The top 10 best ideas for... Mothers' Day

1 Customer service

Your number one concern on Mothers' Day has to be customer service. After all, mothers want to be pampered on their one official day off in the year and waiting staff should, therefore, be at their beck and call. Remind your staff to cater for all the family's needs; many waitresses make a bee-line for the younger gen-erations, often finding them easier-going, less demanding and usually not hard of hearing. Customer service is all important for pubs but

as Mothering Sunday is the trade's busiest day of the year, this is the time it will be under the most pressure. Make sure staff are briefed well in advance to expect a hectic shift, and asked to wear a smile.

2 Advertise

Make full use of any A-boards and advertise in advance what your Mothers' Day package includes. Customers might not yet have decided what they are going to do, but

simple marketing, explaining what you are doing, could be just what's needed to spur them into action. Circulating fliers in the pub prior to the day is another cost-effective way of promoting your plans.

3Feminise your pub

Don't worry, it only has to be for one day... although these simple ideas will work well at any time of year. Most mothers love flowers, so make sure your pub is in bloom - both indoors and out. A simple bunch of daffodils on each table and some hanging baskets outside will do the trick. And don't forget the toilets - the female of the species has a trained eye for cleanliness. Mothers are also usually more vigilant than most, so make sure things are extra bright and gleaming so as not to put visitors off their lunch or stop them from returning to your pub in the future.

4Pay attention to detail

Even the most trained eye sometimes doesn't notice what mothers notice. Any specks of dust, or worse, dirty cutlery, will not go down well on 26 March. While dull cutlery or lipstick-stained glasses aren't acceptable at any time of year, spending more time than usual preparing the tables and adding decorations and neat napkins will all help enhance the experience for customers and will be appreciated.

5Extra staff

Don't forget to book up extra staff in advance - Mothers' Day is likely to be extremely busy and will, therefore, require extra staff to look after the customer's every need. Since customer service should be top of the agenda, make sure staff are fully trained on any special food or drinks menus.

6Look after the family

If a family has chosen to celebrate in your outlet, chances are someone in the party's been there before. But for many other members of the family, it might be their first visit. So make sure you clearly sign-post any available parking to make visitors feel relaxed and stress-free even before they've set foot in the pub. Inside, make sure toilets, and any other amenities that people might require, are also easy to find.

7Set menu

Creating a special set menu for Mothers' Day is another way of making the event feel more special, offering a point of

difference as well as a chance for increasing margins. Including a few specials on your regular menu is easy, or else go for a simple set lunch, offering, for instance, a choice of four starters, main courses and puddings. While it's important to be conscious of price, this is unlikely to be the biggest driver for customers on this particular

day, so there's more scope than usual to push the boat out with ingredients. Everyone knows women love chocolate, so why not use that to maximise your profits? Include a Mothers' Day chocolate fondant, chocolate fondue served with fresh fruit, or a chocolate cheesecake. Again, promote this special menu on any fliers you distribute in the pub before the day, as well as on A-boards outside the pub.

8Pub quiz

If you want to theme the day slightly, you could have a Mothers' Day quiz - not the sort that interrupts everyone who doesn't want to play, but a large A-board displaying a montage of celebrity mothers cut out of magazines or papers. Ask participating tables to write down the names of the famous mothers, awarding a prize to the mum in the winning group. By charging a small fee per table you could also help raise a bit of money for charity.

9Wine

Make sure you've got a good selection

of drinks available that will appeal to mothers of all ages. While they might not be your regular customers, catering to their tastes will ensure everyone celebrating with them will enjoy themselves too. Wine will be a big winner, so talk to suppliers about any special offers they might be running. As spring's just round the

corner, maybe add a rosé wine to the specials blackboard. For pubs wanting to extend the profitability of the day beyond the traditional lunchtime trade, a wine tasting in the evening might also attract older children wanting to treat their mums to something different.

10Repeat visits

Last but not least, why not leave a flier on each table highlighting your normal food offering, and telling people about any events you will be holding in the pub. If all goes well, mothers might be tempted to come back for lunch with their friends.