If you run a restaurant in Kingston, you know the feeling. The students head home in December, the tour buses disappear and by the middle of January a Tuesday night can feel awfully long. We know it well too. Before we started New Day, we both spent years working in restaurants and bars, and the slow season was always the part of the year everyone dreaded.
The thing is, Kingston doesn't stop eating out in the winter. People just get choosier. They go back to the places they trust, and they need a little nudge to try somewhere new. The restaurants that stay busy are usually the ones that are easy to find, easy to remember and always seem to have something going on.
Start with what people see on Google
On a cold night, most people decide where to eat from their phone in about the time it takes to warm up the car. They search "dinner near me," look at the map, scroll a few photos and pick. Right now, your Google Business Profile is doing more work than your website.
Make sure your winter hours are right, especially if you close a day or two midweek. Nothing loses a regular faster than a locked door they weren't expecting. Add your winter menu, swap in recent photos of the dishes people actually order and post a quick update when you have a special or an event. And keep answering your reviews, the great ones and the grumpy ones. Our Google Business Profile guide walks through the settings, and if you'd like more reviews coming in, we've written about how to ask for them the right way.
Give people a reason to come in this week
"We're open" isn't much of a reason to leave a warm house. Something specific is. A pasta night, a burger and a pint, a winter-only menu that ends in March, trivia on a Wednesday, a local musician on a Thursday or a night built around FebFest or a big game. Pick one or two ideas and give them a proper push. Two things people actually hear about will do more for you than ten that get lost.
Show the food and the people
Locals decide where they're going on the weekend while they scroll on Thursday. A quick phone video of a plate coming out of the kitchen, your bartender making a drink or a full room on a Friday will do more than a polished graphic with your logo on it. People want to see what it's actually like to be there.
You don't have to post every day. Two or three good posts a week is plenty, and it's much easier if you shoot a batch at once. We wrote about how one content day can fill a month of social, and it works especially well for restaurants because you can shoot the whole winter menu in one afternoon.
Remember the people who already love you
Your regulars are your best marketing in February. If you've been collecting emails through reservations, online ordering or a loyalty program, use that list. A short note once a month with the new menu, the next event and a reason to book is one of the cheapest ways to fill tables. Just make sure people agreed to hear from you. Canada's anti-spam rules are worth a quick read, and we've put them in plain language here.
A little ad money goes a long way
Once you know which offer people respond to, a small Meta ad budget can carry it further. Keep it simple: one offer, one short video, a clear date and a radius that matches how far people will drive for dinner. For most Kingston spots, that's the city plus places like Amherstview and Odessa. Our advertising page explains how we set these up.
Plan January before the holidays
The restaurants that handle the slow season best usually had a plan in October. They'd set the winter menu, picked their events and shot their content before December got busy, so they weren't scrambling when things went quiet. If you're reading this in November, you've still got time.
We help restaurants and bars across Kingston with social media, content shoots, Google profiles, websites and ads, and we've been on your side of the pass. If you'd like a hand with your slow season, have a look at how we work with restaurants or book a free discovery call.
← Back to all articles
