As the cool breeze rolls in, the windows frost over and festive celebrations approach, operators everywhere are preparing for tighter schedules and higher demand.
Each December, guest volumes and spending soar, but so do guest expectations, and disappointments, with service pressures often leading to a dip in guest satisfaction.
This is why now is a great time to start thinking about which pitfalls most often impact NPS, and share evidence-based recommendations on how operators can elevate both team morale and guest experience at this critical time.
The Bad, The Eyeroll
The festive period is the time when the hospitality sector rightly expects its tills to ring and its venues to buzz, but each year, our data at 125 tells us that a paradox plays out. While December routinely delivers the highest guest volumes and spend per head, we also witness a dip in NPS, a telling sign that guest experience is at risk just when expectations soar highest. From 2024’s Christmas Unwrapped report, we found that where the yearly average NPS for a non-festive visit sat at 65, this dipped to 58 during the Christmas period. In support of this finding, our more recent State of the Nation report, looking at consumer behaviour from nearly 26,000 respondents, told us that the average NPS for a ‘special occasion’ also drops to 50. But why?
For most guests, the festive season is one of the most prized stretches on the calendar: special occasions, reunions, and rare nights out are treasured. The moments when guests are least willing to compromise, and rightly so. For operators, stakes are not only higher, but the pressure on teams and systems is intense.
This pressure is paired with the current economic climate, where the cost of living is having a bigger impact than ever on guests’ decision making; data suggests this affects everyone of all ages and locations. 38% of people have cut back on mid-week meals, placing an even higher emphasis on how special these occasions are when they do go out.
Value perception has shifted because of this; value for experience becoming a key measure in place of value for money. So, with all of that in mind, what key areas should we look out for as Christmas approaches?
- Service lapses: In 125’s latest State of the Nation, we found a high correlation between poor service factors and very low (detractor) NPS rates. Amongst these are drinks wait times, bill payment process and table quality featuring amongst them.
- During the festive season, guests forgive speed, but not food basics – 20% of guests that complained about the ‘Speed of Service’ still went on to be a promoter compared to only 5% of guests who complained about the over or under cooking of food.
- Ambience and delivery: when choosing where to go, festive atmosphere is almost as important as the food options when guests choose where to go. Out of the circa 24,000 surveyed, only 27% of guests said their visits felt more special than a regular visit during w/c 23rd Dec, down by 5% from w/c 2nd Dec. When it comes to focusing on these areas, overlook either at your peril.
The Good – what can operators do to combat these trends?
This all being said, the seasonal dip is not inevitable. Operators who outperform recognise that exceptional experiences come down to preparation, focus, and investing in people, not just processes. Here are our key recommendations to help teams not only survive the festive rush, but turn high expectations into new, loyal advocates:
- Cut down menu noise: Refine festive menus to focus on crowd-pleasers and ensure every team member knows the product inside out. Bear in mind, last year, less than a quarter of guests dined on a set menu, with nearly half choosing the regular menu. Don’t just focus on marketing your festive offering and keep an eye on the service quality of anything you add to not affect other crucial guest experience touchpoints.
- Service rituals: Double down on basics: table ready on arrival, drinks topped up, dishes leaving the kitchen together. These are what guests notice most, especially now. According to our report, only 34% of respondents felt as though their drinks were topped up throughout their visit. Not only did this leave room for CX detraction but also creates lost revenue.
- Don’t forget the atmosphere. Keep an eye on your feedback and act against any areas that are detracting from your experience overall – are chairs broken? Is the music too loud? Fixing these issues will not only benefit you during this period, but well beyond.
- Empower your people: Happy, well-supported teams serve happier guests. Keep an eye on shift patterns, track both team morale and guest feedback side-by-side, and reward exceptional performance in real time. Our data shows a high correlation between guests mentioning team members who share their knowledge and high NPS. So, investing time with new team members in menu tasting and training can really pay dividends.
- Even if your Christmas bookings are looking slimmer than expected; you shouldn’t always rely on your current projections. Last year, two thirds of all guests booked within 4 weeks of their visit date. 40% of all bookings were made within the last 2 weeks, with 85% of them being for parties of 2-8. So don’t let any of the above slip, even if you aren’t expecting a landslide of covers – continue to test your booking systems, experience the booking journey that your guest does, and be sure to keep a constant eye on availability.
Every year brings new challenges, but every festive season is also a fresh opportunity to learn, adapt, and delight. By focusing relentlessly on people and experience, hospitality can thrive, even when expectations are at their peak.
Want to see how it works for yourself? Book a demo with out team today: