Entertainment in your restaurant: eleven ideas and what they really cost
Entertainment in hospitality almost never fails on the idea. It fails on the execution: something that takes too much work, needs too much space or only works once. Below are eleven forms, with an honest account of what you get back from each and what it costs you.
Ongoing, every day
1. Games on the table via a QR code
Works every day, takes up no space and no staff. Fills exactly the gap between ordering and serving. Downside: it's not a reason to come especially; it makes a visit better rather than attracting guests. See the overview.
2. An open kitchen
The strongest form of entertainment there is, and the most expensive. Only relevant if you're renovating.
3. Board games in a cabinet
Likeable and cheap to start with. In practice pieces go missing and someone has to keep track of it. Works best in cafés where people stay a long time, less so in restaurants where the table needs to turn over.
Weekly or monthly
4. A pub quiz
The best way to fill a quiet weekday evening. Takes two to four hours of preparation each time if you write the questions yourself. Described in detail in the guide.
5. Live music
Draws a crowd and completely changes the atmosphere. Costs money per evening, needs space, and you have to consider noise regulations and neighbours. Only works if it fits your venue: acoustic in a small restaurant, louder in a café.
6. A themed evening
A country, a season, a dish. Works well if you repeat it consistently and your regulars start to expect it. Doesn't work as a one-off.
7. A tasting or workshop
Wine, beer, coffee, cooking. High spend per guest and a strong reason to come, but it requires a staff member occupied with it for the whole evening.
Seasonal
8. A terrace activity
Boules, a dartboard, a table tennis table. Works great from April to September and gets in the way the rest of the year.
9. A match on a big screen
Fills the venue at moments you know in advance. Downside: guests who didn't want to watch a match won't come that evening.
For families
10. A play corner
Attracts families, takes up square metres you need on busy evenings, and needs to be kept clean. See also what parents really look for.
11. Colouring pages and puzzle booklets
Cheap and easy to introduce right away. Keeps a child occupied for five to ten minutes and needs to be kept stocked.
What suits which moment of the week
Entertainment solves two very different problems, and it helps to know which of the two you have.
Filling a quiet evening
Tuesday and Wednesday, when the venue is half empty. Here you need a reason for people to come, and that's something you announce: a quiz, live music, a theme. Something that's always there won't solve this — nobody comes especially for that.
Making a busy evening better
Friday and Saturday, when the venue is full and the kitchen is running behind. Here you need exactly the opposite: something that's always there, requires no attention from your staff, and bridges the waiting time. A quiz night on your busiest evening only makes it harder.
Most venues have both problems, and choose one solution. That's why it so often only half works.
What each form costs, side by side
Money is rarely the decisive factor; time is. This breakdown helps show what you're really spending:
- One-off money, no ongoing time: a dartboard, a table tennis table, a cabinet of board games. Cheap to maintain, but seasonal or space-consuming.
- Ongoing money, no time: games on the table. A fixed amount per month and nothing else, even on a busy evening.
- Money and time each time: live music, a tasting, a workshop. The strongest crowd-pullers and the most expensive form in both respects.
- No money, lots of time: a homemade pub quiz. Works excellently as long as whoever writes it keeps it up, and collapses as soon as that person leaves.
That last category is the pitfall most venues fall into. Something that seems free because it doesn't generate an invoice can be the most expensive option.
The three mistakes that get made the most
Introducing something on the busiest evening
The temptation is to start when it's full, because that's when most people see it. Right then your staff has no time for it and it goes wrong. Start on a quiet evening, where a mistake goes unnoticed.
Stopping too soon
The first time almost never works. A quiz night needs three to four editions before there's a regular crowd. Anyone who concludes after one time with eight participants that it's no good, stops exactly too early.
Three things at once
Anyone who introduces a quiz, a play corner and live music in the same month won't know afterwards what helped and what got in the way. One thing at a time, with two weeks in between.
How you choose
Go through these three questions before introducing anything:
- Does it work every day, or only on the days that I organise it?
- Does it cost my staff time at the moment it's busy?
- Can I see within two weeks whether it works?
The forms that score well on all three are the forms that stay. The rest are quietly stopped after a month.
The difference between entertainment that stays and entertainment that disappears is almost always how much work it costs on a busy evening.
Which entertainment works best in a restaurant?
Forms that work every day without extra work on a busy evening. Table games and an open kitchen score highest there; live music and workshops draw more crowds but cost money and manpower each time.
What does entertainment cost in hospitality?
That ranges from almost nothing for colouring pages to hundreds of dollars per evening for live music. The real cost item usually isn't the money but your staff's time.
How do I know if something works?
Look at spend per table, the share of desserts and the number of reviews for two weeks, and compare the same days of the week with each other.
Is a play corner a good idea?
Only if you really have the space to spare. It costs square metres you need on busy evenings and draws children away from the table right when the food arrives.
Want to try table games yourself?
Give your guests more experience from day one.