Tech the Halls: Must-Have Digital Tools for a Smoother Holiday Season
- eileen strauss
- 8 minutes ago
- 7 min read
December doesn’t tiptoe into restaurants; it kicks the door open carrying catering trays, online orders, snowstorms, office parties, and twelve different versions of “last-minute changes." It’s the month when your kitchen timer becomes your soundtrack and your staff’s coffee intake triples overnight.
But here’s the plot twist: you don’t have to white-knuckle your way through it. Today’s restaurant tech is basically the holiday elf you didn’t know you hired, quietly fixing chaos, smoothing out bottlenecks, and saving your sanity one streamlined system at a time.
With the right tools, December goes from “Help; we’re drowning” to “We’ve actually got this!”
Here’s how to bring the right tools to the table so your holiday season feels festive, not frantic.
1. Give Your Online Ordering a Holiday Tune-Up
Mid-November is the ideal time to finalize your holiday catering menu, promote your delivery and take-out offerings, and share them across social media and email. When executed well, holiday catering can completely change your December revenue trajectory.
But it all starts with a clean online ordering experience.
Streamline your Menu for December Volume
Big menus slow down kitchens—especially during peak weeks. A simplified online menu keeps your team focused and your kitchen efficient.
Holiday-friendly items to highlight:
✔ Family trays
✔ Catering bundles
✔ Sides-only menus
✔ Desserts and add-ons
✔ Items that package and travel reliably
Time-slot Controls
Defined pickup and delivery windows prevent bottlenecks and give customers confidence in their service.
Seasonal Banners
Small prompts, such as “Order Now for Christmas Eve Pickup” or “Add Extra Gravy?”, can significantly boost conversion.
2. Contactless Payments and Faster Checkout Tools
During December, long lines and crowded entryways can quickly derail service. That’s where modern checkout tech shines. Restaurant profit margins are notoriously thin, so every percentage point in fees makes a difference.
Accepting credit cards and online payments is practically a necessity for modern restaurants, but the associated processing fees (typically around 2–4% per transaction) can eat into those already slim profits.
QR Menus
QR codes reduce printing costs and provide the flexibility to update menus on the fly when you run low on ingredients.
Tap-to-Pay Terminals and Digital Wallets
Apple Pay, Google Pay, contactless credit cards—these tools shave precious seconds off each transaction.
Self-Service Kiosks
Self-service kiosks can deliver tangible improvements to your restaurant’s operations and bottom line. Here are some of the top benefits:
Faster Service & Shorter Lines: By allowing multiple orders at once, kiosks significantly reduce wait times during rush periods.
Higher Average Check Sizes: Perhaps the biggest revenue win from kiosks is an increase in ticket size. Self-order screens always suggest that extra side or drink, and they never forget to upsell. This consistent upselling leads customers to order more.
Improved Order Accuracy: Human order-takers can mishear or make mistakes, especially with customized requests.
Lower Labor Costs & Staff Efficiency: Every order a kiosk takes is one that your counter staff doesn’t have to handle. This can reduce your staffing needs or allow you to reallocate employees to more value-added roles.
Better Customer Experience: Self-ordering kiosks can actually enhance the dining experience for many guests. Customers appreciate the freedom to browse the entire menu at their own pace without feeling rushed by a line behind them.
Increased Loyalty Sign-ups & Data Collection (Bonus): A frequently overlooked benefit is that kiosks can seamlessly integrate loyalty programs and marketing efforts.
Kiosks work as an extra set of hands during peak times, helping with:
✔ Order accuracy
✔ Upsells
✔ Customer autonomy
✔ Shorter lines
3. Smarter Scheduling Tools to Reduce December Burnout
Nothing derails December faster than staffing issues.
Labor is one of the biggest expenses operators face, and even small scheduling mistakes can snowball into major costs. Restaurant scheduling software gives restaurants the tools to plan shifts, track labor, and stay on budget – all in one place. It replaces guesswork and group texts with precise, up-to-date schedules that teams can rely on.
Modern scheduling tools can:
✔ Auto-build schedules from past December sales
✔ Anticipate big days (office parties, Fridays, snow days)
✔ Factor in labor laws and availability
✔ Allow instant shift swaps
✔ Reduce manager stress
Less chaos → fewer callouts → happier staff → better guest experience.
4. Inventory Tools That Prevent “We’re Out of That” Disasters
Holiday crowds mean holiday stress (and holiday shortages.)
Real-time inventory tools prevent the December nightmare scenario: a fully booked service with half the ingredients missing.
Modern inventory tools help you:
✔ Track stock levels in real time
✔ Prevent over-ordering on slow items
✔ Avoid running out of customer favorites
✔ Auto-86 online menu items
✔ Forecast based on last December’s data
5. Delivery Optimization Tools for High-Volume Weeks
December delivery brings its own set of challenges: snow, early sunsets, increased traffic, and heavier order volume. For small chains and independent restaurants, the ability to manage delivery without chaos or high third-party fees can make or break your month.
Modern delivery-management tools help restaurants maintain fast, accurate, and organized service, even on the busiest holiday weekends, by intelligently staggering order timing and preventing kitchen overload.
When delivery volume spikes, these systems function like an extra dispatcher, giving your staff clarity, reducing bottlenecks, and creating a smoother customer experience from checkout to doorstep.
Today’s delivery optimization tools can:
✔ Map the fastest routes
✔ Track drivers in real time
✔ Send customers live ETAs
✔ Auto-assign deliveries based on location
✔ Reduce “Where’s my order?” calls
✔ Improve accuracy and speed
6. Automated SMS Tools to Keep Customers Updated
If there’s one tool that pulls more weight in December than any other, it’s SMS .
With inboxes overflowing and customers scrolling past endless ads, a simple text can do what other marketing can’t. With a 98% open rate and most messages read within minutes, SMS (Short Message Service) marketing gives restaurants a direct line to hungry customers who are ready to order.
A few well-timed words can fill slow shifts, turn satisfied diners into repeat customers, and keep your delivery program running strong all year. Once you build your text strategy, it continues to deliver results day after day.
Use SMS for:
✔ Holiday specials
✔ Weather closures
✔ Catering reminders
✔ Pickup notifications
✔ Sell-out alerts
✔ Last-minute menu updates
✔ Review follow-ups
7. Digital Gift Cards and Loyalty Tools
Digital gift cards are one of December’s easiest and highest-margin revenue wins. They take seconds to purchase, require zero staff time, never go out of stock, and boost cash flow during the most demanding month of the year.
Even better: most gift card redemptions occur in January and February, providing your restaurant with a built-in traffic boost during slower weeks.
Prepare Holiday Gift Card Deals
Gift card promotions are simple, profitable, and wildly effective this time of year.
✔ Gift Card Bonuses
Run seasonal offers like:
Buy $100, get $20 free
Buy $50, get a $10 bonus
Buy two $25 cards, get a free appetizer couponRun seasonal offers like:
Buy $100, get $20 free
Buy $50, get a $10 bonus
Buy two $25 cards, get a free appetizer coupon
These bonuses feel generous but cost very little to deliver—and they’re one of the strongest tools for boosting post-holiday retention.
✔ Online Gift Card Sales
A frictionless online checkout makes it easy for customers to buy a last-minute gift from their phone—no staff needed, no delays, no packaging.
✔ Tie-in With Delivery Orders
December delivery bags are prime real estate.
Add promotions like: “Add a $25 digital gift card to your order and get a free dessert on your next visit.”
This turns your busiest delivery nights into loyalty-building moments, without interrupting kitchen flow.
Holiday gift card tools help restaurants:
✔ Boost December cash flow
✔ Lock in January/February return visits
✔ Reach new customers through gifting
✔ Build loyalty with minimal staff effort
✔ Drive upsells during checkout
✔ Increase add-on purchases (“Make it a gift?” prompts)
Gift cards are small tech with big long-term impact.
8. Keep Your Online Info Updated Everywhere
Nothing tanks a customer’s holiday spirit faster than outdated information. Wrong hours, inaccurate menus, or missing holiday updates can instantly derail a sale—and December is the month when diners check online constantly before placing an order or heading out.
The problem? Updating every digital platform manually is time-consuming and easy to forget during chaotic weeks. That’s where automated online-listing tools shine.
Why Accurate Online Info Matters Even More in December
✔ Customers rely on Google before anything else
✔ Holiday hours shift weekly—and sometimes daily
✔ Weather closures happen suddenly
✔ High-volume days require special menus or reduced offerings
✔ Delivery windows tighten
✔ Catering cutoffs move earlier
A single mismatch between your actual hours and what Google shows can mean dozens of lost orders. And on Christmas Eve or New Year’s week? Those missed orders are even more expensive.
What Auto-Syncing Tools Can Update for You
Modern digital listing tools can quickly sync changes across every platform customers use, including Google, your website, online ordering, social profiles, and delivery listings.
They keep these details aligned everywhere:
✔ Google Business Profile hours (including special holiday hours)
✔ Weather-related closures or delays
✔ Online menu changes (86’d items, seasonal additions, catering bundles)
✔ Delivery availability (expanded zones, limited windows, peak surcharges)
✔ Catering cutoffs + order deadlines
✔ Special event menus (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, office party bundles)
✔ Real-time “out of stock” flags
The Goal: Zero Surprises for Your Guests
When customers see consistent, up-to-date information across every platform, it builds trust—and removes friction from the decision to order.
When they don’t, the fallout is immediate. Customers show up to a closed dining room, try to order an item you've 86’d hours ago, or wait for a delivery that isn’t running due to the weather. And those moments don’t just hurt a single day’s sales; they chip away at trust and long-term loyalty.
Final Takeaway
December will always be a little chaotic; after all, nothing says “holiday spirit” like a line out the door, twenty catering trays warming, and a snowstorm rolling in. But with the right tech on your side, that chaos stops feeling like a crisis and starts feeling like momentum.
Online ordering takes pressure off the phones; scheduling tools prevent burnout before it starts; inventory alerts stop disasters in their tracks; delivery optimization keeps orders moving; and SMS---that’s your holiday miracle.
When your systems work with you, your team feels the difference. Guests feel it too. Suddenly, December feels less like a juggling act and more like a well-choreographed performance.
Though tech won’t hang the tinsel or prepare your orders, it can help make this your smoothest, smartest, most profitable holiday season yet.
By Eileen Strauss
