Tips to Prepare Your Restaurant for the Festive Season

As the festive atmosphere of the year-end approaches, everyone looks forward to moments of joy—from Christmas all the way to New Year’s. Restaurants and cafés naturally become popular places for people to spend quality time with their loved ones. The high season is also a golden opportunity for business owners, as purchasing power rises and customers seek experiences that feel more special than usual. To ensure your place is fully ready to welcome the holiday crowds, here are some key techniques to help your restaurant stand out and boost sales during this festive period.

1. Add Festive Flair with Seasonal Menu Items

During the holiday season, customers often look for special menus that feel unique and different from everyday offerings. You don’t need a large investment or a completely new recipe. Small adjustments can make a big difference—especially for smaller shops.

Try enhancing existing menu items by adding festive flavors or symbolic ingredients such as chocolate, assorted berries, icing sugar, or cinnamon. You can also incorporate classic Christmas colors like red, green, and warm browns.

Menu names also strongly influence customer decisions. For example, turn a simple “Iced Latte” into a “Snowy Coffee,” topped with soft whipped cream and decorated with chocolate sauce to mimic a snowman’s face. Or give your usual Matcha Latte a holiday twist by adding berry jam at the bottom for a sweet-tart balance and finishing with pale pink cream on top. These little touches not only make your drinks tastier and more unique but also enhance their visual appeal—perfect for social media sharing.

Just a small festive tweak can make customers feel the holiday spirit and increase their excitement to order.

2. Create Value with Festive Set Menus

If your restaurant usually sells main dishes, drinks, and desserts separately, the festive season is the perfect time to bundle items into sets to increase order value.

Your sets could include a main dish, dessert, and drink—or simply a drink-and-dessert combo. Slightly adjusting the price can make the set feel more worthwhile, encouraging customers to upgrade with just a little extra.

This strategy makes customers feel they’re getting great value. Someone who initially planned to order only a main dish might be more willing to add a drink or dessert if the bundle price feels attractive. Themed sets also help customers make faster purchase decisions.

For business owners, set menus help grow the average check size and improve cost control since you can plan and manage required ingredients more effectively—an important advantage during peak periods.

Discover dessert and beverage set ideas from Flora Professional and Monin here: [YouTube link]

Example set menu from Flora Professional and Monin
Black Forest Tart & Toasted Cherry Mocktail

• Black Forest Tart – A rich, creamy topping paired with sweet-tart cherry flavors and a hint of crunch. Suggested price: 140 THB
• Toasted Cherry Mocktail – A refreshing sweet-and-sour drink made with premium MONIN syrup, topped with smooth Blue Band All-Purpose Cream. Suggested price: 120 THB

Bundle them as a festive set for 249 THB to make the offer even more compelling.

3. Refresh The Store with Festive Decorations

Atmosphere matters. Customers are instantly drawn to cozy, festive visuals—especially when browsing social media. Decorations don’t need to be expensive; choose items that can be reused year after year, such as Christmas trees, string lights, candles, or festive-patterned tablecloths.

These simple decorations bring life to your store, create photogenic corners, and serve as check-in spots that attract new visitors through online sharing.