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How Colorado Springs Restaurants Can Use Holiday Numbers to Plan for the Slow Season

  • Writer: Averil Barmann
    Averil Barmann
  • Nov 19
  • 2 min read

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The holidays are a whirlwind for restaurants, cafés, bars, and boutique hotels. Once the rush settles down, many owners feel tempted to take a breather and ignore the numbers until tax time. But your November and December reports contain some of the most valuable data you’ll see all year.


If you use that information now, you can walk into January and February with a clear plan instead of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.


Look at Sales Trends, Not Just Totals


Instead of only reviewing total revenue, break your holiday data into trends:

  • Which days of the week were most profitable?

  • Did certain time slots (brunch, happy hour, late night) outperform others?

  • Were special events or limited-time menus worth the extra effort?


These patterns help guide your marketing and staffing decisions during slower months. For example, if Thursday happy hours performed well, that may be the perfect time to run a winter promotion.


For a refresher on year-end organization, revisit our article:Is Your Hospitality Business Ready for Year-End?


Identify Your Most Profitable Menu Items


Not all popular items are equally profitable. Use your POS and bookkeeping reports to review:

  • Food and beverage cost percentages for top sellers

  • High-margin items that deserve more promotion

  • Low-margin items that may need price adjustments or recipe adjustments


When January slows down, focusing on profitable items helps stabilize cash flow without adding extra labor or overhead.


Learn more about ongoing financial review in our Monthly Bookkeeping Services:


Review Labor-to-Sales Ratios


Holiday staffing can hide payroll inefficiencies. Compare labor costs to sales by week:

  • Were there shifts where labor costs increased but sales didn’t?

  • Did overtime rise in ways that didn’t correlate with higher revenue?


These insights help refine winter schedules, prevent unnecessary overtime, and align labor budgets with realistic Q1 expectations.


Explore how to simplify payroll with our Payroll Services


Build a Q1 Budget Using Real Data

Your holiday numbers give a clear picture of:

  • Average guest check size

  • Seasonal fluctuations in food and beverage costs

  • How holiday promotions impacted sales


Use this to create a practical January–March budget. Plan for:

  • Conservative revenue projections

  • Fixed costs (rent, insurance, base payroll)

  • Variable costs you can adjust (inventory orders, marketing spend)


For additional business support, see resources from the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center:https://pikespeaksbdc.org/


And the Colorado Secretary of State Business Resources:


Turn Reports into Actionable Goals


Once your reports are organized, set one or two concrete financial goals for Q1, such as:

  • Improve food cost percentage by 2–3 points

  • Maintain a target labor-to-sales ratio

  • Build a three-week cash reserve for payroll and vendors


Learn how to turn your actual numbers into a clear plan through our Accounting Strategy Sessions:


Ready to Turn Your 2025 Holiday Results into a Stronger 2026?

Schedule a free consultation with Barmann Bookkeeping and start building a confident Q1 plan:

 
 
 

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