The British pub is an iconic part of the hospitality industry. For many visitors, it’s an essential part of the UK experience – a place to relax, eat, drink, and connect with local culture. But with rising costs and increased competition, many hospitality venues are under pressure to do more than just pull pints.
If you’re a pub operator, the summer tourist season offers a fantastic way to increase sales and build a loyal customer base – but only if you plan ahead. In this guide, we’ll explore practical strategies to boost pub profits during tourist season, attract new customers, maximise revenue, and create an exceptional experience that keeps guests coming back.
1. Streamline Your Food Menu to Improve Efficiency and Margins
One of the most overlooked ways to increase pub profits is by optimising the food menu. A bloated or poorly designed menu slows down kitchen operations, increases food waste, and hides the performance of your most profitable dishes.
What to do:
- Audit your current menu and identify your high-margin items.
- Focus on popular dishes with reliable profit margins and remove underperforming ones.
- Use seasonal ingredients to lower food costs and improve freshness.
- Create simplified prep workflows to save time during peak times.
Streamlining the menu not only reduces pressure on staff but improves consistency and service speed. It also gives you a clearer opportunity to promote specific dishes that are both profitable and tourist-friendly.
Related: Restaurant Marketing Ideas for Summer Tourism in the UK | 12 Ways To Boost Profits During Peak Season
2. Create Limited-Time Offers and Seasonal Promotions
Tourists are drawn to unique and timely experiences. Special offers can create a sense of urgency and drive more spend per customer.
Examples include:
- Summer cocktail menus or local cider flights
- A ‘Wimbledon Special’ burger and beer combo
- Kids eat free promotions on weekday afternoons
Pair your special offers with clear pricing and promotion on your Google Business Profile and social channels. This helps attract more foot traffic and encourages sharing online.
A smartly priced offer on a low-cost, high-demand product can significantly boost profit margins.
3. Use Events to Attract and Retain More Customers
Events are one of the most effective ways to bring in new guests and increase the average spend of existing customers. Pubs can benefit from a wide variety of options:
- Quiz nights (especially themed around local culture or major events)
- Live music from local bands or acoustic artists
- Screenings of major sports events with drink specials
- Board game nights or family-friendly game afternoons
You can also host community events like craft fairs or charity fundraisers to connect with locals and tourists alike. These events build loyalty and help turn one-time guests into repeat visitors.
Don’t forget to post about upcoming events on your social media, and ensure your opening hours are up-to-date on all platforms.
4. Extend Usage of the Venue During Quieter Times
Many hospitality venues only focus on peak hours. But tapping into quieter daytime slots can unlock extra revenue and attract new audiences.
Ideas include:
- Turning the pub into a daytime co-working space for freelancers and remote workers
- Offering cocktail masterclasses or food workshops in the late morning or early afternoon
- Running private events or group bookings for team-building or local businesses
Utilising your space in this way helps to offset overhead costs and make more money from times that usually sit idle.
5. Install Entertainment Options That Pay for Themselves
Adding interactive entertainment creates both engagement and additional revenue streams.
Examples:
- Pool tables with pay-per-use
- Fruit machines or quiz machines
- Board games or table-top experiences for families or groups
These options encourage guests to stay longer, spend more, and return in the future. They’re also a great talking point and give your venue a unique personality.
6. Partner with Local Festivals and Events
Local festivals are a fantastic way to reach new customers and create memorable experiences that set your pub apart.
Ways to get involved:
- Operate a pop-up bar at the festival
- Create event-themed drinks or meals at your main venue
- Offer discounts to ticket holders or include promotions in festival brochures
This type of event marketing gives you a wider audience while tapping into the spending habits of tourists already primed to enjoy food and drink.
7. Improve Customer Experience to Boost Repeat Business
In the hospitality sector, good service is everything. A tourist who has a great time in your pub is far more likely to leave a review, post on social media, or come back next year.
To improve the customer experience:
- Train staff on soft skills and upselling
- Personalise service when possible (e.g. remembering an order)
- Ensure cleanliness and efficiency, even during peak times
Consider implementing customer feedback systems (via email or table cards) to gather insights and identify areas for improvement. Not only does this enhance service, it shows customers that their opinions matter.
8. Promote Key Features That Set You Apart
During favourable weather, outdoor space can be a huge asset. Promote things like:
- Kids play areas
- Dog-friendly zones
- Outdoor fire pits or live music setups
Also showcase other venue strengths like a historic interior, craft beer list, or locally sourced menu.
Your Google Business Profile, website, and socials should all highlight these assets with images, reviews, and keywords tourists might search for (e.g. “pub with outdoor seating near me”).
9. Use Email Marketing to Drive Repeat Visits
While social media is great for discovery, email still produces significantly more conversions – especially for encouraging repeat visits or rebooking.
Collect customer data during peak times via:
- Wi-Fi access login
- Booking forms
- QR codes on menus or receipts
Then send:
- Exclusive promotions
- Upcoming event invites
- Birthday or seasonal discounts
These emails keep your venue top-of-mind and drive bookings even during off-peak months.
10. Price Strategically to Increase Profit Margins
Many pubs are hesitant to raise prices for fear of losing customers, but small strategic increases – especially on high-margin items – can make a big difference.
Tactics include:
- Reviewing prices seasonally based on food ingredient costs and demand
- Testing small increases on premium drinks or popular meals
- Bundling items into offers to increase per head spend
This approach helps your business stay afloat during high-cost periods without compromising the customer experience.
11. Focus on Visual Promotion During Holidays
The tourist season is highly visual. Eye-catching photos and smart content make the difference between a booked table and an ignored post.
Best practices:
- Use real photos of food, drink, and people enjoying your pub
- Highlight any upcoming events, offers, or reasons to visit
- Cross-post consistently across social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
User-generated content from your guests also performs well – encourage tagging and repost with permission.
12. Manage Bookings and Customer Flow Proactively
Pubs often underestimate the power of pre-bookings. During peak season, managing capacity helps staff prepare and improves the overall service.
- Enable table bookings online or via social media
- Use booking data to plan staffing and kitchen prep
- Offer bookable “event tickets” for quizzes, themed nights, or masterclasses
With many hospitality venues facing labour shortages, anything that improves planning and reduces stress will help boost profits.
Final Thoughts: Long-Term Profit from Seasonal Footfall
The summer tourist season can be the most lucrative time of year – but only if you have a clear plan. By focusing on high-margin items, enhancing the customer experience, tapping into non-core hours, and embracing technology, pubs can generate significantly more revenue without needing to attract thousands of new customers.
Each of these strategies helps you make the most of what you already have: space, staff, community, and atmosphere.
If you’re looking to boost pub profits during tourist season and need support with kitchen design, equipment upgrades or operational efficiency, Ceba Solutions can help. We’ve worked with hundreds of hospitality businesses across the UK to improve layouts, reduce costs, and build spaces that drive better service and higher profits.
Talk to us today about how we can help your pub thrive – not just this summer, but all year round.
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