Christmas and New Year's Eve in the restaurant industry – ideas for great specials, menus & to-go offers

The last few weeks of the year are among the most profitable times of the year for many restaurants and cafes – provided they cleverly leverage the potential of the holidays. Christmas and New Year's Eve offer the ideal opportunity to attract more customers with special dishes , drinks , and takeaway options , while simultaneously delighting their regular clientele. Restaurants, snack bars, cafes, bakeries, food trucks, and canteens: every sector can score points during this period with well-thought-out promotions.

Below you will find numerous creative ideas on how to enhance your offerings for the holidays and attract more customers to your restaurant.

Christmas menu ideas – festive, creative and sales-boosting

Many guests are looking for a special experience at Christmas. A festive Christmas menu is a classic, but its execution can be individual and modern.

Creative menu options for restaurants

• 3- or 4-course menus with a modern interpretation of classic dishes (e.g. duck breast with winter vegetables, vegan nut roast menu, truffle gnocchi)
• Regional winter cuisine , e.g. venison goulash, bread dumplings, red cabbage variations
• Vegan Christmas menus are now extremely popular.
• Sharing menus – perfect for groups and families

Christmas menus for takeaway are available to pre-order.

Increasingly popular: Complete, ready-made Christmas menus for home, packaged in high-quality to-go boxes . Sustainable menu boxes, salad containers, dip cups, or desserts in glass jars are ideal. Many customers want to relax and enjoy themselves during the holidays, but don't want to cook. This is your opportunity!

New Year's Eve Specials: Finger food, bowls & festive drinks

New Year's Eve is different from Christmas: Here, the focus is often on snacks, takeaway options, and simple takeaway meals. People are out and about, celebrating in groups or hosting small parties.

Popular New Year's Eve ideas

• Finger food platters (mini burgers, shrimp skewers, antipasti, vegetarian selection)
• Bowls for groups – Asian bowls, mezze bowls, pasta bowls
• New Year's Eve raclette boxes in to-go format – with cheese, dips, vegetables, bread products
• Midnight snack packs (e.g. currywurst set, chili con carne, vegan midnight soup)

For anything that's meant to work "to go", you should carefully select your packaging: sturdy meal boxes , soup cups, dip cups, snack boxes and robust carrying containers that can withstand longer journeys.

Seasonal beverages – a sales booster with minimal effort

Beverages are arguably the most profitable products in the restaurant industry. Seasonal drinks can be very successful during the Advent and New Year's period.

Top drinks for December

• Hot drinks : mulled wine, punch, hot Aperol, hot chocolate, Irish coffee
• Winter smoothies & non-alcoholic drinks
• New Year's Eve drinks : Prosecco mixed drinks, champagne cocktails, signature long drinks

Many beverages sell exceptionally well for takeaway – provided the packaging is right. Sturdy reusable coffee cups , insulated mugs, and matching lids are among the best-selling items during the winter season.

Bakeries & Cafes – Cleverly Use the Christmas Hype

Bakeries and cafes also benefit enormously from the Christmas season. Small special offers can often increase sales many times over in December.

Ideas for bakeries & coffee shops

• Christmas cookies to take away in snack bags
• Mini stollen or stollen-to-go
• Winter cake slices & cake combinations
• Specialty coffees: Gingerbread latte, baked apple cappuccino, winter iced coffee
  

Conclusion: Christmas & New Year's Eve are opportunities – use them strategically.

Those who plan early and offer creative specials can achieve significantly higher sales in December and around the turn of the year.

Important:

• special menus
• attractive to-go offers
• seasonal drinks
• suitable packaging
• cozy atmosphere

This way, you'll not only delight your regular customers but also attract many new guests. The combination of culinary highlights and convenient to-go solutions makes Christmas and New Year's Eve real sales boosters!