Rainy day specials for cafés and restaurants: what to do when walk ins stop

On a rainy day, walk ins stop because nobody wants to linger on a wet street. The day is not lost, though. Have a simple rainy day special ready, such as soup or a hot drink, make your entrance dry and welcoming, tell your regulars that same morning, and offer takeaway or delivery. Plan staff and stock by the forecast.

Why rain stops walk ins

Rain hits the sales you get from people who were not planning to visit you.

1. People hurry. Nobody stops at a window display under an umbrella.
2. Nobody walks further than they have to. The café two streets away suddenly loses to the one by the bus stop.
3. The terrace is empty. If you rely on outdoor seats, you lose all of them.
4. More people order in or stay at the office.

Regulars behave differently. They have a habit and a reason to come, and they are the people to focus on when it rains.

Rainy day restaurant specials: ideas that work

A rainy day special should be simple, warm and prepared in advance, so you can switch it on that morning.

1. Soup of the day. In a restaurant or a café. A thick soup with bread is the clearest answer to rain.
2. Extra hot drinks. Hot chocolate, tea with honey and ginger, a warm fruit tea.
3. A rainy day combo. Coffee and a warm cake, or soup and bread, at one price, only on rainy days.
4. A small treat for those who came. A biscuit with the drink or a taste of something new for everyone who arrives wet.
5. Hot food to go. Soup in a jar, a toasted sandwich, porridge for breakfast.
6. Bakery: fresh warm bread out of the oven when people head home from work.
7. Salon: a quick hair treatment after the rain, or free slots offered to regulars who drop in without booking.

Avoid a blanket discount on everything. It teaches people to wait for rain and cuts the takings from regulars who would have come anyway.

If you run a stamp card on Rewardly, you can also set double stamp days, which are included in every plan. Put them on your quietest weekday, and regulars get a reason to come even when the weather is grey, without you cutting prices.

Make your place welcoming in the rain

Someone who arrives wet should feel welcome at the door.

• An umbrella stand by the entrance, so nothing drips under the tables.
• A big doormat and a dry floor. Wet tiles are unpleasant and dangerous, so mop more often.
• A coat rack for wet jackets where it is not in the way.
• Light and warmth. A lit window stands out on a grey day and draws people in.
• A sandwich board under cover: "Soup of the day and hot chocolate". Short enough to read while walking past.
• Sockets and WiFi. People waiting for the rain to stop are happy to stay longer. A free WiFi QR code on the table saves staff from spelling out the password.

Tell your regulars that same morning

You cannot plan a rainy day a week ahead, but tomorrow's forecast is usually clear. Write the message in advance and send it in the morning, when people are deciding where to go for lunch.

Example messages you can adapt:

It is pouring outside and warm in here. Today: thick tomato soup and hot chocolate. See you soon.

Rainy day combo until 5 pm: coffee and a warm cake for one price. The umbrella stand is waiting by the door.

If your loyalty card runs on Rewardly, you can send a push notification like this to everyone who holds your card at once, and it shows on their phone's lock screen. You can write it in the evening and schedule it for a set time the next morning. Rewardly reports a 90% read rate for push messages. Only customers who agreed to marketing messages receive it, and push notifications are included in the Advanced plan and higher.

Do not send a message every time it rains. One in a rainy week is enough, or people start to tune out.

Takeaway and delivery on rainy days

Many people order in when it rains. Be ready for it.

1. Packaging that holds up. Soup in well sealed containers, paper bags inside a waterproof bag.
2. Order ahead and collect. The customer calls or messages, arrives and leaves at once, with no waiting in the rain.
3. Delivery to nearby offices. Even your own, over short distances, when nobody wants to go outside.
4. The loyalty card for takeaway too. A stamp for a takeaway order keeps the habit going in weeks when people do not sit in. See how a digital loyalty card works on the phone.

Something to do on a rainy afternoon

A rainy weekend afternoon is a good time for an indoor event: board games, drawing with kids, story time, a tea tasting. People look for somewhere to go when they cannot be outside. A language exchange, a book swap or a latte art workshop work too.

If the rain mostly empties one particular hour of the day, pick one offer for that hour, such as soup to go between 11:00 and 12:00, and after a few rainy days compare the sales for that hour in your POS.

Plan staff and stock by the forecast

1. Check the forecast three days ahead and adjust shifts. You do not need terrace staff in a downpour.
2. More hands on takeaway at lunchtime, if orders grow when it rains.
3. Order stock more carefully. Fewer salads and cold dishes, more soup ingredients.
4. Use quiet hours for cleaning, prep, training or new photos of your menu.
5. Note how rain affected sales. After a few months, your POS will show which rainy days were weak and which you managed to save.

A rainy day plan: prepare it once for the season

Deciding everything on the morning costs the most time. Prepare a simple plan once and just switch it on when it rains.

1. The rainy day offer: one soup, one hot drink, one combo. Ingredients that keep for a few days.
2. A message for regulars, ready to edit.
3. A board with the offer, ready to put outside.
4. Who does what: who mops the entrance, who packs takeaway, who messages regulars.
5. A list of nearby offices for delivery or orders ahead.

After every rainy week, note what worked. Within a few months you will have a plan that fits your place exactly. The same approach helps when the tourist season ends or when Friday lunches go quiet.

FAQ

How do I attract customers on a rainy day?

Give them a warm reason to come: soup, a hot drink or a rainy day combo. Make the entrance dry and welcoming, and send your regulars a short message that same morning. A lit window and a board with one offer draw in the most passers by.

Should I offer a discount on rainy days?

Not a blanket one, because it lowers the takings from people who would have come anyway. Something extra works better: a small treat with the drink or a rainy day combo.

How often should I message customers about rainy day specials?

At most once in a rainy week. If it rains all week, pick one day and send one message with a clear offer. More messages tend to annoy people.

Why are some cafés busier when it rains?

Places by bus stops, in shopping centres or on busy streets often catch people looking for shelter. If you are one of them, prepare for more guests at once: enough seats, fast service and a loyalty card offered to every new face.

What should I do with the terrace in the rain?

If you have a roof or an awning, keep it open with blankets and hot drinks. If not, move staff inside and to takeaway, and pack the terrace away early so you do not have to dry the furniture.

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