This scorching weather is sticking around for now. The hospitality industry is gearing up for the year’s busiest season as customers flock to the beer gardens to relax and enjoy the cool refreshments.
But faster-paced footfall and revenue can be a stressful time for staff working in the hospitality sector, so let us explore some ways your business can be ready and have a successful, profitable summer.
Sizzling summer menus
When the temperature rises, customers crave light and refreshing options to eat. Consider making some adjustments, such as:
- Adding seasonal specials that include fresh salads and grilled favourites such as skewers will entice customers and keep them returning.
- Try pairing the new meals with non-alcoholic or soft drink suggestions rather than wine.
- Also, consider whether you want to extend serving times for an outside bespoke menu throughout the season; this will reduce the number of covers inside.
Creating summer vibes
Transforming outdoor areas for customers to sit and relax will encourage customers to stay longer. Music outside at a reasonable level and soft lighting can instantly transport your customers to a tropical paradise. Make sure to provide parasols and shaded areas to stop sunburnt customers. Hanging baskets can make an enticing invitation to potential customers walking by.
Ensuring the garden and entrance are well kept should be at the top of your job list for staff to check regularly. Consider providing blankets when the sun sets, and the temperatures drop and changing the music to a mellow, chilled-out playlist.
Team Skills
Prompt service, maintaining a positive attitude and handling customer queries with a smile are all factors in ensuring you keep a loyal customer base. Summer often brings an increased flow of customers, which means your staff need to be prepared for the busiest times.
Training on proactively upselling drinks, sides, and desserts while customers are in the garden and negotiating sleeping dogs with hands full of plates and glasses is essential.
Implementing a Tronc Scheme
You have worked hard to keep bringing in the trade for the summer; customers have been loyal and enjoyed the environment you’ve provided for them to socialise, drink and eat with friends.
Take advantage of an opportunity to collect tips and ensure they can be farely and cost-effectively distributed to your team.
Suppose you aren’t already using a Tronc scheme and are distributing pooled discretionary tips to your team via the payroll. In that case, you will incur unnecessary costs and penalise your staff through National Insurance Contributions.
By adopting a compliant tronc scheme, employers and employees can save on their National Insurance contributions, even when tips are paid through the PAYE. This can result in significant cost reductions for businesses (Employers’ NI of 13.8%) and lead to additional take-home pay for employees as the tips allocated to them do not attract Employees’ NI at 12% (this equates to an extra £12.00 for every £100 of tips received by the employee).
Our blog ‘What are the benefits of a tronc scheme?’ explains further.
Staff Retention
Tronc Schemes are also a great way to improve staff retention during these busy periods. A business with a tronc scheme is deemed ethical and commits to recognising and valuing its staff fairly. This, in turn, builds loyalty and boosts staff retention rates, reducing turnover and the costs associated with training new employees.
Make the most of the footfall during the summer season by bringing many benefits to your staff and business. If you would like to know more about how a tronc scheme could work in your businesses, speak to one of Troncmasters, call 03331122610 or contact us,