8 Operator Tips on Holiday Events That Drive Business

Office party buyouts, gift card promotions, and event space bookings are great ways to drive business through the holidays. But we talked to operators who’ve gotten even more creative with prix fixe menus, immersive experiences, and exclusive after-hours to bring in revenue at a time when guests want shared experiences and holiday cheer.

Here are 8 tips to build end-of-year revenue.

Create an immersive experience that feels like a good value

It’s impossible not to bask in holiday cheer while inside a 50-foot heated sphere illuminated with a 360-degree immersive show. Located atop Hi-Lawn at Union Market in D.C. is The Dome, where a ticketed, 90-minute experience called Snowglow features food, drink, and this year, a Wes Anderson-inspired Alpine Hotel theme.

“Our concept is a supplement during the seasons that people might not want to be outside on a roof,” says co-owner Paul Carlson. The Dome, now in its third year, stays open from November through March, starting with a holiday show and shifting to a winter theme come January

“It’s great for small gatherings to celebrate the holidays,” says co-owner (and Blagden Hospitality co-founder) Greg Algie, who says they commission digital artists to create shows each year. There is also a separate Summit Lounge on the roof that stays open anytime for non-ticket holders. A Snowglow ticket ranges from $29-$36 and includes a reserved seat inside The Dome and a welcome drink (other food and drink from boozy dessert shots to charcuterie boards are a la carte). “It’s the holidays, people have a lot of expenses, inflation is up, interest rates are up. So, we wanted to bring more value to our ticket price,” says Carlson of the newly added drink.

 

Weatherproof your event to deliver the best guest experience

When it comes to setting up (and securing) outdoor events in colder climates, Algie warns “Don’t go cheap.” He worked with an engineer and tent company to make sure The Dome was safe, secure, and sealed up. “We learned that spending a bit extra to create a door versus just having a flap helped us keep the cold weather out, and was a better experience for guests.”

He also stressed having a snow plan for anything constructed outside, and a safe heating source that can operate all night. “We had to learn what type of heat was needed and the right amount,” says Algie. “We became tent experts.”

But enlist help from other experts to pull it all off

Carlson and Algie might be tent experts, but they admit they aren’t ‘special event’ guys.  Through support from their developers, landlord, artists, social media team, and tech partners, they were able to pull it off. “We needed to find ways to bring in business during a time where we weren’t getting much because nobody wants to be outside in 30-degree temperatures,” says Carlson. “I think operators have to be creative, look at [their] marketplace, and see the need.”

On the actual holidays: Offer a unique, themed prix fixe

COVID forced restaurateurs to tap into a whole other level of revenue generating creativity, and for Jarrett Stieber of Little Bear in Atlanta (which opened February 2020) he turned to takeout. For that first holiday season, they started offering a mashup of Jewish and American Chinese food, an homage to Stieber’s background of growing up Jewish and eating Chinese food on Christmas.

“We were having fun and started moving into Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine meets Sichuan and Hunan, and working through different sub genres of Chinese food,” says Stieber. From there the “classic American takeout Chinese meets New York Jewish deli mash up” has returned to 31-seat Little Bear every holiday season since, with a four-course prix fixe available Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (think Peking Quail and Kugel Donuts) for $75 and paired cocktails for $65 (it’s higher for the New Year’s Eve dinner).

“From Halloween through New Year’s people start going out more, and that’s where you can make money to pay license and permit renewals in January and all the other expenses that come up,” he says.

 

Make holiday events easy on your staff and reservation books

For the Little Bear holiday dinners, there are three seatings a night and a $50 fee for last-minute cancellations, but a waitlist helps if they do need to fill seats. And to keep things moving smoothly in the kitchen on busy prix fixe event nights, Stieber says they typically don’t accommodate allergies or dietary restrictions. “The rest of the year we have tons of accommodating ability, it’s just not something we really have the capacity for on other nights with fancy dinners,” he says.

For New Year’s, Stieber says they try to wrap up by 10:30 p.m. to allow guests and staff the chance to enjoy the holiday. “They can choose to go home before it gets chaotic or still have time to get into the chaos if that’s what they want.” His team appreciates it, as well as the chance to make some extra money on nights with guaranteed revenue (the holiday dinners all sell out).

Stieber says it’s “a higher quantity of tips coming in than a normal night of service by a significant margin.” Stieber also says it’s important for operators to work holiday events themselves, alongside their team. “It’s not fair to ask your staff to come and then take those nights off and reap the benefits. I think it’s kind of a bad look,” he says.

Don’t underestimate being open on the holidays

While a lot of Atlanta restaurants close for the holidays, Stieber likes that Little Bear is one of the few that remain open. “You’d be surprised how many people are looking for excuses to go out on the holidays, so it’s always worth being open,” he says. “As long as you can give guests a reason to come in that’ll be worth their time.”

For nearly 30-year-old winery Orin Swift, they drum up extra holiday business in their 12-year-old tasting room by staying open when all the other tasting rooms in St. Helena are closed. They’ve become known for their after-hours “speakeasy-style” events that offer everything from standup comedy to trivia nights, and on November 25 this year, they’ll stay open later for St. Helena’s Wine Barrel Tree lighting ceremony. Every year, more than 100 reclaimed wine barrels are stacked 38 feet in the air and “lit” with strings of lights as everyone from families to the mayor shows up to watch.

Orin Swift will be decked out for the holidays and welcomes walk-ins from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. “It’s a way to start the season in the tasting room,” says senior digital marketing specialist Samantha Blankenbaker. “Guests can enjoy small bites, friends, a glass of wine, and kickstart the holiday season with us.”

The winery partners with local vendors to bring in everything from chocolates to cookies, and in the past has had live music and an ugly sweater party. It’s also the only time visitors can get a custom wine cocktail and take home the recipe to recreate.

Amp up your gifts and merch while you have a captive audience

If you’re looking for a good time to create merch or launch a new product or collection, save it for the holidays or better yet, offer everything during an open house or after-hours shopping event. Orin Swift offers extended hours for a Holiday Open House on December 5, and an all-day shopping event on Black Friday, allowing extra time for guests to not only book a tasting room reservation, but peruse curated holiday wine packs. “We create gifts we think people are going to love,” says Blankenbaker, which is everything from bottle packs to magnums. New this year is a limited eight-bottle edition collector’s set, a story written by winery founder Dave Phinney, and surprise gift. They also expanded their merch to include more non-wine related items available throughout all of the holiday events (from bomber jackets to skate decks).

“Our gifts don’t always fit in a cellar or a glass,” says Blankenbaker, who says Orin Swift doesn’t want to be like every other winery in the valley.

 

Above all, make an experience that’s worthwhile

“We want to be the place where people come to hang out, and we’re real when it comes to wines. We make quality wines you could put in a cellar, but the goal is to drink it now. It’s about drinking it with people, making memories, and enjoying life.” Which is basically the key to any successful holiday event.