Out of Season Tips

As summer creeps out of sight and the damp, Autumnal days set in, it’s time to plan for how your business is going to successfully ride out the months ahead.

For independent hospitality businesses, autumn is a great opportunity to take a fresh look at what you’re serving, where you’re buying it from and where you could make savings. From cafés and pubs to street food traders, caterers and mobile food businesses, being seasonal isn’t just about following food trends, it can be a smart way to manage costs, support local suppliers and give customers something new to talk about.

The seasons are on your side

Back British Farming Day took place earlier in the week and there’s never been a better time to put British produce and local sourcing firmly on the menu.

One of the simplest ways to refresh your menu and keep costs down is to look at what’s in season. Autumn offers an abundance of British produce, including apples, pears, blackberries, leeks, squash, pumpkins and root vegetables. Building dishes around what’s readily available gives you the opportunity to create limited-time specials and seasonal menus while making the most of the ingredients your suppliers have to offer.

Think about a café introducing a new soup each week based around local vegetables. A pub could build an autumn menu around British produce, while a street food trader might create a limited-edition seasonal special.

You don’t necessarily need to overhaul your entire menu. Small seasonal changes can give customers a reason to come back and try something new, while giving you more flexibility to work with what’s available.

Buying local can be good for business

Back British Farming Day is a timely reminder of the importance of the farmers and growers behind the food we serve.

British farming is the bedrock of the country’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink – which is worth £162.3 billion to the economy and supports 4.1 million jobs.

For hospitality businesses, supporting British agriculture can start with something as simple as asking your suppliers what is being grown locally and what’s currently plentiful.

Buying locally where practical can help you build relationships with producers and suppliers, while giving you a story to share with your customers. Don’t underestimate the value of a story when it comes to food.

If your potatoes come from a local grower, tell people. If your eggs are collected from a farm five miles away, put it on the menu. If you’re using locally sourced meat or seasonal fruit and vegetables, make it part of your marketing.

Consumers love to know that their produce has come from a farm a few miles down the road as opposed to travelling hundreds, if not thousands, of miles on an aeroplane.

Customers increasingly want to understand the choices behind the food they buy. Your local sourcing can be part of what makes your independent business different and ultimately, what drives a customer to spend that bit more on ordering off your menu.

Review your costs

A seasonal menu is only one part of running a more efficient business. Autumn is also a good time to review your wider operating

costs and ask, “where could we be making our money work harder?”

Have a look at everything from ingredients and utilities to packaging, equipment, marketing and event bookings. Small savings across several areas can quickly add up.

This is where making use of the discounts and benefits available through your NCASS membership can make a real difference.

For example, Purple Planet Packaging is a partner offering NCASS members 10% off across its product range, as well as free UK mainland delivery on orders over £100 and free artwork and setup on custom-printed packaging. BioPak also offers a 10% discount plus 10% cashback on BioPak products for NCASS members.

If you’re regularly buying cups, containers, bags, takeaway packaging or other essentials, it’s worth checking whether your current purchasing arrangements are giving you the best possible value. Packaging isn’t the only area worth reviewing.

Nisbets can help businesses review their spending on catering equipment and supplies, whether you’re replacing essential equipment, upgrading your kitchen or simply looking for better value on the products you use every day.

It’s also worth taking a closer look at your energy costs. With energy remaining a significant overhead for many hospitality businesses, reviewing your current arrangements could uncover opportunities to reduce your outgoings.

NCASS partnerships with TrueGroup and EIC can help members review their energy requirements and explore their options, making autumn a good time to check whether your current energy costs are still working for your business.

Plus, don’t forget to look at the other areas where you spend regularly. Giles Insurance is another NCASS partner worth exploring as part of your wider business cost review.

The aim isn’t simply to spend less. It’s to review what you’re spending, where you’re spending it and whether your business is getting the best value from those purchases and services.

Make the most of your partnerships

While you’re reviewing your costs, it’s worth taking a look at the partnerships available through your NCASS membership.

Our dashboard has been updated to make it easier to sign up for partnerships, meaning you can more easily explore the offers and services available to help your business save money, improve operations and find new opportunities.

So, if you haven’t checked your dashboard recently, now is a good time to log in and see what’s available.

Planning ahead for events

Autumn is also the perfect time to start thinking beyond today’s service. Christmas parties, private functions, corporate events, weddings and seasonal celebrations can all provide valuable additional revenue for independent hospitality businesses.

Don’t just think about the next few months. Summer events and festivals will come around sooner than you think and now is a good time to start thinking about where you want your business to be when the 2027 festival and events season arrives.

If you operate a food van, street food business, mobile bar or catering company, securing the right events can make a significant difference to your annual revenue. The most popular festivals and events can also book suppliers well in advance, so getting organised early can help you avoid missing out.

NCASS members can benefit from our partnership with Add to Event, which connects event organisers with suppliers across the UK, covering everything from food and drink to entertainment, mobile bars and catering.

Suppliers can create a profile, set their preferences and receive relevant event requests, helping them identify opportunities that fit their business.

For an independent caterer, street food trader, food van or mobile bar, that could mean finding additional bookings and filling quieter dates.

For businesses already taking on events, it can also be a useful way to manage your pipeline and find new customers without spending all your time searching for opportunities.

Planning ahead means planning for revenue.

As you review your autumn menu, have a look at your events calendar. Are there gaps you could fill? Are there services you could offer that you aren’t currently promoting? Could a seasonal menu become an event package? Looking further ahead, which summer events and festivals do you want to be trading at next year?

These are the sorts of questions that can turn quieter months into an opportunity.

Make seasonal your selling point

Seasonality shouldn’t be something you quietly build into your purchasing decisions. It can be something you actively market.

Create an “Autumn Special”. Put the name of the farm or producer on your menu. Share photographs of your suppliers on social media. Tell customers what’s new and why you’ve chosen it.

You could even create a simple seasonal message for your website or menu: “We’re proud to support British producers and use seasonal ingredients wherever we can.”

It’s a small statement, but it tells customers something important about your business.

If you’re making genuine efforts to source locally, reduce waste and use ingredients when they’re at their best, don’t be afraid to talk about it – it could be what sets you out from other businesses with a similar marketing model.

Your autumn business checklist

As we head into the new season, take an hour to review your business:

✓ Review your menu – what ingredients are coming into season?

✓ Talk to suppliers – what’s locally available and what’s good value?

✓ Showcase British produce – make your local sourcing part of your marketing.

✓ Review your costs – are you making use of all the discounts and partner benefits available to you?

✓ Check your packaging costs – could a partner discount such as the Purple Planet Packaging offer help reduce your spend?

✓ Review your equipment costs – could Nisbets help you get better value on the equipment and supplies you need?

✓ Review your energy costs – have you checked whether TrueGroup or EIC could help you find savings?

✓ Explore your other member benefits – including partners such as Giles, to see where you could make your regular business costs work harder.

✓ Check your NCASS dashboard – have you explored the partnerships and offers now easier to access?

✓ Look at your events calendar – where are the opportunities for additional bookings?

✓ Start planning for summer – which 2027 events and festivals could you target?

✓ Explore Add to Event – could it help you connect with customers looking for catering and event services?

✓ Tell your story – make sure customers know about the independent, local and seasonal choices behind your business.

Make the season work for you

Being seasonal isn’t about restricting what your business can do. It’s about being responsive to what’s available, what customers want and where you can make your money go further.

Use what’s in season, buy locally where you can, review your costs, make the most of your partner benefits and plan ahead for events.

Above all, don’t forget to tell your customers what you’re doing. Whether you’re supporting a local farmer, creating a seasonal special, finding new event opportunities or saving money through an NCASS partnership, these are all positive things worth shouting about.

Make the most of the season, make the most of your membership, and start planning for what’s next.