How to fill your opening week

Opening day is the only date in your calendar everyone can get excited about. Waste it on a quiet soft launch and you'll spend months trying to rebuild that interest. A good opening is planned backwards, starting weeks before the first guest walks in.

01Six weeks out: open the list

Get a simple page live with photos of the build, your opening date and a way to sign up. Share progress on social media, because people love seeing a place take shape. Start your Google profile now as well, so you're findable the day you open.

Offer something small to people on the list, such as first access to opening slots. You'll learn how much interest you really have while there's still time to act on it.

02Three weeks out: fill the room with the right people

Invite local press, food and city bloggers and people with a real local following to a preview. Keep it small enough that you can look after them. Reach out to nearby businesses as well, as they're your future team events and their staff are your first regulars.

• Open booking early. Sold-out slots look good and tell you how to staff.
• Run a friends and family night. It's the cheapest way to find what's broken.
• Train on real guests. Your team needs at least one busy shift before the public arrives.

03Opening week: protect the experience

Don't oversell. A packed room with long waits and a broken till gives you bad reviews at the worst possible moment. Keep slots a little looser than the system allows and put extra people on the floor. The owner should be there, visible and listening.

04The week after: don't go quiet

Interest falls off fast once opening is over. Have the next thing ready: a league night, a weekday offer, a corporate package. Use the photos and reviews from week one in your ads, and follow up with everyone who came.

Our growth service includes a launch plan built around your opening date.