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RESTAURANT : REIMAGINED The Playbook to a Successful COVID Holiday Season TABLE OF CONTENTS ‘Tis the season for holiday dining! 3 Spread Joy with Kits & Gifting Options This year, we’re serving up your go- to guide with our top seven tips and tricks to a successful holiday season. While your dining rooms might look 5 Reimagine Private Dining Rooms & Outdoor Space a little different this year, you can still meaningfully connect with your guests and maximize your revenue. 7 Offer A Little Magic With Reservation Upgrades In each section, we cover a tip to help you welcome back guests, provide tactical ideas, and outline actionable 9 Expand Your Brand at Home ways to use technology to put these tips into practice in your . Let’s get festive! 11 Take Your Holiday Events Virtual

13 Let Data Drive Your Direction

15 Communication Is Key SPREAD JOY WITH PARTY KITS & GIFTING OPTIONS The holiday season is synonymous with party season, so put your front and center for your guests’ holiday festivities. Large gatherings are a thing of the past (for now), so we’ve put together some ideas to keep your guests celebrating and the revenue flowing. SPREAD JOY WITH PARTY KITS & GIFTING OPTIONS

Holiday , to go Don’t miss out on capturing big just because some people are choosing to stay in. Stay relevant and engaged by curating the perfect holiday dinner , available for pre-order and takeout/delivery. Promote your , , or New Year’s Eve hours and across all media channels and encourage pre-ordering and booking. Pre-ordering creates predictability and gives your restaurant a sense of control without over-ordering, over-producing, or over-staffing.

Send a Sweet Let guests treat themselves, or loved ones, to a sweet . When creating your holiday dessert menu, consider what will well and create a dessert-tasting box, featuring your entire dessert menu, that can be easily picked up by your local restaurant delivery company. Include the option to add a bottle of Champagne, which makes both a great upsell for your restaurant, and a fun, sparkly surprise for the recipient.

New Year’s Eve It’s a celebration in a box! Party planning is time intensive, and your guests are busy. Make it easy for them with everything needed to host an epic New Year’s Eve party. Offer a Dinner for Four package, complete with a bottle of Champagne and a cocktail making kit, plus a branded card with serving and reheating instructions.

Gift Cards How SevenRooms Technology Can Help: Create targeted gift card campaigns across social and email to drive revenue and provide SevenRooms makes it easy to create custom- the perfect gifting option for guests who want to share their favorite dining experiences branded offer pages to help merchandise and sell with friends, family, or colleagues. Let guests know the gift cards can be used towards your special offerings. both at-home (takeout/delivery) or in-person dining with your restaurant. REIMAGINE PRIVATE DINING ROOMS & OUTDOOR SPACE Full or partial buyouts are always large revenue producers during the holiday season, with groups of friends gathering and companies hosting office celebrations on big budgets. Mandated reduced capacity and social distancing requirements mean it’s time to get creative, reimagining PDR’s and outdoor space to continue maximizing revenue. REIMAGINE PRIVATE DINING ROOMS & OUTDOOR SPACE

Micro Holiday Parties Section off areas of your PDR with partitions and greenery, allowing groups to book intimate, smaller-scale holiday parties with the same hospitality they know and love.

Gift Card Incentives Offer your Private Dining hosts a gift card incentive to book an event before the end of 2020. Think of it as a more sophisticated “spend more, save more” initiative. If they’re new guests, it is the perfect opportunity to welcome them back one-on-one after their event, or if they’re existing customers, they’ll love the chance to dine with you again (and again)!

Happy Hour meets Holiday Hour Though less professionals are seeking after-work weekday havens, more guests are craving special moments! Create a “Holiday Hour” during slow times, offering hot chocolate, hot toddies, and other holiday cocktails in your outdoor areas. Curate a cheerful, seasonal menu complete with warm -style , or an over-the-top charcuterie board, in a one-to-two hour reservation window.

Optimize Your Outdoor Space If budget and space permit, invest in socially-distanced igloos. Deck out social-distancing igloos with seasonal decor, and build a pre-fixe experience that’s bookable with tickets. When reserving these spaces in advance, guests can make personal requests or note if How SevenRooms Technology Can Help: they’re celebrating a special occasion. These seemingly small touches add guest value, In addition to taking reservations to maintain cost you nothing, and provide opportunity for your restaurant to prepare, accommodate, capacity across your space, you can sell tickets for and potentially upsell. Igloo or no igloo, winterizing your outdoor space with partitions, heat your special outdoor offerings through SevenRooms’ lamps, and awnings will maximize covers and keep guests coming back all season long. event landing pages, and secure revenue in advance. OFFER A LITTLE MAGIC WITH RESERVATION UPGRADES It’s more important than ever to preserve your dine-in business and encourage reservations by differentiating the guest experience for those who choose to eat at your restaurant among the competition. It’s also the perfect opportunity to impress guests and remind how much they love dining at your restaurant, aside from just takeout and delivery!

Add some sparkle to your reservations with these creative upgrades that elevate in-room dining experiences and drive additional revenue. OFFER A LITTLE MAGIC WITH RESERVATION UPGRADES

Holiday Tasting Menu with Pairings Offer a complete dining experience with a special prix fixe menu, complete with curated for each , that’s available exclusively for in-room dining. Include higher-end ingredients like prime meat, raw bar items, fresh truffles, caviar, etc. that guests know are truly best enjoyed seated at your restaurant table.

Chef’s Table Location, location, location. Don’t underestimate the allure and excitement of a ’s table. COVID restrictions may limit interaction between your guests and chefs, so make the experience extra special in other ways, such as complimentary amuse bouche, specially- crafted cocktails just for them, or any other creative offerings that elevate an otherwise traditional dining experience.

Truffle Menu ‘Tis the season for winter truffles and guests are willing to pay for this luxurious upgrade. Risotto, pasta, or burgers are the perfect canvas for a hearty shaving of truffles, so offer a special truffle upgrade to “wow” your guests.

Reservation-Only Loyalty Program There’s tremendous value in the customer data you receive when a guest makes a How SevenRooms Technology Can Help: reservation. Use this contact as a free communication tool, offering them Use SevenRooms’ upgrade capabilities to build loyalty perks to encourage repeat dining through the season. Whether its a complimentary upgrades into your reservation process to ensure a glass of bubbly on their next visit, or guaranteed seating at their favorite table, a little perk fantastic, differentiated experience for your guest, and goes a long way. incremental revenue when every dollar is important. EXPAND YOUR BRAND AT HOME Cold weather, COVID, and capacity: the three difficult C’s making this fall and winter season prime delivery and takeout opportunities. Take advantage of this chance to capture new , engage with your guests, and drive revenue without the operating overhead of a full- experience. Make at- home dining memorable and elevate the guest experience through thoughtfully- curated branding. EXPAND YOUR BRAND AT HOME

Your Restaurant at Home Go beyond a simple takeout menu by recreating the full dining experience at home. Craft a curated, multi-course menu available for takeout and delivery that features your most popular, and profitable, dishes. COVID-conscious guests may prefer to dine at home, but they still crave a guided dining experience beyond the traditional à la carte takeout model.

Holiday-Themed Packaging Holiday packaging is a staple for many brands, and with good reason! Your to-go bags, coffee cups, and takeout menus are walking billboards for your restaurant. Creating highly noticeable packaging that showcases your brand aesthetic will exponentially increase brand awareness, and gives you tangible goods that can be used year after year.

QR Code Playlists One less thing your guests have to plan when preparing to host a dinner party: ambiance! Include a branded card with a QR code linking to a playlist curated by your resident DJ. Talk about bringing the restaurant atmosphere home with you!

Forward-thinking promotions Setting out a holiday with your upcoming promotions and menus enables your restaurant to keep diners informed and thinking of you for their holiday dining. Create marketing collateral pieces with these future promotions and include them in all to-go order bags and in-room check presenters and table tents. For example, give your October diners a heads up about pre- Thanksgiving menus, holiday gift card promotions, whether you’re open for Christmas, and any New Years Eve offerings.

How SevenRooms Technology Can Help: Promote your seasonal inclusions on your social Giving Back media channels, use campaign-specific links in ‘Tis the season of giving. Have a charity your restaurant loves to support? Create a social the posts to drive orders, and track success of the story behind the cause and allow guests to add on a donation as part of their order. campaigns in the SevenRooms analytics portal. TAKE YOUR HOLIDAY EVENTS VIRTUAL Office holiday parties and large family gatherings may be on hold for now, but people are still seeking special ways to brighten up their holiday season at home. Take your restaurant’s festivities online as a way to engage, inspire, and connect with guests digitally. Curated virtual events can be offered to companies, families, and groups of friends in lieu of holiday buyouts, or as a special ticketed event offered to everyone by your restaurant. Promote these events across your digital channels and use them as an opportunity to collect revenue in advance. Plus, encourage attendees to order takeout or delivery from your restaurant during the event with a promo code or exclusive offering. TAKE YOUR HOLIDAY EVENTS VIRTUAL

Cooking Class Create branded recipe cards and shopping lists for a private class with your chef over Zoom. The party host can select a or two off your menu for the chef to recreate with everyone at home.

Sommelier Wine Pairings What’s more festive than a holiday wine-tasting with friends? Offer a curated box of wines available for pickup, enough for a small group to enjoy together at home. Guests will log into a Zoom with your for a proper wine tasting. Tips on crafting the perfect charcuterie board are also crowd-pleasers.

Cocktail Class with a Virtual Mixologist Nothing gets people in the holiday spirit more than a festive cocktail! Create to-go cocktail kits with everything your guests need to make cocktails at home, including liquor, mixers, a branded shaker, and recipe list for glass garnishes and barware. Your head mixologist will join them on Zoom to guide them towards the perfect cocktail and shake up some fun. Consider partnering with your beverage distributor to yield savings on the liquor and branded merchandise.

Free Social Media Cooking Demos To increase follower engagement and stay top of mind, consider hosting cooking Q&A’s, cooking demos, or wine seminars with your culinary team on Facebook or Instagram Live. Utilize the team members you already have, such as a mixologist, events coordinator, sous How SevenRooms Technology Can Help: chef, maitre’d, or sommelier. Followers can tune in to these free streaming events to learn Virtual holiday events are another great opportunity to how to prepare your restaurant’s signature dishes, ask any holiday cooking questions, use custom-branded landing pages to sell tickets and gather tips on hosting the perfect holiday party, and be inspired to create the ultimate collect pre-payment in a totally PCI-compliant way. holiday bar cart. LET DATA DRIVE YOUR DIRECTION Gathering and utilizing guest data is key to maintaining loyalty and creating value by delivering personalized and exceptional dining experiences, both at- home and at your restaurant. Guest data comes in all forms, from contact details to birthdays and anniversaries, wine preferences, and past ordering history. Make sure you have access to your guest data and use it to communicate special offers this holiday season through targeted, revenue-driving campaigns. LET DATA DRIVE YOUR DIRECTION

Targeted Marketing for Virtual Events Use your data to ensure you’re promoting events to your guests who will love them most! Make sure your wine lovers receive the invite to your complimentary virtual Sommelier Wine Pairing, or your newest guests join the exclusive Meet & Greet Zoom with your Executive Chef.

Turn Off-Premise Diners into On-Premise Diners, And Vice Versa Set up automated campaigns for takeout regulars to incentivize them to come dine in with you with a special discount, and vice versa. Once you have a captive audience, there’s huge potential upside to show them all you have to offer at your restaurant that they may not know about.

Thank Your Loyal Guests With Holiday And Discounts Show your guests they’re on your “nice list” with special discounts, offers, or early access for regulars.

How SevenRooms Technology Can Help: SevenRooms’ marketing automation platform allows you to have access to all your guest data, segment your database, and send targeted campaigns to relevant guests to ensure your message hits the right person at the right time. COMMUNICATION IS KEY Now that you’re on your way to spreading holiday cheer, post it loud for all to hear! Guests are spending more time than ever scrolling through social media. Delivering high-quality, mouthwatering content is the best way to maximize brand awareness by engaging with your existing audiences and capturing new ones. COMMUNICATION IS KEY

Keep the Creative Juices Flowing Behind-the-scenes Instagram stories featuring your holiday cocktail lineup or chef tips on recreating your famous burger at home- don’t forget to capture those moments for your fans. Whether through reservations, takeout/delivery orders, or finding inspiration for home cooking, make your restaurant part of their dining story.

Post, Post, Post Make sure to let your followers know about all of the exciting holiday initiatives happening at your restaurant. Targeted email campaigns and paid and organic social media posts keep guests in the loop and get them excited for their next visit to your restaurant. Consistent content sharing will keep your restaurant top-of-mind and drive conversions when your followers are ready to make a reservation or place an online order.

Sharing is Caring Encourage guests to share photos of your through social media. While you have them as a captive audience, incentivize them to share your food with their friends and followers. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to post photos in exchange for restaurant swag, free food, or even a photo share on your page.

Digital Audit Make sure all of your customer-facing virtual assets, including websites, Facebook and Instagram pages, and digital directory listings (Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable) are constantly up-to-date with your hours of operation, COVID safety How SevenRooms Technology Can Help: precautions, reservation links, gift card purchasing options, and online ordering platforms. Turn the people who engage with your posts on social media Make it as easy as possible for guests to find and interact with you by optimizing these into reservations and orders! SevenRooms allows you to create channels. Don’t forget to monitor conversations happening on your channels to quickly campaign-specific reservation and ordering links, so you can address guest inquiries, comments, and concerns. see just how much each post impacts your bottom line. In the face of extra challenges this holiday season, don’t miss out on the many opportunities to connect and engage with your guests. When creating holiday initiatives and promotions, keep these pillars in mind:

1 Maintain your exceptional level of hospitality for both dine-in and take out; Create added value for guests who choose your restaurant amid a season of countless 2 dining options,

Make sure all initiatives drive either intangible benefits (increased brand awareness 3 and engagement) or revenue for your restaurant.

Make sure to share important updates with guests on your website, social media pages, and email database. Timely responses to guest inquiries, keeping updated safety and sanitization procedures readily available, and sharing important updates across all media channels are imperative when welcoming back loyal guests and attracting new ones.

Ready to explore how technology can enable these initiatives and help you create alternate revenue streams during COVID (and beyond)?

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From all of us at SevenRooms, Happy Holidays!