How to Share Your Annual Highlights With Customers
It’s time to share the year’s restaurant highlights, one by one, on social media or all together in a blog or newsletter. This is a great way to build local authority and engagement – a shared sense of pride. Topics could include top-selling food & drinks (check POS reports), memorable events, staff anniversaries & rising stars, equipment or decor upgrades, great reviews, awards & recognition, sustainability efforts, and a sneak peek at plans for the new year.
Let’s look at them one by one – sure to be many more than you thought!
1. Top-Selling Dishes and Drinks
List the best-selling menu items of the year. Include any new additions that turned into instant favourites or seasonal specials that were particularly popular. Your POS reports will give you the data; if the top sellers are plain favourites like burgers or fish & chips, that’s worth celebrating, too. How many side orders of fries did you sell, and how many babycinos? What is the most popular item that’s super hot? 🌶️
This is also an opportunity to dazzle people with quantities: 520 barrels of beer, 2800 lettuce for the salads and 1200 kg of tomatoes. Plus enough strawberries to fill 3 delivery trucks. You’ve got a smart team member who’d love to work out some of these crazy numbers.
2. Most Memorable Events
Share the standout events from the year, such as themed nights, holiday celebrations, Valentine’s, Mother’s and Father’s Day, or with local partnerships. This could also include any charity or community events your venue supported – a great opportunity to share photos and subtly remind people what a great space you have for their events! See: Dozens of Great Ways to Use Photos & Video to Promote Your Venue
3. Staff Highlights and Achievements
Showcase team accomplishments, such as promotions, anniversaries, or new team members who joined. Awards for the apprentice 🎖️, the barista competition, or the 3 teens who completed work experience in your kitchen. Include any special training staff completed or awards they won, and people who’ve completed 6 months, a year, or longer working with you – this is a long time in hospitality! Again, photos bring these to life and make them perfect for social media.
4. Decor and Equipment Upgrades
If you upgraded your interior or furniture, bought new kitchen equipment, or added something special to the space, mention it. Customers often appreciate knowing about these improvements – show ‘before and after’ photos to highlight the changes and even a few options that you rejected. If the equipment allows for faster service, less waste, or a better product – shout it out! Again – people are fascinated by what makes a restaurant tick. See: Top 10 Restaurant Design Trends
5. Customer Favourites
Highlight a few dishes or experiences that received great feedback from customers. If possible, mention customer quotes or specific reviews to add a personal touch. Google Reviews and social media comments will give you a massive amount of useful content for this – quote the words and screenshot some of them for more authenticity. See: How to Harness Team Creativity with Social Media Content
6. Awards and Recognitions
List any awards or nominations received during the year, whether for food, service, sustainability, or community involvement. Being a finalist or nominee is just as good as being a winner in most people’s eyes – make plans to increase your participation in award opportunities for the coming year. See: How to Win a Restaurant or Cafe Award: Insider Tips for Success
7. Sustainability Efforts
If you took steps towards sustainability, such as reducing food waste or introducing eco-friendly packaging, include a section on these efforts. If you’ve managed to reduce water, gas or electricity use and expenses, make sure to mention it – most people have no idea about the massive cost of utilities. Pictures of all the cardboard boxes or used oil in drums going off to the recycling show the realistic side of your food production system. See: How to Promote Your Business as Green, Sustainable and Successful
8. New Partnerships and Connections
Share this with your audience if you collaborated with local farms, breweries, or producers. Give a shoutout to new shops or services who’ve moved into the street or neighbourhood, plus photos from meetings at the local business chamber. These partnerships and acknowledgements build local goodwill and support other businesses in your community. See: How to Make Restaurant Community Sponsorship Work for Everyone
9. Seasonal Specials Recap
Revisit the most popular seasonal offerings and limited-time specials, showing the variety you brought to the menu throughout the year. Ask team members for their most memorable event, food memory, or craziest situation where they saved the day. Was there a big storm that you made it through? Share that, too – disaster and recovery build an emotional connection.
10. Plans for the New Year
End with a few teasers of what’s to come. Highlight potential new menu items, upcoming events, or anticipated improvements for the new year – here’s a chance to get people thinking about dates you’ll want them to book for. And maybe something you did that you will never do again – the crazy menu item that no one ordered or the new beverage range that’s still sitting in the storeroom 🤣
Your Annual Highlights can help you build excitement for the new year, promote loyalty, and encourage customers to stay engaged with your brand. There’s an endless fascination with ‘how restaurants and cafes work’, so why not feed the demand?
It’s time to share the year’s restaurant highlights, one by one, on social media or all together in a blog or newsletter. This is a great way to build local authority and engagement – a shared sense of pride. Topics could include top-selling food & drinks (check POS reports), memorable events, staff anniversaries & rising stars, equipment or decor upgrades, great reviews, awards & recognition, sustainability efforts, and a sneak peek at plans for the new year.
Let’s look at them one by one – sure to be many more than you thought!
1. Top-Selling Dishes and Drinks
List the best-selling menu items of the year. Include any new additions that turned into instant favourites or seasonal specials that were particularly popular. Your POS reports will give you the data; if the top sellers are plain favourites like burgers or fish & chips, that’s worth celebrating, too. How many side orders of fries did you sell, and how many babycinos? What is the most popular item that’s super hot? 🌶️
This is also an opportunity to dazzle people with quantities: 520 barrels of beer, 2800 lettuce for the salads and 1200 kg of tomatoes. Plus enough strawberries to fill 3 delivery trucks. You’ve got a smart team member who’d love to work out some of these crazy numbers.
2. Most Memorable Events
Share the standout events from the year, such as themed nights, holiday celebrations, Valentine’s, Mother’s and Father’s Day, or with local partnerships. This could also include any charity or community events your venue supported – a great opportunity to share photos and subtly remind people what a great space you have for their events!
See: Dozens of Great Ways to Use Photos & Video to Promote Your Venue
3. Staff Highlights and Achievements
Showcase team accomplishments, such as promotions, anniversaries, or new team members who joined. Awards for the apprentice 🎖️, the barista competition, or the 3 teens who completed work experience in your kitchen. Include any special training staff completed or awards they won, and people who’ve completed 6 months, a year, or longer working with you – this is a long time in hospitality! Again, photos bring these to life and make them perfect for social media.
4. Decor and Equipment Upgrades
If you upgraded your interior or furniture, bought new kitchen equipment, or added something special to the space, mention it. Customers often appreciate knowing about these improvements – show ‘before and after’ photos to highlight the changes and even a few options that you rejected. If the equipment allows for faster service, less waste, or a better product – shout it out! Again – people are fascinated by what makes a restaurant tick.
See: Top 10 Restaurant Design Trends
5. Customer Favourites
Highlight a few dishes or experiences that received great feedback from customers. If possible, mention customer quotes or specific reviews to add a personal touch. Google Reviews and social media comments will give you a massive amount of useful content for this – quote the words and screenshot some of them for more authenticity.
See: How to Harness Team Creativity with Social Media Content
6. Awards and Recognitions
List any awards or nominations received during the year, whether for food, service, sustainability, or community involvement. Being a finalist or nominee is just as good as being a winner in most people’s eyes – make plans to increase your participation in award opportunities for the coming year.
See: How to Win a Restaurant or Cafe Award: Insider Tips for Success
7. Sustainability Efforts
If you took steps towards sustainability, such as reducing food waste or introducing eco-friendly packaging, include a section on these efforts. If you’ve managed to reduce water, gas or electricity use and expenses, make sure to mention it – most people have no idea about the massive cost of utilities. Pictures of all the cardboard boxes or used oil in drums going off to the recycling show the realistic side of your food production system.
See: How to Promote Your Business as Green, Sustainable and Successful
8. New Partnerships and Connections
Share this with your audience if you collaborated with local farms, breweries, or producers. Give a shoutout to new shops or services who’ve moved into the street or neighbourhood, plus photos from meetings at the local business chamber. These partnerships and acknowledgements build local goodwill and support other businesses in your community.
See: How to Make Restaurant Community Sponsorship Work for Everyone
9. Seasonal Specials Recap
Revisit the most popular seasonal offerings and limited-time specials, showing the variety you brought to the menu throughout the year. Ask team members for their most memorable event, food memory, or craziest situation where they saved the day. Was there a big storm that you made it through? Share that, too – disaster and recovery build an emotional connection.
10. Plans for the New Year
End with a few teasers of what’s to come. Highlight potential new menu items, upcoming events, or anticipated improvements for the new year – here’s a chance to get people thinking about dates you’ll want them to book for. And maybe something you did that you will never do again – the crazy menu item that no one ordered or the new beverage range that’s still sitting in the storeroom 🤣
Your Annual Highlights can help you build excitement for the new year, promote loyalty, and encourage customers to stay engaged with your brand. There’s an endless fascination with ‘how restaurants and cafes work’, so why not feed the demand?
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