Ok we’re not just talking about an ‘hour’ here but offering customers a deal they can’t refuse is all the trend right now! Some brands have been doing it for years, like McDonald’s with their ‘Wrap of the Day’ but recently we’ve seen more and more brands jumping onto the hype including Pizza Express launching a £5 margarita pizza. The key to success is to offer a wow deal that grabs people’s attention.

If you need help with those awkward hours in the middle of the week or if your lunchtime tables always seem to be empty then you need to raise your footfall, one of the best ways to do so is offering potential customers a great deal!

What is ‘Happy Hour’?

We’ve all seen it! The concept of happy hour has been around for years, its key primary objective is to increase footfall during slow and quieter hours. Usually you will see ‘Happy Hour’ deals offered on drinks. For example businesses will offer 241 cocktails between the hours of 5pm – 8pm, meaning for those slow hours on a weekday evening it gives an incentive for customers to arrive early and more importantly choose your establishment over your competition.

Why does Happy Hour work?

It’s quite simple, people love a deal (and they also love talking about it!). It could be half price, a percentage off or a free item. Everything tastes better when it’s free – it’s a conversation starter, allows boasting and it’s competitive. It’s not just saving a few pennies that we humans love (it certainly helps) but the fact is it makes the customers feel they have had the best deal, benefited and won in the situation.

How can I make it work for me?

What you decide to do with ‘Happy Hour’ is entirely up to you, you can use it to bring people’s attention to a certain part of your menu. If you have lunchtime items that have the highest profit margin then make a ‘Happy Hour’ lunchtime meal deal that will direct customer’s attention to this deal. You can change the times to when you need more footfall to cater to the needs of your restaurant.

If you want people to notice more starters or sides then create a deal to make people think ‘Why not’!

Example: You’re online shopping, you intend to buy a £30 jacket but there’s a promotion on the website ‘FREE delivery when you spend £50 or more’ – this then makes you start searching for items that will ensure you spend that extra £20. You’ve just spent an extra £20 for the sake of saving £5 on postage, all because the deal grabbed your attention and made you think it was a deal you couldn’t miss.

Won’t this cost my business money?

Not if you choose high profit margin products. Let’s say a Pina Colada costs £1.50 to make per drink and you sell those for £7.50 – you are making £6 per drink in gross profit, even if you offered a 241 deal you would still take a profit and even benefit further as a business as people will stay longer, buy more units and word of mouth will spread on the 241 deal that you are offering. By looking at the bigger picture your business will benefit greatly.

How can I stand out?

More and more companies are moving away from the classic 241 cocktails and are venturing out to their wider menus, or creating a special section of their menu purely for a ‘Happy Hour’ deal. Think of a creative way to bring in customers and make them feel like they have the best deal, this causes them to return and importantly spread the news to their friends and family causing a chain effect of positive reactions.

Examples: Tapas deal ‘buy 3 plates for only £20, every Wednesday evening between 4pm – 7pm burgers, fries & drink only £10, order from the set menu and receive a dessert for free.

Summery

An incentive to your menu will always grab attention. You are able to choose the times, the date and the offer you will be giving out, control the situation and get on top of success. Moving with the times is essential to any and every business, help your business grow towards the future, take risks for great reward.

If you’re still skeptical whether a ‘Happy Hour’ deal will benefit your business or not then give it a trial! There’s no need to jump right into the deep end, start off small by offering a lunchtime deal.  If you want a real attention grabber though – fewer items with a heavier discount tend to get a better response than say 10% off the whole menu during certain times. Lastly, remember to focus on your high profit products so you’re still making money even when you do offer a great deal.

Have fun with it, bring in new faces and shake things up!