As temperatures dip in the winter months, there’s a tendency for food and beverage business sales to slip as well. And it makes sense — especially if you live in a part of the country prone to snow and ice that can make even a short trip down the road treacherous.
While this is a challenge, you can overcome it with a little creativity and resourcefulness. To get the ball rolling, we’ve got seven of the best winter business ideas to help you retain customers and stave off the sales chill. Which one(s) will you adopt for your business this year?
1. Create a Seasonal Menu
One of the most classic (and effective) winter food business ideas is developing a special menu you only offer for a few months.
Think of the success Starbucks sees every year with their fall- and winter-themed drink menus. Do something similar with your business and get your customers excited for the changing seasons!
Develop Limited-Time Offerings
Get inspiration from sweet or savory seasonal flavors and incorporate them into your specialty dishes.
Take Seattle pizza chain Pagliacci Pizza, for example. Its winter menu features the hearty Rosemary Potato Primo pizza and the Pizza Bianca, a white pizza reminiscent of snowy days.
Opt for a Festive Design
To draw attention to your winter menu, give it a distinct look and feel from your normal menu. Add your logo or work in your business colors to keep it on-brand.
You can hire a professional graphic designer to winterize your menu or do it yourself with Canva. Check out these free customizable templates and get started on yours today!
2. Team Up With Local Businesses
If the winter months are tough for you, chances are they’re tough on other businesses in your area, too. Forming partnerships allows you to support each other and foster mutually beneficial relationships to sustain both operations through a slower season.
There are a couple of different ways you can do this.
Source Ingredients From Local Suppliers
Inclement weather often disrupts supply chains. This can make it difficult to keep your offerings consistent if a snowstorm across the country delays a shipment from your supplier for a week or more.
Avoid that dreaded “Sorry, we’re out” sign! Source what you need from local suppliers instead to maintain a predictable inventory and consistently meet customer demand.
Collab With a Local Business on a Joint Product/Event
Collaborating with another business in your area gives you both instant exposure to each other’s customer base. It’s a win-win!
For the best results, look for partners that have a similar clientele to yours. For example, if you run a home bakery, you might partner with a local coffee shop to sell a seasonal drink and pastry bundle.
Other winter promotion ideas you can collab on include:
- Creating a limited supply of holiday boxes with items from both of your businesses (e.g., “once they’re gone, they’re gone!”)
- Collaborate on a wintery dish or drink that uses seasonal flavors but plays to both of your business’ specialties
- Hosting a special holiday event or pop-up with a local business
- Offering coupons or discount codes for each other’s products/services when someone purchases from you
3. Start a Side Hustle
Having a food business on the side can help you pad the income from your main business during the winter months. Here are a few concepts you can run with:
- Teach cooking classes: Whether in-person or remote, offering cooking classes is a great way to supplement your main source of income while interacting closely with customers. Put a festive twist on your class and teach your students to make popular holiday dishes.
- Sell holiday meal kits: Not everyone has the time (or culinary skills) it takes to pull off a dinner with friends and loved ones. Make it easier for them by selling pre-made or easy-to-assemble holiday meal kits they can reheat or make at home.
- Offer a catering service: Winter holidays mean corporate parties, big family gatherings, and other large events filled with hungry people. Identify items that transport well or can be made in large batches, develop a winter catering menu, and start catering events during the colder months.
4. Provide Delivery Service
For those who live in an area prone to harsh winter weather, there’s a good chance your customers leave their homes less often this time of year. Adding delivery services during this slower season can entice busy or homebound customers to buy from you.
You can make deliveries to customers in your own vehicle or partner with an existing service, such as:
If you opt to deliver yourself, you’ll need an online ordering system for your customers. Ideally, you’ll add this to your website so it’s easy for people to find. Square and Wix Restaurants are two platforms that make this easy.
5. Winterize Your Business
Preparing your business for colder weather is crucial to save money on broken or damaged equipment. Especially if you’re operating a food truck in the winter or vending at an outdoor market and your business gear is exposed to the elements.
Below are a few actions you can take to protect your appliances, inventory, customers, and staff:
- Follow manufacturer-recommended maintenance checks for your cooking and food storage appliances
- Keep walkways free of snow and ice by salting or sanding them
- Insulate exposed pipes to prevent freezing or wrap them in heat tape
- Make sure outdoor heaters you use for yourself or customers are in good shape and safe to use
- Check fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in enclosed workspaces
- Prep your delivery vehicles or food truck for winter roads and inclement weather
Taking preventative measures is a smart way to save money on unexpected costs during a slower season… but accidents can still happen.
FLIP offers the best food and beverage business insurance to shield your finances if something goes awry. Be sure you have year-round liability coverage that can protect you from the cost of third-party injuries, damaged equipment, and more!
6. Participate in Winter Markets
People tend to think of farmers markets as spring and summer events, but that isn’t necessarily true. They may be more popular and prevalent during warmer months, but winter markets make up nearly 17% of all farmers markets in the U.S.
Use our handy directory to find food festivals in your state operating in the winter months. Some of these markets are exclusive to winter, while others operate year-round. Either way, it’s a great opportunity for you to sell your products during the off-season and keep sales up.
Some of the best cities for vending at winter markets are:
- Los Angeles, CA
- New York, NY
- Honolulu, HI
- Portland, OR
- Philadelphia, PA
Before you send in your vendor application, make sure you’re prepared with these four tips for selling at winter markets!
7. Embrace the Season on Your Socials
Don’t let the colder weather freeze your winter social media marketing campaigns! Keep an active presence on each channel to make sure you stay top-of-mind for customers by:
- Sharing news about your seasonal menu, wintertime services, which winter markets to find your business at, etc.
- Hosting contests and giveaways to show your appreciation and give back to your customers
- Running polls and surveys to ask for their thoughts on everything from holiday foods and flavors to what menu item they’d like to see you add in the new year
- Posting cozy behind-the-scenes pictures and videos of you running your business in the winter like this TikTok from @twosisterscoffee.co
You can also give your social channels a wintery makeover by incorporating seasonal design elements into your posts. This will help them stand out, evoke emotions and nostalgia, and instantly grab their attention.
These free social media post templates from Canva are a great jumping-off point — just don’t forget to add your own unique branding to them too!
Enjoy Seasonal Success This Winter
Winter may not be your hottest season (in more ways than one). Incorporating ideas like these into your business strategy can help you maintain steady profits and a loyal customer base.
For more tips, learn how to run a successful food business and discover ways to grow your business year-round.
FAQs About Winter Business Ideas for Food and Beverage Vendors
What Safety Considerations Should I Keep in Mind During Winter for Food Storage and Handling?
- Winter storms often cause power outages, so keep a backup generator handy.
- If you lose power without a backup generator, minimize the number of times you open your refrigerator/freezer to avoid letting cold air out.
- Use insulated containers and packaging to keep hot food from cooling during deliveries/transport.
- If you store produce in an area that doesn’t have much temperature regulation, like a garage or shed, temporarily move them to a warmer location if temperatures drop below freezing.
What Are Some Popular Winter Food Trends I Should Consider?
- Warm comfort foods, like soups, macaroni and cheese, and pot pies, tend to be more popular in the colder months than lighter meals.
- Mocktails are increasingly trendy at holiday parties and gatherings, with sales up 33% for non-alcoholic adult beverages in 2024.
- Roasts and other meat dishes remain popular in winter, but there’s a demand for plant-based options too. This is a great opportunity to cook with hearty seasonal produce like mushrooms and squash!
By Alex Hastings
Alex is a Marketing Copywriter at Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP). In her free time, she enjoys reading, birding, traveling, and finding any excuse to get brunch.
Reviewed by: Kyle Jude
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP). As a dedicated program manager with 10+ years of experience in the insurance industry, Kyle offers insight into different coverages for food and beverage business professionals who are looking to navigate business liability insurance.
