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How to Handle More Restaurant Orders This July 4th Without More Restaurant Staff?

Nearly 83% of consumers bought food to celebrate the 4th of July in 2024, based on a sentiment survey of over 5,500 consumers. It was an insane time, just like New Year’s Eve, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and other high-end celebrations.

Maintaining a productive balance between the staff’s workload and the customer’s demands is not always smooth sailing. 

Human errors are bound to happen:

  • Managing endless customer calls
  • Rushing with food preparation
  • Limited staff, countless deliveries, 
  • Irritated customers calling about delays
  • Getting the address wrong

It doesn’t have to get so overwhelming! This year, we’re giving you strategic tips to overcome the large volume of customer calls on Independence Day.

Handling a Large Volume of Restaurant Orders on the 4th of July

Just like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Easter, the 4th of July holds a significant meaning to US citizens, but unlike those holidays, July 4th often has limited staffing due to summer schedules. They are likely to go out or order a takeaway to celebrate. These are the times when it gets busier than usual for restaurant chains to operate in synchronicity. 

Therefore, we need to explore planned and strategic ways for restaurants to handle orders without acquiring more staff on board.

1. Pro Tip #1: Cross-Train and Plan Roles Ahead

If you’re short-staffed, prioritize roles like phone order management and order packing over dine-in hosts. Plan the kind of staff you want to hire, from full-time employees to part-time. 

Delegate duties to optimize workflow on this day:

  • Assigning staggered shifts to ensure continuous coverage during the peak hours of the day
  • Arranging a clear communication strategy during pre-shift briefings, like the anticipated guest flow
  • Cross-training some of the able staff members, such as training the kitchen staff for front-of-house order taking

Make sure every employee is aware of their duties and provide cross-training for staff in areas that need improvement. For instance, on some of the busiest holidays of the year, like July 4th, ask your staff to communicate clearly with guests.

2. Pro Tip #2: What to do if your staff no-shows on the 4th

You’ve cross-trained your staff and delegated roles well in advance. However, expect the unexpected with no-shows on the main day. Unforeseen circumstances, such as them calling in sick or having an unavoidable emergency, can lead to disrupting the entire planned flow of taking customer orders on the 4th.

In such scenarios, here’s what you can do:

  • Create a back-up list of on-call or part-time staff for last-minute shifts. Why would they be available? Because you’ve offered incentives like higher pay or bonuses for stepping in on short notice.
  • Typically, restaurants have increased foot traffic not only on July 4, but also on the day before and after. For instance, several restaurants encourage pre-order bookings, such as ‘Pre-order by 30th June. Buy 3 Hulk Dogs, get the 4th Free!!!’ It’s an ingenious way to streamline order flow and lighten the staff load on the 4th of July.
  • Gear up your existing staff with additional skills for essential duties beyond their primary roles. For instance, train the host to also partake in basic order packing, or have a manager step onto the line.
  • Prioritize key operations that need more focus if you are understaffed. For instance, focus on takeout or delivery orders while temporarily scaling back on less critical areas like the dine-in capacity. Remember that this should not be a must-do part unless you are critically understaffed. In this case, maintain clear communication with customers about any service adjustments.
  • Use online ordering systems to automate the heavy volume of calls during staff shortages or to complement the existing staff duties. Implementing an automated phone ordering system can ensure orders continue to flow without manual ordering systems.

3. Pro Tip #3: Speed Up Service by Simplifying Your Menu

It’s not only important to make sure your staff is trained for a busy holiday at the restaurant. You need to ensure that it is easy for consumers to give a quick read to your menu to make a swift order. 

The smaller a menu, the simpler it is to place an order, and the more effective it becomes for the kitchen staff to prep for speed.

Simplifying the menu includes: – 

  • Removing the expensive or inaccessible ingredients to make a meal. 
  • Add travel-friendly dishes, low-cost ingredients, and fewer premium choices to streamline the ordering flow. 
  • Further on, you get to reduce the cooking time, lighten the load on staff movement, and enhance food ordering capacity.

Additionally, consider these “menu hacks” for holiday speed:

  • Offer pre-packed meal deals that simplify choice for customers as well as kitchen production.
  • Prepare popular and easy-to-assemble dishes in advance to ensure quick pickups and decrease wait times.
  • Hype up the popular dishes that are also profitable and are quick to pack and deliver.

4. Pro Tip #4: Automate Your Food Order Management Process

When it comes to Independence Day staffing, there is a likelihood that some of the pre-assigned staff may not turn up. You cannot discontinue services and ruin business scalability on such a significant day. A common challenge on the 4th of July is the overwhelming volume of calls, leading to missed orders, frustrated customers stuck on hold, and lost revenue at the end of the day.

During peak times, staff who manually handle calls may crumble under pressure. Customers are caught up in endless busy signals, leading them to hang up and book their orders at another restaurant. Ultimately, missed calls or abandoned orders lead to a direct loss of business with a potential hit to the restaurant’s reputation.

This is where technology makes a huge difference for local restaurant chains. The National Restaurant Association reported that 76% of operators admit to the competitive edge they gained from using automated phone ordering systems in 2024.

While most restaurant chains might be using phone bots, VOICEplug goes a step beyond them. It employs real-time and intelligent conversation to ensure superior order-taking precision through its voice AI ordering system. This helps restaurants manage every call on the 4th of July. The system also offers data-driven insights gained from previous holidays to help restaurant chain owners plan staffing and delivery arrangements for the actual day.

Therefore, it is essential to be prepped and ready for unexpected food orders. Blending the skills and innovativeness of human staff and automated phone ordering systems can help manage high-volume restaurant orders without placing complete dependence on overworked staff members. This could be your biggest sales day of the quarter, if you’re ready for it. Want to prep your phone lines for July 4th in under 7 days? See how VOICEplug can help. Book a demo.

Jay Ruparel
AUTHOR BIO Jay Ruparel

Jay Ruparel is a serial tech entrepreneur with a proven track record in building and scaling global technology-driven businesses. As the Co-Founder and CEO of VoicePlug Inc., he leverages his expertise in AI, machine learning, and digital transformation to drive innovation and growth. Jay is also the Co-Founder of Azure Knowledge Corporation and has received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. Outside of his professional endeavors, Jay mentors startups and serves as an advisor to various organizations.

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