Preparing for Christmas in the restaurant business: 5 tips to boost your sales
06 October 2025
The festive season is fast approaching, with their share of big tables, gifts to find and customers pressed for time.
For restaurateurs, this is an intense period, but it's also an opportunity to build relationships, boost sales and get January off to a good start.
The good news is that you don't need a colossal budget, and you don't need to spend your nights there. With a few simple, well thought-out activations, you can attract more customers, smooth out your business and extend the holiday momentum beyond December.
In this guide, we share our 5 favorite strategies for preparing your restaurant for Christmas and make the most of this period without weighing down your organization.
01. Boost your end-of-year sales with digital gift cards
Visit gift cards are still very much in vogue, and are becoming increasingly popular in restaurants. In digital format, they're easy to buy, quick to offer and bring you sales before the customer even consumes.
It's a great way for your regulars to share their favorite canteen with their friends and family. It's also an original idea for parents who want to support their children who have recently moved out of the home. With a gift card, they know their son or daughter won't have to settle for just pasta without sauce for dinner.
Offer a convenient and immediate gift experience
Visit digital gift card can be purchased online from your restaurant's website, at any time. There's no need for printing or checkout - everything is automated.
On the customer side, it's the ideal last-minute gift.
For restaurants, it's a profitable acquisition channel: each card sold means a new table occupied and a higher average bill.
And according to an EMEA study by Fiserv69% of recipients spend the full value of their card within two months of the gift: a rapid consumption effect that directly supports your sales.
Extend the magic with rechargeable cards
A classic card generates a single visit. A rechargeable cardIt's a relationship that extends over time. Loyal customers use it regularly as a means of payment, to the point of making it a habit.
It's also a way to turn a Christmas gift into a business tool. loyalty : reload the card for Valentine's Day, a birthday or simply a family outing. You maintain a regular income, even after the holidays are over.
Promote your gift cards in September
Gift card purchases are not only concentrated in December. In 2024, 64% of gift box sales in the hotel and catering sector took place between January and November. In other words, customers anticipate. If you only communicate at the end of the year, you'll lose some of your sales.
Create a visual campaign in the colors of Christmas as early as September, and relay it on your networks, your website and your emails.
Add a simple sales pitch: "This year, trade in the traditional pair of slippers for a nice dinner". You'll speak directly to customers who are looking for a gift idea that's appreciated and different.
02. Attract your customers with a digital Advent calendar
The Advent calendar is a classic that still works. In the restaurant business, it's an effective way of building anticipation and multiplying visits.
There's no need for big gifts: a simple but well-thought-out benefit often has more impact than an overly large, poorly-targeted discount.
And in December, your customers are already out doing their Christmas shopping. A free coffee, double loyalty points or a small dessert may be enough to convince them to take a break at your place rather than elsewhere.
Create a festive rendezvous every day in December
A digital calendar is a ritual. Every morning, your customers know that a new surprise awaits them. This reflex leads them to consult your communications on a daily basis, and you stay on their minds right up to the dinner table.
Here are a few ideas:
➜ December 1: 50 bonus loyalty points
➜ December 8: free coffee for purchases of 15 euros or more
➜ December 15: -20% on all desserts from €10 purchase
➜ December 24: a voucher valid in January, to ensure the return after the holidays
This daily rhythm keeps you coming back for more, and gives you continuous visibility throughout the month.
And if you're afraid of getting lost, don't panic: you can start simpler, with an offer every week or every other day. It's a practice that's becoming more and more popular, and just as effective at creating anticipation without complicating organization, especially when you're just starting out.
Boost your sales by targeting hollow niches
The Advent calendar is not just a marketing tool, it's also a management tool.
You can focus your biggest bids on your quietest days to bring in traffic when you need it most.
For example, on a less busy Monday evening, you can double loyalty points or offer a free dessert.
This smoothes out your activity and optimizes your resources, instead of concentrating all demand on weekends.
Highlight your local partners to enrich the experience
An attractive Advent calendar doesn't have to rely solely on your own products. Involving local partners is a simple way to surprise your customers while creating value on both sides.
Offering a chocolate from a local artisan, a discount at the wine shop next door or a little surprise from a partner boutique is an opportunity to vary your rewards without adding to your costs.
It's also a good way to strengthen your ties with the local community: you bring visibility to your partners, and in return you gain in attractiveness to their customers.
A win-win situation that makes your Advent calendar even more original and memorable.
And these collaborations don't necessarily stop in December. A successful partnership can lead to other key operations during the year: Valentine's Day, Easter, back-to-school in September... This is the perfect way to set up sustainable marketing campaigns and take advantage of the momentum all year round.
Save time with automation
The other advantage of digital is that you don't have to be at the office every day to send the offer at 9am sharp. You can program everything in advance.
Your Advent calendar unfolds itself and you can attack December with peace of mind, without having to manage each shipment by hand.
03. Maximize your results with email and SMS campaigns
In December, your customers are in demand from everywhere. What makes the difference is not the volume, but the precision of the message and the timing. Your well-crafted e-mail and SMS campaigns become a real lever for filling your tables and selling more gift cards.
Unfurl a real Christmas storytelling
Don't just send a succession of promos. Build a story that accompanies your customers throughout the period:
➜ October: promote your gift cards as "the gift to be prepared in advance".
➜ November: launch of the Advent calendar, with a festive and playful tone
➜ early December: promote your special holiday offers
➜ mid-December: gift card reminders for late arrivals
➜ December 24: last chance, the digital gift card available in seconds!
This red thread gives coherence to your communications and allows your customers to follow you without saturation.
Multiply your contact points at the right time
In December, your customers are bombarded with advertising messages. To stand out from the crowd, there's no need to send more than the others: instead, play on the complementarity of channels. Each medium has its own strength and role to play in your holiday communications.
Email: set the mood for Christmas
This channel helps you enrich your messages, present your menus in detail and enhance your visuals. It's a simple way to convey the Christmas mood and attract your customers.
For example:
Subject: How about a souvenir instead of a gift?
Visual header : a nice photo of your signature dish
Mail body : A free dinner is an experience lived together. Our digital gift cards can be purchased in just a few clicks and sent instantly by e-mail. Perfect for last-minute gifts, or to treat your loved ones right now.
Call-to-action (button linking to a URL, menu, offer, etc.) : Offer a gift card
➜ Looking for the right recipe for your emails? See our resource : Catering: write irresistible e-mail marketing in 5 steps
SMS: a last-minute helping hand
Designed to trigger immediate action. With more than 90% of openings, it's your weapon for flash offers, last-minute reminders or targeted reminders.
For example: On December 22, send a text message like "Last chance for gifts: offer a digital dinner card, sent instantly by e-mail! A short, clear, action-oriented message, perfect for catching latecomers.
Social networks & Google Business page: your festive showcase
Your customers already spend time on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok. Take the opportunity to show off your dishes, special evenings or behind-the-scenes preparations.
In parallel, update your Google Business profile special opening hours, limited-edition menus, recent photos... This is often the first reflex of customers looking for a place to book. If your info isn't clear, they'll zap to someone else.
Segment your mailings for better conversion
The same message doesn't speak to everyone. Segment your database enables you to deliver the right content at the right time. This is what gives your communications real commercial impact.
➜ Regular customers : reward them with a loyalty bonus, early access to your holiday offers or an invitation to an exclusive menu. This will strengthen their loyalty and accelerate their bookings.
➜ New customers : offer them a discount on the next bill or a discovery offer. The aim is simple: to get them back quickly before they move on.
➜ Groups and companies : target contacts who regularly order for several people, and highlight your festive menus or catering offers. You'll optimize your end-of-year bookings.
Personalization doesn't just mean putting the customer's first name on the object. It means adapting your offers to their behavior.
A segmented base generates more opens, more clicks, but above all more sales.
Conversely, a generic email or text message can go unnoticed. By better targeting, you create a personalized relationship that triggers concrete action.
➜ Want to know more about segmentation? See our resource : Segmenting your database: the cornerstone of customer loyalty
04. Prepare your bookings and special holiday offers
December is a busy month for team meals, get-togethers with friends and extended families... If you don't prepare anything, these bookings will go to your competitors.
Anticipating your offer and structuring your organization will enable you to capture this flow and to keep your room under control despite the rush.
Showcase your festive menus in November
A special menu is useless if it remains on a PDF file. Make it visible early, on your networks, your website and your email campaigns. The earlier your customers book, the more secure your cutlery will be.
➜ Propose a complete formula (starter, main course, dessert, beverage) for easy selection.
➜ Clearly state your rates and conditions (e.g. deposit for groups) to avoid lengthy exchanges.
➜ Enhance your dishes with high-quality visuals : a well-presented image of a dessert is often more convincing than a description.
Make it easy to book group meals
In the autumn, companies often start looking for a venue for their annual meal. If you offer adapted menus but nobody knows about them, you're missing the boat.
➜ Create a dedicated "end-of-year meal" page on your site, with your formulas, your capacities and a quick request form.
➜ Limit your choices: one or two set menus are enough. Too many options complicate logistics and slow down service.
➜ Add simple benefits: a drink included, an all-inclusive formula or the possibility of privatizing part of the room beyond a certain number of covers.
Offer Click & Collect for team lunches at the office
Not all companies go out to dinner for their end-of-year meal. Some prefer to celebrate directly in the office.
It's an opportunity for you thanks to Click & Collect :
➜ Create a seasonal catering offer (meal trays, festive formulas to share).
➜ Promote it to your trade customers from November onwards.
➜ Simplify ordering and collection for smooth organization on the business side.
It's a great way to attract additional B2B customers, without having to take up seats, while maximizing your sales.
➜ Want to find out more about the Click & Collect solution? See our resource : How can we develop the takeaway market without disrupting in-store service?
Organize themed evenings to diversify your sales
Not everyone books a company meal or a Christmas menu. But many are looking for a festive December outing. A "mulled wine and raclette" evening, a December 25th brunch or a New Year's Eve party with musical entertainment: This type of event attracts new customers and gives your regulars a reason to come back.
05. Turn your Christmas campaigns into lasting customer loyalty
December generates a peak in activity, but the challenge is to extend this momentum. Gift cards, party menus, communication campaigns... whatever you do in December doesn't have to stop on the 31st. Think of them as a springboard for building a more lasting relationship with your customers, and smoothing out your attendance from the start of the year.
Convert gift buyers into regular customers
A sold gift card doesn't stop at the cash desk: it brings a new customer into your venue. This is your chance to make it part of your database. Invite him to join your loyalty program when using the card. You can then reactivate it with targeted communications.
Capitalize on holiday momentum in January
January is often a quieter month, but it's just the right time to get your customers going again. Send a targeted email or SMS to gift card buyers and recipients: a special "back from the holidays" offer, bonus points for all bookings, or a range of new products highlighted. This way, you can use the energy accumulated in December to avoid a drop in traffic and keep your tables full from the start of the year.
➜ Looking for ideas for your January relaunches? See our resource : Customer loyalty calendar: 10 campaigns not to be missed
Don't let the festive season slip away
Digital gift cards, advent calendars, email and SMS campaigns... all tools to fill your tables in December and keep your customers engaged from January. Digital isn't just about managing the holiday rush, it's about helping you turn this period into one of lasting loyalty.
Want to plan your year-end without stress? Contact our experts today.
