The holiday season represents the golden opportunity for bars and restaurants to capture significant revenue growth. With holiday-related spending hitting $8 billion for Halloween alone and consumers spending a whopping $13.19 billion each year on Valentine’s Day, seasonal menu management has become essential for maximizing profitability during peak periods.

This year, 52% of Baby Boomers, 54% of Gen X, 59% of millennials, and 63% of Gen Z plan to order their entire holiday meal as dine-in or takeout. The shift toward dining out during holidays creates unprecedented opportunities for establishments that can effectively manage and promote seasonal offerings.

The Strategic Advantage of Digital Holiday Menu Management

Real-Time Seasonal Updates

Digital menus provide incredible flexibility that allows you to design them to reflect what’s current right now—no more out-of-date menus. If you have a new special, you can add it on the fly. If you want some holiday flair for the season—no problem! Making changes is straightforward, which allows you to operate in the moment and adapt your menu to fit your current needs.

Traditional menu management during holidays involves costly reprinting, lengthy approval processes, and inevitable timing delays. Digital menu boards provide brand consistency, particularly useful if you have multiple locations—it’s simple to get every site updated with the same menu format in real time.

Cost-Effective Holiday Promotions

A digital menu board requires an initial investment, but over time you’ll save a substantial amount of money. When you update your menu, you don’t have to order new ones. You eliminate all that extra spending on menu updates.

Evergreen’s digital menu platform enables instant holiday theme implementations, including special holiday presets and seasonal themes that can transform your menu’s appearance overnight without printing costs or delays.

Strategic Holiday Planning: The Six-Month Approach

Early Planning for Maximum Impact

Experts suggest giving yourself six months to plan an effective promotional lineup. Halloween is in October, which means you should start planning in April! That way you will be ready to start spreading the word about your holiday specials in October.

This extended planning timeline allows for:

• Menu Development: Testing new seasonal recipes and perfecting execution
• Supply Chain Coordination: Securing seasonal ingredients and specialty items
• Staff Training: Preparing teams for increased volume and new offerings
• Marketing Integration: Developing comprehensive promotional campaigns
• Technology Setup: Configuring digital menu systems for seasonal rotations

Holiday Calendar Strategy

There are many unique holidays you can use as vehicles to promote special offers. February is National Grapefruit Month—promote specials on a yummy grapefruit-infused IPA, house-made grapefruit sangria, or a classic Salty Dog.

Major Holiday Schedule for Menu Planning:

• Winter Holidays: New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day
• Spring Celebrations: St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day
• Summer Events: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Father’s Day
• Fall Favorites: Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving

A quick Google search provides a long list of holidays, both familiar and strange, and a little creativity with these dates can boost your business.

Seasonal Beer Menu Strategies

Rotating Seasonal Selections

Incorporating seasonal beers into the menu is a great way to keep things fresh and exciting for customers. Seasonal beers are brewed to complement specific times of the year, offering unique flavors and ingredients that evoke the spirit of the season.

Seasonal Rotation Examples:

• Spring: Light and refreshing beers such as wheat beers and fruit-infused ales to complement the warmer weather
• Summer: Crisp and citrusy IPAs and lagers that are perfect for outdoor gatherings
• Fall: Seasonal favorites like Oktoberfest beers and pumpkin ales
• Winter: Rich and robust stouts and porters to provide warmth and comfort on cold nights

Creating Anticipation and Exclusivity

Seasonal beers create a sense of anticipation and exclusivity. By offering limited-time seasonal brews, establishments can encourage customers to visit regularly to try the latest offerings. A brewpub may release a special pumpkin ale during the fall, creating excitement among customers who eagerly anticipate its arrival each year.

Evergreen’s digital beer menu boards support this strategy by allowing you to display keg levels or “just tapped” banners for real-time inventory visibility, building urgency around limited seasonal selections.

Holiday-Specific Menu Development

Halloween Marketing Opportunities

Halloween provides great promotional opportunities for your bar or restaurant to excite current customers, attract new diners, and get noticed.

Halloween Menu Strategies:

• Themed Cocktails: Brainstorm unique cocktail ideas to entice your customers—red-colored drinks are perfect for “vampire blood” themes
• Creative Naming: Give Halloween-themed names to traditional cocktails that are already on the menu
• Interactive Elements: Treat guests to complimentary “vampire blood” shots in tubes or syringes
• Visual Effects: Adding a dry-ice cocktail is another simple way to enhance an already-existing menu item

Valentine’s Day Revenue Optimization

61.8% of consumers celebrate Valentine’s Day, with 34.6% of those who celebrate going out, making this holiday particularly lucrative for bars and restaurants.

Target Audience Segmentation:
When planning a great Valentine’s Day event, you first need to pick your audience. You can’t please everyone, so select the demographic that best fits your business goals:

• Couples seeking romantic dining experiences
• Ladies – the “Galentine’s Day” crowd for friend celebrations
• Singles looking to mingle at anti-Valentine’s events
• Anti-establishment Valentine’s Day haters who appreciate alternative themes

Promotional Packaging: Consider freebies like wine pairings, a slice of chocolate cake, 2-for-1 deals or even a fireball shot. Package deals are another great option.

Winter Menu Transformation

Add hearty fare and warm drinks to your menus. Consider integrating holiday favorites like warm cider, cocoa, and mulled wines throughout Q1.

Winter Menu Additions:

• Comfort Food Focus: The winter months are the perfect time to experiment with comfort foods—think about dishes people know and love that give them a sense of nostalgia
• Warm Beverage Program: Hot toddies, mulled wines, and specialty coffee drinks
• Takeout Optimization: Create “take and bake” options like pizzas, pot pies, and one-sheet meals
• Home Experience Extensions: Provide resources to make winter cocktails at home so customers can have a unique experience tied to your brand

Digital Menu Implementation for Holiday Success

Dynamic Content Scheduling

Use your digital menu to upsell by showcasing seasonal offers and promotions, help drive sales of key drinks, and show off your specialties through strategic seasonal content.

Evergreen’s scheduling capabilities allow you to:

• Time-based Menu Rotations: Automatically switch between regular and holiday menus
• Promotional Content Integration: Schedule limited-time offers and seasonal specials
• Multi-location Synchronization: Deploy holiday themes across all locations simultaneously
• Advanced Planning: Set up holiday content weeks or months in advance

Visual Appeal and Brand Integration

Digital menus are visually appealing and easy to read. They do a fantastic job of drawing people in and captivating their attention. You can enhance your branding by incorporating your social media feed on the board or by customizing the art to reflect your business’s motif.

Holiday Theme Implementation:

• Seasonal Color Schemes: Implement holiday-appropriate colors and fonts
• Festive Imagery: Incorporate seasonal graphics and backgrounds
• Social Media Integration: Display holiday-themed customer photos and posts
• Interactive Elements: Feature countdown timers for limited-time holiday offers

Revenue Maximization Strategies

Tiered Holiday Packages

Create catering bundles at different price points, allowing clients to choose between basic, deluxe, and premium options. This caters to different budget ranges and needs.

Package Structure Examples:

• Basic Holiday Package: Traditional menu items with seasonal garnishes
• Premium Holiday Experience: Specialty seasonal cocktails and limited-edition dishes
• VIP Holiday Celebration: Exclusive items, personalized service, and premium presentations

Early Bird and Scarcity Marketing

Incentivize customers to book their catering early by offering access to limited seasonal specials for orders placed before a certain date.

Scarcity Tactics:

• Limited Quantity Offers: “Only 50 Thanksgiving dinner packages available”
• Time-Sensitive Promotions: “Early bird pricing ends November 15th”
• Exclusive Access: “Members-only holiday menu preview”
• First-Come Benefits: “First 25 orders receive complimentary dessert”

Corporate and Group Sales Focus

If you have a designated event space or separate dining room, market it as an area for large family get-togethers and private parties. Try posting flyers around your bar area or restaurant, advertising in the local paper, or reaching out to followers on social media to book the space.

B2B Holiday Marketing:

• Corporate Holiday Parties: Specialized menus for office celebrations
• Group Event Packages: Family reunion and large party accommodations
• Catering Services: Target business-to-business sales and seek opportunities to cater corporate holiday parties

Operational Efficiency During Holiday Rushes

Staff Training and Preparation

Remember, the holiday season is busy for everyone and people need a lot of advance warning to carve out time to visit your bar or restaurant.

Staff Preparation Strategies:

• Menu Knowledge: Train staff on new seasonal items, ingredients, and preparation methods
• Upselling Techniques: Equip team members with holiday-specific upselling strategies
• Digital Menu Management: Ensure staff can handle basic digital menu updates and troubleshooting
• Customer Service: Prepare for increased volume and holiday stress management

Inventory Management and Cost Control

From a logistical standpoint, pre-set menus facilitate efficient inventory management and cost control. With a set menu, chefs can accurately forecast ingredient requirements and minimize food waste by utilizing ingredients across multiple courses.

Inventory Optimization:

• Cross-Utilization: Use seasonal ingredients across multiple menu items
• Waste Reduction: Plan quantities based on historical holiday demand data
• Supplier Coordination: Secure seasonal ingredients with reliable delivery schedules
• Cost Forecasting: Budget for premium holiday ingredients and pricing adjustments

Marketing Integration and Promotion

Social Media Holiday Campaigns

Use social media sites to share all the promotions you have, and if your customers are pleased with what you’re doing, they’re likely to share what’s going on with their friends.

Campaign Ideas:

• 12 Days of Specials: Highlight different aspects of your catering service—menu highlights, testimonials, behind-the-scenes prep
• User-Generated Content: Encourage customers to share photos of seasonal menu items
• Behind-the-Scenes Content: Show holiday menu preparation and seasonal ingredient sourcing
• Community Engagement: Host charitable events—donate a portion of sales to a good cause or collect cans of soup for a local homeless shelter

Email Marketing and Customer Retention

Email marketing accounts for 20% of website visits during the holiday season, with Thanksgiving ranking second for email engagement.

Email Strategy Components:

• Early Bird Announcements: Notify loyal customers about holiday menu previews
• Personalized Offers: Customize promotions based on past holiday ordering patterns
• Event Invitations: Exclusive access to holiday events and tastings
• Recipe Sharing: Provide customers with holiday cocktail recipes featuring your bar

Gift Card and Loyalty Integration

Help customers with their holiday shopping by advertising your gift cards. Put a banner on your website, post about the cards on social media, and place small signs on each table.

Holiday Gift Strategies:

• Bonus Value Offers: “Buy $100 in gift cards, receive $20 bonus”
• Holiday Gift Packages: Combine gift cards with seasonal merchandise or experiences
• Loyalty Program Integration: Double points for holiday menu purchases
• Corporate Sales: Market gift cards to local businesses for employee appreciation

Measuring Holiday Menu Success

Key Performance Indicators

Track these essential metrics to measure your holiday menu performance:

Revenue Metrics:

• Holiday menu item sales volume and revenue contribution
• Average order value during holiday periods vs. regular periods
• Seasonal item profit margins and cost analysis
• Year-over-year holiday sales growth

Operational Metrics:

• Menu update frequency and timing efficiency
• Staff training hours and customer service scores
• Inventory turnover rates for seasonal items
• Customer satisfaction and feedback scores

Post-Holiday Analysis and Planning

Performance Review Process:

• Sales Analysis: Identify top-performing and underperforming holiday items
• Customer Feedback: Collect and analyze customer responses to seasonal offerings
• Operational Assessment: Review staffing, inventory, and operational challenges
• Financial Review: Calculate actual ROI vs. projected returns for holiday investments

Future Planning Integration:

• Menu Development: Use performance data to refine next year’s seasonal offerings
• Inventory Optimization: Adjust ordering patterns based on actual consumption data
• Staff Development: Identify training needs and operational improvements
• Technology Enhancement: Optimize digital menu systems based on holiday usage patterns

Getting Started with Holiday Menu Management

Implementation Timeline

90 Days Before Holiday Season:

• Finalize seasonal menu items and pricing strategy
• Update website and digital platforms to prepare for increased traffic
• Begin staff training on new seasonal offerings
• Set up digital menu templates and holiday themes

60 Days Before Holiday Season:

• Launch teaser campaigns and early bird promotions
• Send first round of emails to existing customers highlighting holiday offers
• Coordinate with suppliers for seasonal ingredient availability
• Test digital menu holiday themes and scheduling features

30 Days Before Holiday Season:

• Run final email and social media campaigns promoting booking opportunities
• Complete staff training and system testing
• Activate holiday menu themes and promotional content
• Monitor competitor activities and adjust strategies accordingly

Technology Setup and Integration

Digital Menu Configuration:

• Implement holiday presets and seasonal themes for instant visual transformation
• Schedule automatic menu rotations for different holiday periods
• Set up promotional banners and special offer displays
• Configure inventory integration for real-time item availability

Staff Training Components:

• Digital menu management and update procedures
• Holiday menu knowledge and upselling techniques
• Customer service strategies for busy holiday periods
• Problem resolution and system troubleshooting basics

Ready to maximize your holiday revenue with strategic seasonal menu management? Evergreen’s digital menu platform provides the flexibility and functionality needed to capitalize on every holiday opportunity, from instant theme changes to sophisticated scheduling capabilities.

Start your free trial today and discover how easy it is to transform your seasonal menu management while driving substantial revenue growth during the most profitable times of the year.