6 Fast-Track Steps to Profit and Cashflow for Irish Food Businesses This October Part 1

October in Ireland brings cooler days and shifting customer moods. Getting your café or hospitality business profit-fit is vital before holiday rushes and seasonal dips. Here are 6 actionable steps to sharpen your operations, boost cashflow, and maximise profit margins for October 2025—designed for Irish businesses by me, your multi award-winning local food business coach who knows the market.

Section 1:

1. Highlight & Push High-Margin Menu Items

   • Use your POS to map profitability and update your menu visually so star products in order to get & capture your customers attention.

2. Launch Seasonal, Low-Labour Specials

   • Focus on easy-prep autumn dishes with Irish flavours, promoting comfort and local produce. Do not underestimate how many customer live for well thought out and perfected specials (don't be ad-hoc and flippant with this special- a shitty special will leave an awful after taste and as a result your customer will be reluctant to return as quickly- DO NOT SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FOOT BY BEING COCKY and throwing something mediocre onto the menu- test and perfect then launch and in that order!)

3. Audit Food Waste & Fix One Key Issue

   • Track and log waste for 7 days; pick a problem area and implement change to reduce your costs. Stop dropping the ball on this- your laziness is causing and solidifying bad habits- UP YOUR GAME.

4. Run a ‘Power Hour’ Promo in Off-Peak Time

   • Introduce time-limited autumn offers and track if they drive sales above your daily target. Bring energy into the space and into the team. If you don't shake it up on occasion the team becomes complacent and the energy drops!

5. Create an Autumn Comfort Space

   • Enhance ambiance with Irish/autumn décor and playlist; invite longer visits and higher average spend. Pumpkins are beautiful and multi purpose- visual appeal and an important Autumnal ingredient (no waste needed).

6. Daily Team Upselling Briefing

   • Train staff every morning on the autumn bestsellers and new specials; incentivise performance or risk having a stale and stagnant business and workforce.

Section 2: Irish October Market Trends & Forecasting

This is food for thought. Mull it over, see how it matters or inspries your business forecasting for October 2025.

• Local produce, sustainability, and simple labels are increasing in customer demand.

• Irish gross food market revenue for 2025 is forecasted at €780m, with growth in fresh, local, and experience-driven hospitality settings (TRAIN YOUR TEAM, THEN TRAIN THEM AGAIN, DON'T STOP TRAINING FOR BEILLIANCE AND UPSELLING)

• Challenges: Upward pressure persists on ingredients—milk, beef, and eggs rose sharply in 2025, fueling cautious menu design and price increases. Cost control and waste audit are more important than ever.

• Success Signals: More Irish venues anticipate higher revenue in 2025, with autumn being prime time for comfort food, longer stays, and “feel-good” local sourcing.

• Trend Watch: The recommerce market (refurb, resale, repurpose) is growing, driving interest in sustainable, local solutions for food, equipment, and services.

Ready to take action? Our second blog post delivers printable checklists and team training templates designed for Irish food businesses. Watch for it later this week!

For FULLY FUNDED onsite visits: email Tracie at tracie@traciedaly.com