Easter in lockdown – ideas for hospitality businesses

With Easter being two weeks before hospitality businesses are allowed to open in the UK, a second Easter in lockdown is on the cards. But this year is different to last. So many of you have adapted to the lockdown way of running your businesses; and as a result have much more flexibility in terms of what you can do to help your customers celebrate Easter weekend. But in case you’re stuck for ideas – here are a few suggestions from us.

Themed meal kits

Many hospitality businesses have already transformed their offering into home meal kits. We’ve seen many of our clients, including Pizza Pilgrims and Hickory’s, do so very successfully. If you do have a meal kit, or it’s something you’re in the process of introducing, then why not make it Easter themed? 

You can take inspiration from the likes of Blacklock who have introduced a ‘30 minute’ Sunday roast or Riding House Cafe’s Easter Box – both perfect for Easter Sunday. And if you’re not in the market for roasts, have a think about what you could add to your existing kits to ramp the Easter fun – think chocolatey desserts, an Easter themed game or even complimentary Easter eggs with every order. 

Cookalongs

If you’re in the business of cakes and sweet treats have a think about an Easter cookalong – a great Easter activity for those with kids. Think Easter egg decorating or seasonal bakes. You could even run a competition alongside it, with an award for the best looking bake. 

Online campaigns

If you aren’t in a position to deliver meal kits or run an event, then make the most of your marketing channels. Relevance is key when it comes to getting people’s attention, so have a think about any Easter themed campaigns you can run. Perhaps a digital ‘Easter egg hunt’ is on the cards, or it might just be a case of tweaking any planned social posts or advertising campaigns, to give them an Easter theme.

Make the most of takeaway

Hospitality may be able to take bookings for Easter, but people can begin to meet outdoors in groups of 6, from the 29th March 🎉 Which means you’re likely to see an increase in footfall over the Easter weekend as people meet up with friends and family outdoors – perhaps for the first time since 2020. Whether you opt for offering Easter themed products is up to you, but make sure you account for an increase in footfall; especially if you’re located near a big outdoor space and the weather is nice. 

And that’s a wrap!

If you’d like more information on how Rotaready can help you build staff rotas that cater for varying demand and the impact of things such as the weather, then drop us a message via live chat or email team@rotaready.com. Wishing you all the best for Easter weekend and reopening in the coming months! 💪🏼