Grow Restaurant Holiday Sales & Get Ready for the New Year With Online Ordering

Nov 26, 2021

It’s no secret that the holidays are a hectic time for many restaurants. Saturdays in December are statistically the busiest days for all types of independent restaurants across the country, and pizzerias see their largest order sizes on key dates between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

What might be more surprising, though, is that the holidays are actually a great time to implement your own commission-free online ordering system. Taking on another project during the busy season may seem counter-intuitive, but it will actually set your restaurant up for success during the holidays and beyond.

Here are five reasons why online ordering should be a part of your restaurant’s holiday strategy.

1. Online ordering maximizes holiday sales by increasing ticket sizes and order frequency.

The holidays are always a busy time for takeout. You’re likely used to providing catering for parties, or fielding large to-go orders on days when many people are too exhausted to cook. Plus, when customers are running around taking care of holiday errands, the convenience of ordering takeout online is a lifesaver. Since online ordering leads to a 20% increase in ticket sizes, and ChowNow helps restaurants triple order frequency, your online ordering system offers a great opportunity to increase revenue during this already-busy time.

You can boost sales even more by highlighting your seasonal offerings on your online menu. Given that seasonal menus produce 26% more sales, you can easily upsell guests with festive favorites.

2. Online ordering will streamline your operations and ease your staff’s stress during the busy season.

Instead of keeping an employee on phone duty all day, juggling multiple impatient callers and trying to shout over the noise of your restaurant, you and your team can process orders with the push of a button whenever you have a free moment. Alleviating this stress creates time for your team to better serve guests and enhance their experience.

Plus, given how busy they are, team members taking phone orders might forget to mention those seasonal specials you’re offering. Rather than missing out on these upsell opportunities, you can let your online ordering system take care of it.


Online ordering transforms your restaurant’s operations. Understand the six key ways it’ll boost your efficiency by downloading our guide today.

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3. Your restaurant’s holiday rush is the perfect time to promote your online ordering in-store.

It’s essential to make your customers aware of your online ordering and market it as a convenient option for them. In order to properly promote your digital dining, you need to spread the word both online and in-store.

When your restaurant is crowded with guests celebrating the holidays by dining out, it’s a great opportunity to market your online ordering. Make the most of this valuable exposure and get your in-store and pick-up guests excited about this additional dining option. Consider using these marketing tactics:

  • Put table tents in strategic locations, like by your registers or on your to-go counter.
  • Place postcards in your to-go bags or keep a stack of them by your register.
  • Use larger signage and window clings to catch customers’ eyes from afar.
  • Amplify the effectiveness of all of your marketing by offering customers a small discount for their first online order.

Promote your online ordering in-store during the busy season.

4. You can take advantage of your restaurant’s holiday sales to gather valuable marketing data.

As all of your new online orders come in, you’re getting more than just money in the bank. You’re also gathering

essential customer data and insights that you can use to boost ticket sizes, strengthen loyalty, and acquire more customers.

The holiday rush gives you a jumpstart in building this database, setting you up for success throughout the year. Understand all the opportunities that your customer data presents by reading our guide, Why Customer Data Is Critical to Your Restaurant’s Success.

5. You’ll have the data, technology, and know-how to boost your sales throughout the next year.

Once you recover from the busy season, you’ll have the tools to maintain healthy sales and keep your customers coming back. You’ll have built up your database and optimized your menu thanks to your insights and ChowNow’s Restaurant Success team.

The period after Christmas through the first week of January is one of the best times to promote your online ordering to increase restaurant sales. Seize this opportunity to send targeted emails to your email database and offer an enticing reason for customers to order again.

A New Year's email with a discount will entice customers to order again.

The opportunities don’t end there. There are multiple events early in the year that are ideal for takeout and online ordering—including the Super Bowl and the Oscars. You’ll be able to optimize your online menu and email out promotions to multiply the sales you typically see on those days. If you have your own branded mobile ordering app, these are also perfect occasions for sending push notifications.

The data you gather through online ordering will also power marketing efforts for in-store dining. For example, if your restaurant is a popular Valentine’s Day destination, you should use the database you’ve built up to email customers about any specials you’re offering for the holiday.

In short, you’ll thank yourself in the coming months if you get started with branded, commission-free online ordering today. Schedule a call with a ChowNow online ordering specialist now to seize the opportunity.

We’re excited to welcome Cuboh to the ChowNow family.  Learn More