Winter Sales BLues

This is our first winter of operation. We have hotdogs, burgers, cheesesteaks, pizza, fresh cut fries, and ice cream treats. We have a very limited seating area. What can we do to increase business? What kind of specials do people run? Any suggestions would be apprecaited.

Make a soup or two that people can't stop talking about, maybe a seafood chowder and a sausage potato soup, make it from scratch. I sell a ton of soup all year long but the sales zoom in the colder weather. In this part of Cal it doesn't get cold,cold, but it does get soup weather. As far as your other menu items go, make them taste and size them the way you would want to get when you go to a restaurant, you'll do fine if you do. If your just serving forgettable food, see ya!

I agree with LL-you have to have a winter friendly menu item.I worked for years as a manager at a sub shop, and we introduced soup in the cold months.Also,talk up your hot items-specials could include sandwich with soup.Just a thought....

Maybe some different versions of chili also? Just a thought.

John

If you are somewhere cold, maybe you could do some kind of discount related to the weather and specific to whatever is your highest-profit item. I'm sure you've heard of these kinds of deals before--"50 cent cup of coffee when the temp dips below zero"--stuff like that. (Modified for your business, though.)

Since you already sell hot dogs, what about chili dogs? (And you could also just sell the chili separately.)

Good luck!