Although summer is in full swing, it’s never too early to start looking towards the back-to-school season. While many students may dread the incoming academic year, it’s the perfect time for restaurants to develop unique menus and deals to tantalize college kids and busy families gearing up for the fall.
With National Back to School Month starting in August, let’s look at a few offerings you can leverage to make the school crowd excited for the new year.
Tailgate Season
The arrival of fall and cooler months heralds the return of one of America’s great pastimes — football on Monday night. To draw in crowds, consider offering deals like 25% off appetizers and drinks during Monday night games. This will increase foot traffic not only among college students but also among football fans more broadly.
For busy families who watch the games at home, you can offer fixed-price, to-go tailgate platters. Prices may vary by size, but consider offering at least two or three tiers, ranging anywhere from $35 to $85, to appeal to every budget. Foods like burgers, wings, and fries are just a few options you can include in your packages.
Roma®, for example, provides a variety of premium breaded and fully cooked chicken wings for quick and easy preparation. Roma Wingzz, breaded chicken wings, and Roma Wyngs, breaded boneless chicken bites, are available in two flavor profiles — a milder seasoned flavor and a more traditional spicy flavor with a peppery zing. These are perfect for use as appetizers, party platters, or entrees, just toss with your favorite sauce for a signature menu item.
It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere
Attract regulars by organizing trivia nights or offering happy hour deals to college students (applicable with their school IDs). Publicize any and all deals on social media, in-house, and potentially across campuses to really spread the word on events or specials throughout the year.
If your state doesn’t allow happy hour deals on alcohol, then focus on appetizers that can be split with a small group of friends or family. Think sliders, wings, nachos, dips, or mini pizzas. West Creek® provides a dippable selection of tasty shareables from craft beer cheese and Buffalo chicken dips to spinach and artichoke, to spicy nacho. Grab a plate and pass around the options!
If your state allows happy hour deals on booze, then provide a good balance between drinks and food — just make sure the happy hour menu isn’t too long or complicated. Consider streamlining your happy hour menu to fewer than 10 drink options, which could be a mixture of cocktails, wine, and beer, and five to eight food options.
Stay Ahead of the Curve
Back-to-school season doesn’t only refer to the return of students, but also workers. The beginning of the academic year is always busy, and you can help your business stay ahead of the curve by embracing certain management techniques. Yelp Waitlist, a One Source partner, is just one way you can tackle back-to-school traffic. On particularly busy nights, like Mondays or Fridays, guests can seamlessly join your restaurant’s waitlist from the Yelp app and receive accurate wait times and notifications via text message.
Simple, intuitive, and advanced options will remove unnecessary stressors, allowing you and your workers to prioritize other important tasks.
