Holiday Henry owns a great restaurant.

Every year, the same pattern repeats:

November hits. Reservations explode. Private event inquiries flood in. Catering requests pile up.

And Henry scrambles.

He's calling former employees begging them to work. He's manually confirming 200+ reservations by phone. He's responding to catering inquiries at midnight. His suppliers are out of key ingredients. His staff is exhausted by December 15th.

Sure, he makes money during the holidays. But he survives it more than he profits from it.

And by January, he's burned out, his team is fried, and he's left wondering: "Why does this happen every single year?"

According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurants generate 15-25% of their annual revenue between Thanksgiving and New Year's. But 43% of operators say they feel "unprepared" for the holiday rush every year.

Henry's problem isn't the holiday demand. It's that he has no system to handle it.

YOUR ONE STRATEGY LAB THING TODAY: 'The Holiday Rush Rewards the Prepared'

Most restaurant owners treat the holidays like a natural disaster that just happens to them.

"It's always crazy in December." "We just power through it." "Everyone's stressed but that's normal."

Wrong.

The holiday rush is predictable. It happens every year. Same time. Same problems.

Which means you can systematize for it.

HERE'S WHAT PREPARED RESTAURANTS DO DIFFERENTLY:

OCTOBER (8 weeks before):

• Holiday menu finalized and tested

• Supplier orders locked in (avoid stockouts)

• Seasonal staff hired and trained

• Marketing campaigns scheduled (early bird specials)

• Reservation system tested and optimized

• Private event inquiry form automated

• Catering packages priced and promoted

NOVEMBER (4 weeks before):

• Automated confirmation texts go out for all holiday reservations

• Staff schedule built with buffer for callouts

• Prep lists created for high-volume days

• Gift card promotion launched (huge revenue + brings people back in January)

• Email/SMS campaigns hitting customer database

• Inventory pars increased for top sellers

DECEMBER (during the rush):

• Daily check-ins on inventory levels

• Real-time labor tracking (avoid overtime blowouts)

• Automated responses handling FAQs

• Reviews being generated automatically from happy holiday diners

• VIP customers getting special treatment (builds loyalty for next year)

THE AUTOMATION THAT SAVES YOU:

During the holiday rush, you can't manually handle:

• 200+ reservation confirmations

• 40 private event inquiries

• Catering quote requests

• Staff schedule changes

• Customer questions about hours/menu/availability

Your systems handle it:

RESERVATIONS:

• Automated confirmation texts 48 hours before

• Auto-reminders 24 hours before

• No-show rate drops from 18% to 4%

• Every table filled = maximum revenue

CATERING INQUIRIES:

• Auto-responder sends package info instantly

• Inquiry form captures all details

• You follow up once with quote (not chasing people)

• Close rate increases 40%

CUSTOMER QUESTIONS:

• Unified inbox with auto-responses for common questions

• "Are you open Christmas Eve?" → Instant auto-reply with hours

• "Do you have vegetarian options?" → Menu link sent automatically

• You only handle complex questions

STAFF COMMUNICATION:

• Schedule changes happen in app (no group texts)

• Shift swaps approved automatically within rules

• Clock-in reminders prevent late arrivals

• You're not playing phone tag with 15 people

WHAT'S POSSIBLE WITH SYSTEMS:

Last year: Holiday revenue $85K, you worked 90-hour weeks, staff turnover in January, you swore "never again"

This year: Holiday revenue $112K, you worked 55-hour weeks, staff got bonuses, you actually enjoyed it

The difference? Systems that scale with demand.

THE MATH ON GIFT CARDS:

This is the secret holiday revenue multiplier most restaurants ignore.

You promote gift cards hard in November-December:

• Sell $15,000 in gift cards

• That's cash NOW (helps with holiday expenses)

• 30% never get redeemed (pure profit)

• 70% get redeemed in January-February (fills your slowest months)

• Average redemption is 120% of card value (they spend more)

$15K in gift card sales = $4,500 unredeemed profit + $12,600 January/February revenue boost when you need it most.

But you need a system to promote them, track them, and remind people to use them.

YOUR ACTION STEP: It's December. If you're reading this and feeling unprepared, here's your 48-hour emergency prep:

1. Set up automated reservation confirmations TODAY

2. Create catering inquiry auto-response with packages/pricing

3. Build holiday schedule with 20% buffer staff

4. Launch gift card promotion (even if late, you'll capture some)

5. Prep your team: "Here's our system for the next 3 weeks"

Better yet? After you survive this year, spend January building the systems so next year you PROFIT from the holidays instead of just surviving them.

Want help building these systems for your restaurant? Book a call and let's map out your automation strategy.

→ jlittrell.com

We got this,

Jason

P.S. The restaurants that WIN during the holidays aren't the ones with the best food. They're the ones with the best systems.

P.P.S. If you're scrambling right now, you're not alone. But next year doesn't have to be the same. Book a call and we'll build your systems together.

#strategylab #wegotthis