Everyone experiences those post-holiday blues come January, and restaurants are just as susceptible to this seasonal slump. Holiday gatherings are over, resolutions are made to tighten purse strings, and dining habits shift from heading out for a festive meal to hunkering down at home. 

But don’t dim those holiday lights just yet: Take advantage of the patrons you served during the holiday season to keep your restaurant glowing – and growing – through the slower winter months. 

Between first-time diners, gift-card redeemers, catering clients, and even those regulars who stopped in more than usual, the holidays delivered a surge of incredibly valuable customer data. You now have the opportunity to use these fresh guest contacts to your advantage by turning this list into repeat business. 

Here are easy ways for restaurant owners and operators like you to re-engage seasonal guests to create long-term loyal patrons. 

1. Take a moment – and a message – to re-introduce yourself

With fewer seasonal promotions hitting inboxes in January, it’s a perfect time to holler at your holiday guests. Set up a marketing campaign that re-introduces your restaurant and offers incentives to return.

A solid starter email to your contact list could include:

• A ‘thank you’ for their visit over the holidays
• A limited-time promotion to encourage their return (think $5 off an appetizer, a free entree for referring a friend, or a discount when ordering online). Hint: Putting a deadline on the deals will create a sense of urgency and get them through your doors or placing orders sooner
• And don’t forget a call-to-action encouraging them to place their order now or make a reservation, with direct links provided

These ideas can easily be modified for a text campaign, and should also be segmented out based on audiences, i.e., new versus returning guests. Lean on automated marketing tools that leverage your customer data to send emails with personalized offers based on that data. 

By re-entering guests’ radars in the new year, you’ll remind them why they loved visiting your restaurant during the holidays, and the incentives offered will entice them to come back. 

2. Give your loyalty program a shameless plug

Loyalty programs are an extremely effective tool for, well, creating loyalty. Research shows that loyalty members visit restaurants 20% more frequently and spend 20% more than non-members. So during the slow winter months, loyalty programs can be the key to getting newer guests to return and keeping repeat guests engaged. 

Utilizing the influx of new contacts gathered during the holidays, develop an email and text campaign that introduces (or re-introduces) your loyalty program, explains how it works, highlights the benefits of joining, and, most importantly, makes it easy to sign up. And to sweeten the deal, consider offering a special bonus offer for joining during the month of January.

If your restaurant lacks a loyalty program, never fear. Creating one is as easy as pie. Just start simple with easy-to-understand rules and a quick sign up, and keep the structure straightforward by using a points-per-dollar-spent system, by-visit rewards, and/or occasion-based perks. 

A loyalty program not only gives you an excuse to deliver ongoing communications to guests, but it also gives guests looking to spend less during the new year a reason to continue patronizing your restaurant. 

3. Lean into health-forward messaging 

Eating healthier or leading a more healthy lifestyle is consistently a top New Year’s resolution, so now’s the time to tout your better-for-you options. This doesn’t mean you have to reinvent your menu – it just means you can use your email or text campaigns to more prominently highlight the healthier choices.

People often think the only way to eat healthy is to eat at home, so bust that myth by boasting more nutritionally-packed menu items while also touting the convenience of ordering in. 

For example, with protein being the nutrient buzzword of the year, push out messaging to your guests that showcases favorite protein-forward dishes or offers a free protein with any salad or bowl. 

Staying top-of-mind with patrons during the slower months just means aligning your messaging with the guest mindset.  

4. Turn your focus toward other holidays or events 

While the winter holidays may be a main focus for restaurant marketing efforts, don’t forget about the many other holidays or special events that happen all throughout the year. Take the contact list accrued during that marketing mayhem to build momentum for upcoming moments –  such as Valentine’s Day, the big game, St. Patrick’s Day, and more. 

Everyone wants an excuse to celebrate something, especially when the winter months start wearing us down. Reach out to your customer database to promote pre-fixe menus to wow that special someone, game-day meal deals to devour while rooting for their favorite team, or holiday-themed drink specials such as leprechaun liquor or green beer. 

You don’t just have to rely on traditionally celebrated holidays to promote your restaurant – anything from Taco Tuesday to World Pasta Day can be an excuse to re-engage with your contacts and offer up specials. The key is consistency. Guests are far more likely to order when they’ve already been reminded that you’re an option during holidays – or just on any old regular day.

Messaging isn’t just for special moments

Perhaps the most important thing you can do with the customer data collected during the holiday season is continue to use it – and do so consistently throughout the year. For email marketing specifically, the rule of thumb is sending 2-4 emails per month, so this means not only promoting your restaurant during holidays or special events, but sharing other useful content such as menu updates, ordering tips or limited-time offers.

The holiday rush may have brought in a boost of revenue – but it also served up new relationships via a more robust contact list. By thanking new (and returning) guests, offering real value, promoting loyalty, and staying relevant to seasonal needs, you can turn a dry January into a rich and rewarding time for your restaurant – that extends throughout the year.