Annual closure and rest days: how to inform your guests in time

When and where to inform

You should announce the restaurant's closure as early as possible so that regular customers and groups can plan accordingly. For reservations, parties, and corporate dinners, a few weeks' notice is advisable. You should remind them once more shortly before the closure.

• Notice on the door and in the dining area.
• Google Business Profile with special opening hours.
• Website, Instagram, Facebook and reservation system.
• Personally for regular customers and companies that regularly make reservations.

Text for the notice

A good notice is short, friendly, and states the important details unambiguously. An example:

• Dear guests, we are going on vacation. From August 4 to August 25, our establishment will be closed. Starting Tuesday, August 26, we will be open again at our usual hours. Thank you for your understanding – your team at Gasthaus zur Linde.

Always state the first day the business reopens, not just the last day of the holiday. Many guests otherwise miscalculate by one day.

Google and website adjust

In the Google Business Profile, you enter the vacation as special opening hours. This way, Google shows closed for these days, and the regular hours remain unchanged. On the website, the notice belongs in a place that is immediately visible, not just in the news section.

Do not forget the platforms through which orders or reservations are made. Otherwise, inquiries will come in for days when no one is there.

QR code on the door

Whoever stands in front of your door during your holiday will appreciate a perspective: When will it be open again, and how can one make a reservation? A QR code on the notice can lead to a page with the current opening hours.

If you already have a dynamic code at the door or window that normally leads to the menu, you can change its target for the holiday period. With Same-QR, this can also be done automatically using a date rule: from the first to the last holiday day, the code leads to the page with the opening hours, and afterwards back to the menu. Test the change before the start of the holiday.

After the vacation

• Remove the poster and check all platforms.
• Check whether the regular opening hours apply again on Google.
• Welcome regulars with a short note, perhaps with a new dish.

The same applies on a smaller scale for fixed rest days: They belong everywhere where your times are listed and should be recognizable at first glance on every notice board.

Checklist for operational leave

• Set the date and inform the team.
• Prepare the notice for the door and the dining area.
• Enter special opening hours in Google.
• Adjust websites, social media, reservation and delivery platforms.
• Inform group and corporate customers personally.
• Inform suppliers.
• On the first day after the vacation, put everything back in its place.

Once you have created this list, you can reuse it every year. Then the vacation is just a matter of a few minutes.

Frequently asked questions