitalize on that demand by offering customers a restaurant-quality holiday meal at home.

Operators have opportunities to generate revenue with specialized meal kits and dinners that feed up to six people, holiday to-go cocktails, homemade baked goods, and special sauces and condiments that guests cannot find anywhere else or make on their own.

Even with these promising trends, restaurants still need to appeal to holiday diners. These customers are looking for a seasonal experience, not just a meal. Here are a few ways to serve up the best family-style meals to go this holiday season.

Even if your menu is always changing, make sure to offer potential diners something special – a holiday-focused menu. The holidays are the perfect time to introduce seasonal favorites like soups or stews, seasonal meats and hearty favorites. Also, adding some fun holiday drinks to your seasonal menu will not only increase sales, but will also help your menu stand out from the competition. Customers will certainly enjoy cozying up with warm eggnog or sipping on cranberry mimosas from the comfort of their own home.

Customers would preferably deal with restaurants that offer a seamless off-premises dining experience. If you currently offer takeout and delivery, consider adding online ordering to make it even easier for your customers to place orders. If you do not offer delivery already, explore what it would take to add it during the holidays. Services like GrubHub and Uber Eats can simplify the process, eliminating the need to hire drivers.

You may want to tailor your menu to be more delivery-friendly or to anticipate the needs of holiday shoppers. Create a takeout/delivery-specific menu that only offers items that hold up well through travel so that guests get the very best of what you offer, even at home. Make sure you package takeout and delivery food wisely. Wrap saucy dishes in plastic wrap to avoid spills during delivery or when guests arrive. You may need to order more disposables if you see an uptick in takeout sales.

Operators who provide these special holiday items will not only create additional revenue, but also customer loyalty. That will pay even bigger benefits when the pandemic ends and diners are back dining out in full force once more.