Restaurant events are a great way to engage your guests, draw in a crowd, and build a loyal community. While many trivia nights were born out of the pandemic and social distancing, these events are rapidly gaining momentum, getting attention and filling tables on slower nights. However, operators need to have a plan to be able to execute a successful event and to get guests coming back each week.
Creating any successful event takes careful planning, and trivia nights are no exception. Consider the following factors to help provide a fun experience for your guests and your team:
- When is the best time to host? If you are especially slow on Wednesdays, that might be a good night to launch your event and try to increase traffic.
- Coming up with content can be a challenge, so do your research. Visit other trivia nights to see what might work (and won’t work) for your restaurant, use Google for content, and include a broad range of topics for mass appeal. Decide on details like formatting, how many teams can play, what prizes to offer, and more.
- Once you have the game questions, managing the teams becomes important. How will the teams answer the questions, and how will results be recorded? How will you handle reserving team spots? Create clear procedures and rules so everyone is on the same page.
- Consider staffing and what will be required to manage larger groups, from servers to the kitchen, so that guests are not disappointed with their experience.
- Think of additional ways to engage your guests by asking them to submit future topics, rate their experience online, or share on social media to ramp up the competition and add an extra fun factor.
- Spread the word and grow a following for trivia nights by posting live footage, featuring winners, offering details on your website, and partnering with local businesses for prizes to reach broader audiences and raise the stakes.
- Don’t be afraid to adjust your operations. As the event grows, you may find that you need to tweak certain details, and that’s okay. Be flexible enough to refine the process to make the experience better for everyone.
Trivia nights are a popular way to increase visitors, boost profits, and get attention for your restaurant. Be intentional with your event planning to offer your guests a trivia experience that they won’t find anywhere else!
