With the holidays just around the corner, we wanted to look at the hidden business lessons inside the most unlikely of places – a toy store.

We know what you're thinking: "My restaurant doesn’t even have crayons or a kid’s menu, so toy stores have nothing to do with us. Connecting the two won’t make good business sense."

Actually, it does.

What can restaurants learn from toy stores? Keep reading for 5 tips from the world of toy retailers and how to put them to play in your restaurant.

1. It’s always about the experience.

Toy stores know that they’re not going to get children (and their parents) inside without more than just shelves stocked with stuff.

Whether it’s a dress-up area with mirrors, a chance to create your own Lego figure, or the latest PlayStation game loaded and ready to play, toy stores are full-on experiences for kids.

These experience-based additions make it impossible for young customers to resist. And that means parents will stay in the store longer… and spend more money.

The lesson here? Your restaurant or bar needs to give guests a specific reason to come to your business instead of going somewhere else. It’s not enough to have good food, great marketing and a stellar team offering excellent service.

Restaurants must offer something that guests can’t get anywhere else – an experience that is unique to your restaurant and personalised for each guest.

You don’t have to offer a corner with Elsa costumes and Legos, but you should offer unique experiences that make guests want to come back.

Do you remember Toys “R” Us? They closed with a massive debt created from treating their stores like product warehouses – not experiences for kids.

If you’re so caught up in running your restaurant that you forget about the reason you opened it in the first place… there’s a problem. You opened because of a passion for food and the guest experience.

Giving your guests a reason to walk through your doors, beyond just the food, is essential to building a successful brand.

2. Be more like a giraffe.

No one walks into a toy store (or even the toy section of a department store) without knowing that you’re in an area designed for children. Remember the huge giraffe from Toys “R” Us? Or the piano that Tom Hanks danced on in “Big”? That’s the power of branding.

From bold colours and upbeat music to the sounds of wind-up toys, lasers and video games, a toy store is sensory overload for adults and pure magic to kids.

What can your restaurant or bar take from that? Every step in your guest’s journey should match your brand and be in line with the feeling you're out to create.

3. It takes data to become a billionaire.

Turning a lump of plastic into something that sparks a child’s imagination is no small task. It takes teams of artists, designers, engineers, marketers and everyone in between to create this year’s must-have toy.

These innovators use the latest science — psychology, early childhood development, linguistics, physics, computer modelling — and market forecasting to create toys that sell.

What happens when toy manufacturers hit the mark? Just ask the friends that created Hatchimals… they’re billionaires now.

For your restaurant, you need to know what your guests want. That is your science.

With guest data, you’ll know exactly how to prepare for each guest and how to create personalised experiences that set you apart from other eateries.

4. Put the candy near the checkout.

We’re not talking about real candy, we’re talking about opportunities to upsell. That’s why toy stores (and supermarkets) put candy and smaller items at the checkout counter. They’re at eye level and look so tempting in their coloured, shiny wrappers. Plus, it’s so easy to grab a candy bar and add it to your shopping bag.

That’s what you want to do when your guests are booking a table. Show them an add-on and make it easy to add it to their reservation.

While toy stores and supermarkets use decision fatigue to sell candy at the checkout, you’re giving your guest the power to cater for their experience. Instead of candy bars and gummy bears, offer wine menus, your cocktail list or the latest dessert you’ve been working on.

The result is the same… by offering supplements and add-ons, you’ll increase revenue and save time by knowing exactly what to prepare before each guest arrives, making their experience even more seamless.

5. Create your own Saturday morning cartoon.

Hasbro and Saturday morning cartoons (are those still a thing?) do most of the work to advertise toys. While you can't expect your tasting menu to make its own commercial, you can use social media to promote who you are, what you do and the experience you offer.

Guest engagement means building and nurturing relationships with restaurant customers to promote brand loyalty. Without it, your guests won’t feel a connection to your business, and that gives them fewer reasons to return.

Today’s guests expect to connect with your brand online (social media and email). Just like kids connect with their favourite toys through video games, movies and cartoons.

For bars and restaurants, the message is clear – engaging with current customers to nurture long-lasting loyalty is crucial to the success of your business.

A strong online presence and a focus on keeping customers engaged after a visit are vital for keeping your restaurant afloat. That’s why collecting guest data at the point of sale is so important.

Many of the world’s most-loved toy stores are closing their doors (thanks for everything, FAO Schwarz) because of the competition with online retailers like Amazon. But that won’t happen to your restaurant.

Why? Because the thing that people are after isn’t wrapped in plastic or hidden behind a shiny, coloured wrapper.

It’s the experience, and it’s only felt in person. Take that, metaverse.

If there’s one all-encompassing business lesson to be learned from the successful toy stores still standing today, it’s this – experience matters.