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Food | 02/12/2022

Cultural programmes as a driver for L’Hospitalet’s food service sector

How can the food service sector take advantage of leisure and culture-related activities? We have a number of thoughts and useful ideas that could enable restaurants to attract customers, especially now that Christmas is coming and bringing with it a packed programme of activities, such as exhibitions, musical performances and theatrical events. Having a programme of activities spread across different spaces within the city serves as a tool of both economic and social development. It is precisely this dispersion of activities that favours the entire food service community, owing to the fact that instead of being contained in a single space, activities can take place simultaneously or at different times and enliven different neighbourhoods throughout the city.

These cycles of cultural activity bring energy to the city’s social life and give an economic boost to its shops and food service establishments. Moreover, such programmes provide business owners with a schedule and help them to make sure they are ready for the times when their establishments will be busiest. Additionally, one of the greatest benefits is that they can adapt their communications and develop marketing strategies to attract a broader range of customers to their establishments.

How to identify key dates and times

As with any cultural programme, cycle or festival promoted by the City Council, there will be an official schedule published on the Council’s tourism website with details of all of the activities that the Council has organised or collaborated with. As mentioned at the start of this article, the programme of Christmas activities will be available very soon, allowing business owners to identify the dates and times when they will require extra support. Advance planning is the only way to make sure that shifts are organised correctly on the dates prior to the biggest celebrations of the year.

How to take advantage of cultural activities

Without a doubt, as soon as the programme of activities is published, that is the time to pay particular attention to the details that will enable the establishment to form part of the activity in question.

Musical ambience: If there is a concert, play the music of the artist in question during the moments prior to and after the concert. Look for similar artists, in order to signal an interest in the music and generate a more pleasant atmosphere. This is an easy task, because your establishment will be filled with people who share the same cultural interests. Your establishment must therefore be an extension of those interests.

Interior decor: Complement the activities. If the activity in question is an arts festival, and takes place on a recurring basis, decorate your establishment for the occasion. Or for a circus festival (for example), why not find out some key details about the circus world and turn your establishment into a small exhibition space? Or you could create a special dish for the festival named after Nik Wallenda, the famous acrobat who crossed Niagara Falls in just 25 minutes.

Sports: The same principle applies to sports events. Whether your establishment is located at the start line or finish line, the atmosphere must encourage the runners and their families. Any nod to or acknowledgement of the sportspeople will be enthusiastically welcomed by customers.

Promotions: Let’s describe a hypothetical situation. A show is taking place at a nearby theatre, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. Theatre-goers will be meeting for a pre-show drink at your establishment, so you know you will be fairly busy between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. Why not use this as an opportunity to bring customers in after the show ends? Attract them with a promotion that will encourage them to return to your establishment for dinner after the show. You can advertise the promotion on a poster or instruct the wait staff to inform the customers in person.

Social media: Don’t miss the opportunity to make your community aware of the special promotions or activities you are carrying out. If your local community of followers is going to attend one of the shows in the programme, they will be pleased to know that your establishment will be joining in by organising special activities, promotions, initiatives, etc.