Len Panaggio, Beverage Consultant
By Len Panaggio
“It’s the holiday season…” sings a festive tune, which speaks of nothing of the stress December can bring! There is so much happening. First and foremost, the parade of holidays: Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve and, finally, New Year’s Day. From festive specials that will drive traffic to office parties, luncheons and the holidays themselves, there’s a lot to ponder.
Over the years, being open on Thanksgiving and Christmas has become the norm for many restaurants. To that end, it’s important to try your best to accommodate your staff and work around their religious beliefs and celebrations of the holidays. Obviously, those with children are particularly stressed out and those without children are usually fairly understanding of the sacrifices they must make to assist.
Once you finalize your hours of operation, seasonal happenings, etc., make sure you inform your marketing team. They’ll need to communicate your initiatives to your audience, including hours, specials and more. Plus, push gift card sales; they’re a great way to bring in revenue at a crucial time. Restaurant gift cards are terrific and easy to purchase, making shopping a breeze—especially for last-minute guys like me. To that end, having a staff member dedicated to selling gift cards is important as to not interrupt service.
For those who really want to make things extraordinary, creating special menus with that holiday in mind are always a hit, and pairing courses with wine, beer or both makes the experience even more celebratory. Your bar team should be creating festive craft cocktails and bringing in some winter beers; you’d be surprised how in demand candy cane cocktails are right now!
As everyone works to take care of the guests, don’t forget to celebrate your staff! Staff parties are always a wonderful thing to do, especially since most of the staff working over the holidays are with you all year. But a few words of caution: Do the party at another establishment, not yours. Alert the property about carding as you probably have minors, and do not hesitate to cut anyone off. Keep an eye on your staff at the party for bad behavior. It’s the right thing to do for your business and your colleagues’ businesses.
As we begin to close out the year, it is time to reflect on what was good in your bar program and what was not so good. Dec. 31 or the morning of Jan. 1 is when you should be doing the most important inventory of the year—both food and beverage—and seeing where your costs landed. I am sure they are high, especially if you didn’t react to price increases throughout the year. And there is no reason to think costs will be coming down anytime soon.
I believe that guests understand that costs have gone up and operators have no choice but to adjust, be it through increased menu pricing or menu engineering. I know many guests are downsizing and, in some cases, splitting entrees, but it is better to have them doing so in your place than elsewhere or not going out at all. I would definitely hold a meeting of your managers early in 2025 to strategize your entire program based on your overall costs from 2024 and make the changes necessary for a successful new year.
In my opinion, we are lucky to operate in one of the most impactful and important industries. Yes, it has its moments, but there is nothing like creating a special moment or memory for your customer—one that will often last a lifetime.
Wishing you all a wondrous holiday season and here’s to a prosperous and healthy 2025! Please serve and drink responsibly. À votre santé!
Len Panaggio’s career in food and wine spans more than three decades as an owner and as a beverage director at some of the top restaurants in Rhode Island. Currently a hospitality consultant, Len is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and has attended the Culinary Institute of America Master Sommelier program and the Sterling School of Service and Hospitality.
