Hosting unique restaurant events is a great way to draw in new customers. Straying away from your usual ideas can help to intrigue regulars, too! A Meet the Chef night is a great restaurant event to consider if you’re looking to try something new. It combines the popular idea of hosting a tasting event with one that really makes your restaurant seem personable. Connecting with your community is important, because your restaurant’s survival depends on locals! A Meet the Chef Night is the perfect way to begin to form strong personal connections with the people who keep your business’s doors open.
What is A Meet the Chef Night?
A “Meet the Chef Night” is exactly what it sounds like! A night where your customers can meet the chef–or, more generally, the kitchen staff–who make the magic happen. The most successful Meet the Chef nights combine the social aspect of the event with a tasting event. A limited menu that includes both event-specific specials and a few old favorites, served in small portions, is a winning combination. This gives your chefs something to talk to guests about–what inspired these dishes? Where are the ingredients sourced? Get the conversation started with some delicious food and everything is sure to go well.
What Makes This a Great, Unique Restaurant Event?
A Meet the Chef Night is a great restaurant event because it’s simple to pull off, and it’s unique enough to pique the interest of guests. You’re likely going to be the only restaurant in your area hosting one, although we’re sure that you’ll be a trendsetter once others see how successful your event has been. But nobody will be able to replicate the original, and your guests will always remember your ingenuity.
Tips for Your Meet the Chef Night!
Even though Meet the Chef Nights are relatively straightforward, we have a few tips that can help your event go as smoothly as possible.
Choose a great date and time. Picking the wrong day can make or break any restaurant event. Just like we recommend with our trivia programs for bars, other restaurant events can be leveraged to draw in a crowd on slower weeknights. This is most likely the most effective way to schedule your Meet the Chef Night. Consider hosting your event on a Wednesday or Thursday night.
Sell tickets, or have guests RSVP.
Market it well. Even the most stellar of unique restaurant events won’t be successful if nobody knows that it’s happening! That’s where marketing comes in. Utilize every avenue that you have when it comes to communicating with your customers! Social media, flyers, posters, signs, and telephone and greeting spiels. Keep it simple–include the important information and don’t complicate it with too many extra words or images!
We hope that these tips were helpful to you as you work to plan your next unique restaurant event. Best of luck–we’re all rooting for you!
