Change Your Restaurant With The Seasons

One of the reasons restaurants fail is that they cannot keep their customers interested and coming back. It’s vital to have reoccurring customers along with new clientele. A loss in customers can quickly lead to a restaurant’s failure, no incoming funds means no money to pay bills. One way to keep your customers interested is by offering menu and restaurant changes throughout the year. Changing decorations quarterly, with the seasons as well as foods with the seasons, will help your restaurant feel fresh and current.
Showcasing seasonal foods can revive a menu periodically. Seasonal foods offer the most flavor and nutritional value at an affordable cost. Ro Howe, chef and restaurateur, explains “Featuring seasonal ingredients assures your customers that you are conscious of what nature has to offer." Using products like San Jamar’s Full Fold Tabletop Napkin Dispenser, is a great way to display seasonal menu items. This napkin dispenser features an insert option for customized promotional advertising. You can easily change advertisements from one season to the next allowing you to promote your special seasonal items without redoing your entire paper menu every few months.
In the Spring highlight green, leafy vegetables. Spring onions and asparagus are delicious this time of year. Summer is a great time to introduce cool and light foods. People typically eat less when it’s warm outside. Strawberries, corn, and apples are all fantastic foods for the summer. As Fall approaches, switch to full and hearty ingredients. Fall is a great time to work sweet potatoes and ginger into your menu. These are warm, filling foods that will match your customers’ taste buds. Finally, in Winter, focus on meats and root vegetables. Beef, carrots and lamb are particularly delicious this time of year. Stews are a great way to incorporate these as most people find a hearty stew a comfort food in the cold Winter months. Your menu is a great way to target new customers and keep current clientele's attention.
Your restaurant’s decorations and color scheme is another way to stay fresh, current. Like your menu, follow a seasonal pattern. Look for tabletop accessories that are versatile, like Update International’s Round Cracker Basket. In the Spring bring fresh flowers and pastels into your restaurant in small ways. Customers will appreciate the lively transition into the summer months. Summer is a great time to incorporate brighter colors into your tablecloths, napkins or other small features. As the temperature drops, switch your attention to beautiful autumn. Autumn is filled with rich, stunning colors. Incorporate items that start to transition between Summer and Winter, warm flowers with deep reds or fill a glass vase with fallen leaves for an inexpensive, gorgeous decoration. In the bitter cold keep customers warm, use candles at night to make it feel warm or use pine cones and snowflakes as simple table decoration.
When it comes to revamping your restaurant’s menu and style remember simplicity is key. Small changes can make a huge difference, especially when paired with the changing seasons. We strongly encourage restaurants to stay current by making small changes quarterly. At Public Kitchen Supply we want to help restaurants succeed. Visit our website at publickitchensupply.com for additional restaurant advice and fantastic kitchen supplies.

The World's Healthiest Foods. George Mateljan Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.