Category: Holiday

How to Pack Your Restaurant This Halloween

Halloween Themed Restaurant

Halloween isn’t just for kids—it’s one of the best times of the year for restaurants to attract new guests, boost sales, and create buzz. With the right promotions, your place can be the go-to spot for spooky fun and tasty food. Here are some creative ways to fill your tables this Halloween season:

Host a Costume Contest

People wearing halloween costume
Nothing draws a crowd like prizes. Invite guests to come in costume and offer rewards like free appetizers, gift cards, or a “Dinner for Two” for the best-dressed. Bonus tip: create categories (scariest, funniest, most original) to keep it fun for all ages.

Spooky-Themed Menu Items

Halloween-themed menu
Limited-time items are always a win. Think “Witch’s Brew” cocktails, pumpkin-inspired appetizers, or desserts with candy toppings. Rename menu favorites with Halloween twists (ex: “Bloody Mary’s Revenge,” “Monster Burgers”). Seasonal, fun menu names alone can generate social media buzz.

Family-Friendly Trick-or-Treating

Kids
Host an early-evening event where kids in costume get free treats while parents enjoy dinner specials. A safe, fun environment can make your restaurant the family stop of the night.

Halloween Happy Hour

People drinking while in halloween costume
Encourage adults to celebrate with discounted themed cocktails or draft specials during happy hour. Pair drinks with small plates to keep people ordering longer.

Partner with Local Businesses

Costume shop
Team up with nearby costume shops, haunted houses, or pumpkin patches. Offer cross-promotions like “show your ticket and get 10% off” to reach new customers already in the Halloween spirit.

Social Media Challenges

Mobile phone using social media
Create a “Fright Night” photo challenge. Ask diners to post their costumes or Halloween-inspired food pics from your restaurant with a hashtag. Pick winners for prizes—it spreads your brand and encourages repeat visits.

Spooky Décor & Atmosphere

Halloween decor
Go all in with cobwebs, jack-o’-lanterns, and mood lighting. Themed decorations not only set the vibe but also make your restaurant photo-worthy, which drives organic social sharing.

The magic of Halloween is in its short season. Make your promotions time-sensitive so guests feel the urgency to visit before it’s over.

By combining festive food, engaging contests, and a dash of spooky fun, your restaurant can turn Halloween into one of the busiest and most profitable nights of the year.

Q4 Starts Now: Prep Your Kitchen for Success

Restaurant in holiday season

The fourth quarter isn’t just about the holidays—it’s your last, best chance to hit revenue goals, clear inventory, and close the year strong.

Here’s how to prepare your kitchen, staff, and menu for a profitable Q4:

1. Review What Worked (and What Didn’t)

Business owner reviewing data

Now’s the time to analyze your top-selling menu items, catering packages, and promos from Q4 last year. Look at what sold fast, what created bottlenecks, and what your team handled with ease. Use this to streamline your menu and focus on your high-margin winners.

2. Audit Your Inventory and Equipment

 

Kitchen tools

Avoid mid-season backorders or equipment breakdowns. Audit your kitchen tools, servingware, and small appliances. Replace worn-out items and stock up on catering disposables, buffet gear, and cleaning supplies now—before demand peaks.

3. Plan Your Seasonal Offerings

Holiday menu

From holiday desserts to Thanksgiving trays, fall and winter are your chance to create crave-worthy, limited-time menus. Think comfort food with flair—plus drinks and desserts your customers can’t make at home.

4. Staff Up Early

Kitchen staff

Whether it’s temporary help for catering orders or cross-training team members to handle a rush, Q4 success starts with smart staffing. Start onboarding now to avoid scrambling in November.

5. Create Pre-Order Promos

Holiday Menu

 

Set up early-bird deals for Thanksgiving and holiday catering. Offer limited-time pricing or free delivery to lock in bulk orders ahead of the rush.

6. Prep for Off-Premise Sales

Takeout containers

 

To-go orders, delivery, and catering will skyrocket—make sure your packaging holds up. Stock up on insulated carriers, sturdy containers, and foil pans that travel well and look good.

7. Clean Up the Extras

Flash sale

Have discontinued items, off-season gear, or overstock? Use Q4 to run a flash sale or create bundles. Clear space for 2025 while encouraging large orders.

Don’t Wait Until November

Planning now means fewer surprises later. Review your data, prep your team, and stock up so you can focus on delivering great food and great service—without the last-minute stress.

Tips for Catering a Holiday Party During COVID

Caterers are in-demand for the holidays despite corona

Christmas is in the air and the New Year is fast approaching. Normally, the holiday catering season would be in full swing. From family gatherings to workplace holiday parties and other festive occasions marking the end of the old and the beginning of the new, this season has normally been a boon for foodservice providers and for the catering industry. The advent of COVID-19, however, has put a damper on the festivities and a new spin on what is considered ‘normal.’ From social distancing protocols and limited guest numbers at live events to virtual gatherings where get-togethers take place online only, you may think a caterer’s job is a thing of the past.

There is good news on the menu, however, for professional catering companies, party organizers, and event planners! Due to the coronavirus, the takeout/ordering-in paradigm is now in full bloom. The public is starting to gather again, albeit in small groups, and they are willing to pay top dollar for their favorite catered holiday meals and desserts.

Continue reading Tips for Catering a Holiday Party During COVID

Casseroles Making a Comeback on Restaurant Menus

Restaurant casserole sales rise during corona.

Attention restaurant owners: If you are looking the latest recipes to add to your menu, think casseroles! The quintessential oven-baked creation is making a comeback, and for good reason. Budget-friendly and family friendly, casseroles can be as rich or as simple as your customers’ palates desire. They are easy to prepare, nutritious, delicious, and are typically made from many of the staples you already have in your pantry. Think cost-effective ingredients such as pasta, rice, flour, canned or frozen vegetables, canned soup, beans, and a choice of meat, cheese, fish, or vegetarian options. Moreover, casseroles make plenty of servings and are easy to freeze and store.

Many Types of Casseroles

Boost restaurant revenues with comforting casserole dishes during corona.

Here’s more good news for restaurateurs: With a trove of tried-and-true casserole recipes available, and with an endless variety of dishes your chefs can concoct on their own, it is no wonder the casserole has become the “go-to” dish for many restaurants these days. Continue reading Casseroles Making a Comeback on Restaurant Menus

Holiday Fruitcakes for Your Restaurant Menu

Discover the secret to making rich fruitcakes and attract holiday consumers.

Fruitcake season is here, and with it, a golden opportunity for your restaurant to feature far out fruitcakes and attract the masses of holiday consumers to your eatery. While no one knows exactly how the dense, candied, nutty, sweet, and booze-soaked dessert became associated with the Christmas tradition, the fact is that customers wait all year long to indulge in the traditional treat. At the same time, they are ready and eager to sink their teeth into new and updated recipe.

From Fruitcake Classics to Flavorful Twists

Typically eaten by the slice and popularly given away as holiday gifts, new flavorful twists on the age-old dessert include recipes for fruitcake cookies, bars, mini-bites, shortbread, and even fruitcake waffles and donuts! Decadent no matter how they are prepared, let’s learn more about the culinary science and art of making magnificent fruitcakes. To do so, take off your apron, take a load off your feet, and prepare to take a journey into the past as we indulge in some fascinating fruitcake history…

History of Fruitcakes Across the Ages

Did you know that the modern-day fruitcake has been making the global rounds for millennium? Food historians have determined that the placing of cake loaves on the tombs of loved ones was customary as far back as ancient Egypt, over 3,000 years ago (perhaps as nourishment for the afterlife). But it was not until ancient Roman times that the fruitcake became popular and really took off. Touted for its portability and long shelf life – and hence frequently brought to the battlefields by Roman soldiers – the first fruitcakes were made of a pomegranate-pine nut-barley mash that was molded into a ring-shaped dessert.

Similarly, during the Middle Ages, fruited breads were widespread among Crusaders travelling the world and featured the addition of preserved fruits, spices, and honey.

Continue reading Holiday Fruitcakes for Your Restaurant Menu

Your Guide to Working with Different Types of Pastry Dough

Discover the fine art of pastry making with this easy-to-read pastry dough guide.

If the perfect pastry is what your customers are craving, you have come to the right place! In fact, if you work anywhere in foodservice, and especially if you own a bakery, patisserie, or café, the following guide on how to make the perfect pastry is your recipe for success.

At their essence, all pastries are doughs made from fat (usually butter), flour, and water (with the occasional egg). Remarkably, it is from these few simple ingredients that some of the globe’s most decadent and beloved desserts are born including pies, tarts, croissants, eclairs, strudels and more. Similarly, on the pastry menu, are favorite foods such as baguettes, quiches, meat and mince pies, (just in time for the holidays), souffles – and so on.
So, let’s set out to explore the wonderful world of pastry and learn the art of making crusts and crafting recipes that pamper the palate with their buttery flavor and crumbly, flaky texture. On the way we will sink our teeth into the different types of pastries, learn about the history of pastry dough, learn about less familiar pastry doughs and share some secret tricks of the trade…

Continue reading Your Guide to Working with Different Types of Pastry Dough