Black Friday survival guide for food retailers

Black Friday isn’t just about electronics anymore. For food retailers and hospitality businesses, it’s become a golden opportunity to boost sales, attract new customers and reward loyal ones – if you’re prepared.

Whether you run a farm shop, butcher, bakery, restaurant, pub or coffee shop, this guide will help you not only survive but thrive during the busiest shopping event of the year.

Understand your sector

Every food retailer faces Black Friday differently. A bakery’s challenges aren’t the same as a butcher’s, and a coffee shop’s strategy won’t look like a restaurant’s.

Farm shops, for example, often focus on locally sourced, fresh produce, making careful stock control and smart impulse offers key. Butchers might see a surge in pre-orders or click-and-collect meal kits, while bakeries can boost sales with bundled offers like “buy two loaves, get a pastry free.”

For restaurants, it’s all about managing bookings and pushing festive promotions, while coffee shops can maximise loyalty rewards and quick-service efficiency. Despite the differences, one theme unites them all: preparation is everything.

Get ready for the rush

1. Tighten up your stock management

Black Friday can move faster than your ovens or fridges can keep up with. Real-time visibility over what’s in stock and what’s selling is crucial, especially for perishable goods. Our Quantum EPOS solution gives you complete control with built-in stock tracking, margin analysis and recipe management.

For bakeries and butchers, it means tracking use-by dates and managing waste efficiently. For farm shops and restaurants, it helps balance fresh inventory with promotional bundles, so you never run short mid-rush.

2. Plan your promotions early

Don’t wait until the last minute to set your deals. Whether you’re offering click-and-collect meal kits, double loyalty points or gift voucher discounts, make sure your offers are live, your tills are set up, and your staff are trained.

Quantum makes this easy, with loyalty and customer-data tools that help you track and reward repeat business, even long after Black Friday is over.

3. Keep things moving

Speed is everything when queues start forming. Mobile EPOS solutions like Quantum Go keep service smooth, even during a lunchtime rush or an outdoor event. In restaurants and bars, integrated table management and online ordering make sure every order flows seamlessly from kitchen to customer.

To keep payments just as efficient, our merchant services solution provides fast, secure and fully integrated card processing, so transactions are simple, reliable and synced directly with your EPOS.

4. Be ready online

Black Friday isn’t just in-store. Customers increasingly expect the same offers online, from restaurant bookings to takeaway orders and coffee subscriptions. With Quantum, you can integrate online ordering via QikServe, manage click-and-collect seamlessly and ensure payment systems are stable and secure throughout the day.

5. Analyse and follow up

When the rush is over, it’s time to see what worked. Quantum’s powerful reporting tools show you which offers hit the mark and which products flew off the shelves. That data helps you plan for Christmas and beyond. Follow up with loyalty offers or email campaigns to turn one-off buyers into regulars.

Tips for your sector

• Farm Shops – Use your local appeal to your advantage. Promote premium produce and create “weekend bundle” deals featuring your best seasonal items.

• Butchers – Consider limited-edition meal kits or “premium cut” upgrades. Pre-orders and click-and-collect can make service smoother and reduce waste.

• Bakeries – Highlight freshness with early-bird deals or weekend bundles. Quantum’s label-printing feature keeps allergen information and expiry dates clear and compliant with Natasha’s Law, while our Cybake integration helps you manage production, recipes and traceability from bake to sale.

• Restaurants & Bars – Think beyond the day itself. Use Black Friday to promote festive bookings, gift vouchers or “party starter” deals, while using Quantum to manage tables, tabs and payments efficiently.

• Coffee Shops – Double down on loyalty. Offer double points, pre-paid gift cards or bundle deals like “coffee and pastry” specials. Keep mobile and QR ordering open to minimise queues.

Make this your best Black Friday yet

With over 50 years of experience supporting the food retail and hospitality sectors, Cunninghams knows what it takes to keep your business running seamlessly this Black Friday and beyond.

Our solutions bring everything together, from stock control and reporting to online ordering and integrated payments, giving you one powerful platform to manage it all. That means less time juggling systems and more time focusing on your customers.

And when the pace picks up, you’re never on your own. Our friendly support team is always just a call away, ready to keep tills running, orders flowing and customers smiling.

Why not make this your best Black Friday yet? Get ahead of the rush with the tools and support that make all the difference. Call 0330 024 5014 or email us at info@cunninghams.co.uk to get started!