Christmas is fast approaching and it’s one of the busiest times of the year for pubs across the nation. This represents a huge opportunity to boost profits and set your pub up for a cracking 2015. If you’re a pub landlord looking to capitalise on Christmas merrymakers, read on for some useful tips and advice on how to keep trade thriving throughout the festive season.
Introducing special Christmas menus
Brits love a good Christmas menu and are immediately enticed by talk of turkey and trimmings. Have a chat with your in-house chef and come up with a profitable Christmas menu that suits the image of your pub and its clientele. If you run a high end establishment thinking outside the box is a great way to lure in patrons with refined palettes. That said, Christmas menus don’t have to be fancy and for country pubs or local watering holes, traditional, hearty and budget friendly Christmas fare is guaranteed to keep punters pleased!
Roll out festive themed drinks
The Christmas chill is a wonderful excuse to spice up your in-house drinks menu. Mulled wine is a festive staple and advertising it on an outside blackboard is a great way to draw people in for a glass or two. It’s also incredibly versatile and can be priced according to the calibre of your establishment. Dark beers are always a winner in the colder months while throwing together Christmas themed cocktails is sure to please the ladies. Again, these can be as simple or as sophisticated as you like. Just make sure that they turn a profit.
Throwing a New Year’s Eve party
Whether you run a chic inner city cocktail bar or a cosy country pub, throwing a New Year’s Eve party is a terrific way to boost your festive profits. Depending on your clientele you can choose to make the event as low or high key as you like. A live band or DJ, New Year’s Eve drink specials and a promotional ‘free for all’ poster is a quick, easy and cost effective way of creating a buzz. For landlords that want to go all out throwing a ticketed event will add a sense of exclusivity. Entice guests with extras such as drink tokens, canapés, NYE competitions and fireworks.
Taking out pub insurance
The festive season is incredibly fun however it is not without its risks. The increased business ups the chance of incidents and as such it’s essential to protect your business with a comprehensive pub insurance policy. This will cover everything from public liability, property damage, employee liability and even loss of license. At the end of the day, it’s a critical part of ensuring that your Christmas trade is profitable and stress free, no matter what happens.