You’ve made it. The planning that took months to organize is finally locked into place, the products you ordered have arrived and the scheduling you coordinated has been finalized for the holidays.  You may be thinking the only thing left to do is mentally prepare for the holiday rush – but not so fast. You still need to track your sales.

Sure, you have processes in place to track your profit and loss lines, general overhead, food costs and the labor needed to successfully manage holiday crowds. But there’s an even greater opportunity to track and capitalize on a few other metrics throughout the holiday season.

Opportunity Win Rate

This is a simple one that sometimes gets lost. Even if you don’t have a win rate goal right now, take this time of the year to find a starting point. Of the customers you gave a menu, how many actually made a purchase? Tracking your opportunity win rate can pay dividends in the long run.

Want to take it one step further? Track why you won or lost an opportunity.

Cost of Seasonal Sales

How you spend your time is an important factor when it comes to preparing for the holiday rush. Participating in meetings, doing test runs and adhering to packaging changes can all make a negative impact on your margins if your time is not spent well. On the other hand, you could miss big opportunities if you don’t take enough time to invest in a plan. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to what you’re spending, making and executing this holiday season.

Captain’s Report

While it may seem like you’re all set after your catering has been dropped off, it’s important to create a captain’s report to ensure everyone – from the customers to the dishwashers – is content. What’s the best way to track that? Keep it simple.

Take note of what went well and what could’ve gone better. Track the members of your staff who went above and beyond and keep a list of who needs more training. You’ll empower your front line leaders and have a much greater visibility into the accountability of your staff.