You don’t know if your restaurant is ready for operating until you know you can handle the service and the quality of dishes. The best way to evaluate that is to have a soft opening at your brand new restaurant.
What is soft opening?
A free and casual event which you invited limited guests included: family, friends, business … In the event, you can create a menu with food and drink which you will decide later for daily serving. You can receive your guests’ feedback and advice from that.
Why should you have a restaurant soft opening?
I can give you three reasons why you should host a soft opening at your restaurant:
I can give you three reasons why you should host a soft opening at your restaurant:
1. Free advertise (5food) :
– Your guests can generate directly public awareness for the restaurant environment and the grand opening
– By using social network like Facebook, twitter, Instagram or word of mouth method, you indirectly allow your guest to share the restaurant information.
– By using social network like Facebook, twitter, Instagram or word of mouth method, you indirectly allow your guest to share the restaurant information.
2. Create future revenue
– Your service and your food will be the key to know if the customer will be coming back or not after the experience. Therefore, you have to make sure everything is close to perfect.
– Chance to hand out promotions and attractive deals like BOGO, discount percentage, free item… for a specific date.
3. Practice, practice, and practice
– Serving a high number of guests at rush hours will give your staff a lot of practices.
– It also gives them an idea of how a real and normal operational day will be. Physically and mentally preparation is the crucial point.
How to do a restaurant soft opening?
Now let jump into how you to do one: two important things
1. Offer a limited menu: Pick out your special, hot and signature items in the menu to
– Impressive your guests with the quality
– Less time to mental prepare the food and focus more on service.
2. Invited guests: Pick you guests wisely
– People with experience in restaurant so you can get the real feedback and criticize on food, service, and atmosphere.
– People with influence so you can advertise your restaurant more effectively.
– People with good intention so you and everyone can enjoy the event.
