Hospitality
An advent calendar for restaurants, pubs and cafés
A daily reason for your regulars to think of you in December. Offers that fill quiet sessions, gift vouchers for last-minute shoppers and January bookings in the diary before Christmas.
Why an advent calendar works for hospitality
December is busy, but not evenly. Friday nights sell themselves while Monday lunchtimes stay quiet, and January is quiet everywhere. A digital advent calendar lets you point demand where you need it, one door at a time, without discounting your busiest sessions.
- Fill the quiet sessions. Put a deal on a slow weekday lunch and leave your peak nights alone.
- Sell gift vouchers. Vouchers are the classic last-minute present. A voucher bonus behind a door in the final week is an easy win.
- Book January now. Offer a treat for tables booked in January while diners are already thinking about you.
- Grow your own list. With the email gate on, guests enter their email once to open doors, with a separate box for your marketing emails. You keep the consented list for next year.
- Show your personality. Videos from the kitchen and recipes from the chef remind people why they love your place.
A sample 24-door plan for a restaurant
Here is a full plan for a made-up neighbourhood restaurant. It mixes deals with prize draws, videos and useful information, and saves the strongest offers for weekends and the final week.
| Door | Idea | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welcome to December: free mince pie with any hot drink | Deal |
| 2 | Our Christmas menu, revealed | Image |
| 3 | Win Christmas lunch for four | Prize draw |
| 4 | Book any table for January and get a free dessert | Code |
| 5 | Meet the kitchen team | Video |
| 6 | Saturday brunch: kids eat free | Deal |
| 7 | The perfect roast potatoes, by our head chef | Video |
| 8 | Midweek set lunch at a special price | Deal |
| 9 | Gift vouchers for foodies | Link |
| 10 | Our festive hot chocolate recipe | Image |
| 11 | Win a cookery class with the chef | Prize draw |
| 12 | Work party? Free welcome drinks for groups of 10 or more | Deal |
| 13 | Weekend treat: free sides with any main | Code |
| 14 | How we choose our Christmas turkeys | Message |
| 15 | Last few tables for Christmas week | Link |
| 16 | Bonus £5 on every £50 gift voucher | Code |
| 17 | Behind the pass on our busiest night | Video |
| 18 | Win a table on New Year's Eve | Prize draw |
| 19 | Leftover turkey sandwich, done properly | Image |
| 20 | Free coffee with any dessert this weekend | Deal |
| 21 | Christmas and New Year opening hours | Image |
| 22 | Last-minute gift vouchers, sent by email | Link |
| 23 | A thank-you from the whole team | Video |
| 24 | Merry Christmas: 15% off your first visit in January | Code |
Open a few of these doors on the live demo calendar to see how deals, codes and prize draws look when they open. For more ideas across other sectors, see our 48 advent calendar ideas.
Getting guests to open it
- In the venue. Print the QR code on table cards, menus and the bottom of every receipt.
- By email. Announce the calendar to your list on 30 November, then let the daily reminder emails do the rest (Business package).
- On social. Post a teaser of tomorrow's door each evening, without giving the offer away.
- On your website. Embed the calendar on your homepage, or run it on your own subdomain.
Keep it simple for your team
Your front-of-house team does not need a new system. Guests show the open door on their phone, or quote a code when they book. Every door can carry an end date and small print, and when an offer ends the door is greyed out. If plans change mid-month, send us the new door and we update it within one working day.
Drinks offers. You can promote drinks, but follow the CAP Code rules on alcohol: nothing aimed at under-18s and nothing that encourages people to drink irresponsibly.
What it costs
Most restaurants choose the Business package at £695 + VAT, which adds the email gate with daily reminders, embedding on your website, prize draw doors and a launch pack of social graphics. The Starter package is £495 + VAT. See full pricing and the order form.
Questions from restaurants
How do guests redeem an offer in the restaurant?
Most venues keep it simple: the guest shows the open door on their phone to their server, or quotes a code when they book. Each door can have its own small print and end date, and once an offer has ended the door is greyed out so it cannot be used again.
Can we use the calendar to sell gift vouchers?
Yes. Any door can carry a button to your gift voucher page, your booking system or your online shop. Many venues put a voucher bonus behind a door in the final week before Christmas, when people are looking for last-minute gifts.
Can we promote drinks offers?
Yes, as long as the promotion follows the CAP Code rules on alcohol: nothing aimed at or likely to appeal to under-18s, and no encouragement to drink irresponsibly. Food, soft drinks, bookings and gift vouchers make great doors too.
Can guests find the calendar in the venue?
Yes. Every calendar comes with a QR code you can print on table cards, menus, receipts and posters, so diners can open today's door while they are with you.
We are a group with several sites. Can we have one calendar?
Yes. One calendar can promote every site, with doors that link to each venue's booking page. Or we can build a calendar per site with shared branding. Tell us about your group in the enquiry form.
Fill your quiet sessions this December
Tell us about your venue and we will come back within one working day with a price and a launch plan.