Nov
25

Food Service Ideas for the Xmas Season

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Ash Bennett

Good comfort food is a holiday staple. Everyone loves to see themed pastries, bread, espresso, cakes, and cookies in the windows of their favourite cafes. Deck the halls of your restaurant this holiday season with details that reflect the care and passion that you put into your business. Here are some tips for drawing in hungry holiday shoppers.

 

Décor

Go all out. Spread the Christmas cheer down to the tiniest of details. Decorate a tree in the window and place pastry boxes full of holiday goodies beneath it like presents surrounded by twinkle lights. String garlands along the counters, and hang holly and mistletoe over entryways. Tablecloths with beautiful holiday-themed prints and frosted glasses with tea lights in them add romance to any restaurant setting. Lining to-go boxes with holiday-themed tissue paper encourages customers to take home a bit of cheer. For an extraordinary experience, get creative. Hang decorated trees from the ceiling like chandeliers, or place all utensils into stockings on the tables. Let the décor spread to your food arrangements as well, create appetizer wreaths of mozzarella balls and tomatoes or olives placed on boughs of evergreens.

 

Menu Options

Changing up the menu and highlighting Xmas themed dishes and drinks will attract passers-by. Serve steaming mugs of whip-topped cocoa sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy. Update your coffee options with flavor syrups and feature holiday-themed espresso drinks like pumpkin spice, gingerbread, and eggnog. Remember those details, and consider topping each cup with some chocolate-covered cranberries. Guests will be delighted, and the aromas will fill your café with holiday charm. Offer pre-packaged holiday goodie boxes that have a little of everything, such as white chocolate-dipped peppermint sticks alongside gingerbread cookies, and Santa Claus-themed doughnuts. These boxes allow customers to grab something for an office or a party. Offer a little something extra with every purchase, like topping drinks with powdered doughnut holes made to look like snowman heads.

 

Offer Catering

This Xmas season, expand your food service business and provide catering service to holiday parties. Offices, families, and charities routinely host Xmas parties, so be there to cater them with your holiday-themed menu. Draw up some meal options that evoke the Xmas spirit to offer for party planners looking to feed their guests. Set yourself apart from other caterers by mixing traditional tastes with new ideas, like turning turkey and trimmings into bite-sized appetizers that can be served from a tray. Or, turn cheesecake into a dip for peppermint bark and chocolate covered pretzels. Incorporate local themes, for instance, if you live in the South swap mashed potatoes for plantains. Go the extra mile and add to the presentation of the meals with ‘frosty’ serving trays, appetizers or dinner rolls arranged to form a wreath around a dip.

However you get into the holiday spirit, share it with your customers and show them how much you appreciate their patronage. What are your ideas for adding some sugar and spice to your café or restaurant?