Just because pay rates on public holidays are high doesn’t mean you have to lose money if you open. By modifying your menu, opening hours, and roster, adding extra promotions and a sales surcharge, cafe and restaurant public holidays can be another profitable day of the week.
With many operators not opening (because of the wage issue), plus most of the public in holiday mode and ready to enjoy eating and drinking out, let’s make each holiday a profit party! Here’s your action list to boost results…
Streamline Your Menu: Feature items that are both high-margin and popular, easing kitchen demands while catering to customer expectations on a day that many consider an enjoyable holiday. Many operators trim the menu by 20-50%, focusing on items with a high profit margin that will require less kitchen labour. There may also be extra preparation in the days before to prepare for the demand.
Adjust Business Hours: Tailor your opening hours to accommodate the expected customer surge, aligning with local activities and events. This could mean opening and closing earlier or whatever matches demand – check your sales figures from previous public holidays. Most operators open fewer hours than normal – be profit-focused, not sentimental.
Optimise Staff Scheduling: Many rostering programs now have tools that show you how to match sales with labour based on previous experience and POS data. Artificial Intelligence has strengthened these forecasting tools—make use of them. Where possible, roster junior staff if they are paid at lower rates. Model the results in your rostering program or on a spreadsheet, using the higher pay rates and reduced hours – there will be a combination of staff hours and expected sales that works.
Clear Communication: Promote your public holiday specials and hours well in advance to inform the local community and visitors through signage, social posts, and your website. Update your Google Business Profile and Apple Business Connect listings for the different hours – failure to do this can aggravate customers if they find you’re not open at the hours they usually visit.
Apply a Sales Surcharge: These are increasingly common, in Australia, it can be from 15-20%, and 10% on regular weekends. Make sure your Point of Sale is programmed to apply it automatically, as it will often be forgotten if it’s a manual process. Have a small sign beside the till to explain the charge, and add it to the bottom of your menu. In some areas, most businesses do not surcharge because ‘it’s never been done’ – is it time for you to take the lead? You can then watch other businesses follow soon after!
Make sure staff are ready to explain and defend the surcharge if there is pushback. A simple statement could be, ‘We are paid double time today, so the surcharge helps to pay for the extra wage costs—otherwise, we’d have to close!’
Create Holiday Events to Attract More People: Organise events like live music and entertainment, themed dinners, or family-friendly activities that can attract more customers. Some operators have changed to a fixed-price brunch menu instead of a la carte. These can provide a unique experience that draws more patrons and encourages higher spending per visit.
Offer Limited-Time Promotions: Design promotions such as ‘early bird specials’ for customers who dine before peak hours or ‘late-night discounts’ to keep the momentum going until closing. This helps spread the flow of customers and maximises revenue throughout the day.
Promote Takeaway and Delivery Options: These can attract people who prefer dining at home during public holidays. To make them more appealing, offer special packaging or menu items exclusive to takeaway customers and encourage pre-ordering and payment to collect on the day.
Use Technology for Efficiency: Promote QR codes, kiosk ordering systems, and digital payment solutions. These help turn tables faster and serve more customers without increasing staff costs. If you’ve been hesitating, now is the time to start!
Focus on More Productive Operations: Review and streamline kitchen, bar and coffee operations to ensure you are as efficient as possible. This could involve training staff to be multifunctional or reorganising the kitchen layout for maximum efficiency during high traffic times. These investments will pay off for every busy day throughout the year.
Incorporating these strategies can make public holidays more manageable and profitable despite the higher wage costs – while other businesses are closed, you’re making sales and boosting the bottom line.
Just because pay rates on public holidays are high doesn’t mean you have to lose money if you open. By modifying your menu, opening hours, and roster, adding extra promotions and a sales surcharge, cafe and restaurant public holidays can be another profitable day of the week.
With many operators not opening (because of the wage issue), plus most of the public in holiday mode and ready to enjoy eating and drinking out, let’s make each holiday a profit party! Here’s your action list to boost results…
Streamline Your Menu: Feature items that are both high-margin and popular, easing kitchen demands while catering to customer expectations on a day that many consider an enjoyable holiday. Many operators trim the menu by 20-50%, focusing on items with a high profit margin that will require less kitchen labour. There may also be extra preparation in the days before to prepare for the demand.
Adjust Business Hours: Tailor your opening hours to accommodate the expected customer surge, aligning with local activities and events. This could mean opening and closing earlier or whatever matches demand – check your sales figures from previous public holidays. Most operators open fewer hours than normal – be profit-focused, not sentimental.
Optimise Staff Scheduling: Many rostering programs now have tools that show you how to match sales with labour based on previous experience and POS data. Artificial Intelligence has strengthened these forecasting tools—make use of them. Where possible, roster junior staff if they are paid at lower rates. Model the results in your rostering program or on a spreadsheet, using the higher pay rates and reduced hours – there will be a combination of staff hours and expected sales that works.
Clear Communication: Promote your public holiday specials and hours well in advance to inform the local community and visitors through signage, social posts, and your website. Update your Google Business Profile and Apple Business Connect listings for the different hours – failure to do this can aggravate customers if they find you’re not open at the hours they usually visit.
Apply a Sales Surcharge: These are increasingly common, in Australia, it can be from 15-20%, and 10% on regular weekends. Make sure your Point of Sale is programmed to apply it automatically, as it will often be forgotten if it’s a manual process. Have a small sign beside the till to explain the charge, and add it to the bottom of your menu. In some areas, most businesses do not surcharge because ‘it’s never been done’ – is it time for you to take the lead? You can then watch other businesses follow soon after!
Make sure staff are ready to explain and defend the surcharge if there is pushback. A simple statement could be, ‘We are paid double time today, so the surcharge helps to pay for the extra wage costs—otherwise, we’d have to close!’
Create Holiday Events to Attract More People: Organise events like live music and entertainment, themed dinners, or family-friendly activities that can attract more customers. Some operators have changed to a fixed-price brunch menu instead of a la carte. These can provide a unique experience that draws more patrons and encourages higher spending per visit.
Offer Limited-Time Promotions: Design promotions such as ‘early bird specials’ for customers who dine before peak hours or ‘late-night discounts’ to keep the momentum going until closing. This helps spread the flow of customers and maximises revenue throughout the day.
Promote Takeaway and Delivery Options: These can attract people who prefer dining at home during public holidays. To make them more appealing, offer special packaging or menu items exclusive to takeaway customers and encourage pre-ordering and payment to collect on the day.
Use Technology for Efficiency: Promote QR codes, kiosk ordering systems, and digital payment solutions. These help turn tables faster and serve more customers without increasing staff costs. If you’ve been hesitating, now is the time to start!
Focus on More Productive Operations: Review and streamline kitchen, bar and coffee operations to ensure you are as efficient as possible. This could involve training staff to be multifunctional or reorganising the kitchen layout for maximum efficiency during high traffic times. These investments will pay off for every busy day throughout the year.
Incorporating these strategies can make public holidays more manageable and profitable despite the higher wage costs – while other businesses are closed, you’re making sales and boosting the bottom line.
See also: How to Manage Restaurant Credit Card Surcharges
Important information on public holiday dates and pay:
Public Holiday Dates in Australia (2025)
Public Holiday Dates in New Zealand (2025)
Public Holiday Pay Rates in Australia
Public Holiday Pay Rates in New Zealand
Check the other useful blog posts on the Foodie Coaches website…
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