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The holiday season presents a golden opportunity for restaurants to boost catering sales, as corporate events, family gatherings, and festive celebrations drive up demand. However, winning holiday catering business requires strategic planning, effective marketing, and a well-crafted menu—keeping in mind that most corporate catering orders are placed one month in advance, and 33% of all catering orders occur in Q4.
Looking ahead, the market sees a big jump in catering orders placed the week before Thanksgiving and a consistent upward trend across the first three weeks of December (Toast). Last year, Friday, November 17th, was the highest day for catering order volume in Q4, with 92% more catering orders than the daily average.
You’ll want to get ahead of corporate catering (Lunchbox Catering customers see $500+ catering check averages on B2B) and plan for office parties, events, and end-of-year celebrations. The busiest day for large parties is December 9th, so it’s important to start your marketing efforts a couple of months in advance to win that business.
In this guide, we’ll help you plan ahead and cover actionable tips to help restaurants thrive during this high-demand period—focusing on marketing, menu planning, and leveraging tech solutions like Lunchbox Catering and Marketing CRM.
(Toast)
1. Start Early: Building a Holiday Catering Marketing Calendar
Planning is key to executing a successful holiday catering campaign. A well-structured calendar ensures your restaurant is prepared to meet demand and fully capitalize on the season’s opportunities. Here’s a timeline for planning:
3 Months in Advance (September-October):
Finalize Menus: Start by developing a special holiday catering menu. This menu should feature festive favorites and special packages tailored for large groups.
Launch Teaser Campaigns: Use social media to build anticipation. Share “sneak peeks” of menu items and discuss what makes your holiday catering different.
Update Website & Digital Platforms: Ensure your catering pages are optimized for SEO and that your online ordering system (such as Lunchbox Catering) is prepared for increased traffic.
2 Months in Advance (November):
Email Marketing Campaigns: Send your first round of emails to existing customers, highlighting early-bird offers and special packages.
Targeted Social Ads: Leverage Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to target local businesses and event organizers who need catering for office parties. Look for a CRM that integrates guest data with major ad platforms so campaigns are targeted and personalized to maximize ROI.
Review CRM Data: Use your Marketing CRM to identify past holiday customers or businesses that frequently order catering, and prioritize outreach to these groups.
1 Month in Advance (December):
Last-Minute Push: Run email and social media campaigns promoting final booking opportunities, scarcity (e.g., “Limited slots left!”), and urgency to close deals.
Cross-Promotion: Partner with local event venues or office complexes to offer catering promotions and increase visibility.
2. Holiday Catering Menu: Designing for Festivity and Functionality
Crafting a holiday catering menu is more than just adding seasonal ingredients. Your menu should be optimized for both appeal and operational efficiency. Here’s how to approach it:
Focus on Crowd-Pleasers: To differentiate your offering, include a mix of holiday classics (e.g., roasted turkey, stuffing, glazed ham) and your restaurant’s signature dishes.
Offer Tiered 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.
Incorporate Dietary Options: Offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free choices to cater to various dietary restrictions and ensure inclusivity.
Efficient Execution: Ensure your menu items are scalable and can be quickly produced in large quantities without compromising quality.
Tech Tip: Use Lunchbox Catering to streamline the ordering process by offering pre-set packages that customers can customize online. This will reduce friction and increase order volume.
3. Marketing Campaigns that Drive Results
Effective marketing can make or break your holiday catering business. Here are a few campaign ideas and tactics to win over customers:
"Holiday Early Bird Special" Campaign:
Incentivize customers to book their catering early by offering access to limited seasonal specials for orders placed before a certain date.
Channel: Email, website banners, and social media ads.
Key Message: “Book your holiday catering by November 15 to access our limited seasonal catering menu!”
"12 Days of Catering" Social Media Campaign:
For 12 consecutive days, highlight different aspects of your catering service—menu highlights, testimonials, behind-the-scenes prep, etc.
Channel: Instagram Stories, Facebook posts, TikTok.
Key Message: Build excitement around your menu and service, showing off your team’s preparations and seasonal dishes.
"Corporate Party Catering" LinkedIn Ads:
Target local businesses with paid LinkedIn ads offering special corporate packages.
Key Message: “Make your office party stress-free with our holiday catering packages!”
4. Leverage Social and Email Marketing to Maximize Reach
Social media and email are two of the most effective channels for promoting holiday catering. Here’s how to optimize both:
Email Marketing:
Segmentation: Use your Marketing CRM to segment your email list based on past catering customers, frequent diners, and local businesses.
Personalization: Address your customers by name and mention their past orders or preferences to create a personalized experience.
Automation: Set up automated follow-up emails to remind recipients of key deadlines (e.g., early-bird specials) or prompt them to complete their catering orders.
Social Media Marketing:
Instagram & Facebook: Post high-quality images and videos of your holiday catering setup, menu items, and behind-the-scenes kitchen action.
User-Generated Content: Encourage satisfied customers to share photos of your catering at their events and tag your restaurant. Offer incentives like a holiday giveaway for the best photos.
Paid Ads: Use geo-targeting to reach local businesses and families within a specific radius of your restaurant.
Tech Tip: Lunchbox’s Marketing CRM allows you to track customer interactions across multiple channels, ensuring you can re-engage leads who opened emails or clicked on social ads but haven’t completed their order yet.
5. Optimizing for Mobile: Capture the On-the-Go Caterer
With many customers placing orders on their phones, a mobile-friendly experience is critical. Ensure your website, ordering platform, and email campaigns are optimized for mobile devices.
Tech Tip: Lunchbox’s Catering platform is fully optimized for mobile, offering a seamless experience from menu browsing to order checkout, helping you convert customers on the go.
6. Winning Business Through Partnerships and Collaborations
Holiday catering can benefit from creative partnerships. Collaborate with local businesses, event planners, and venues to offer exclusive catering discounts to their clients. You can also partner with influencers or local community leaders to promote your catering services through their social channels.
Conclusion
Holiday catering is an incredible growth opportunity for restaurants, but to stand out, it requires strategic planning, a compelling menu, and effective marketing. By leveraging tools like Lunchbox Catering and Marketing CRM, you can streamline your operations, maximize customer engagement, and optimize your marketing efforts to win big this holiday season.
From early-bird specials to social media campaigns, start preparing now and set your restaurant up for a successful holiday catering season.
