Taking part in Love British Food is the perfect way to capitalise on the patriotic fervour without infringing the law.

• Provide a world-class welcome for all visitors. Getting the quality of our welcome and service right is going to be really important to the long term success of the 2012 Games, especially as many visitors will be coming to the UK for the first time. Their experiences here need to be good enough to encourage them to return to the UK and recommend it to their friends.

• Give your customers an experience. Plan something unique and interactive for visitors, for instance include them in the cooking/presentation process of their meals.

• Let visitors and locals experience the best Britain has to offer. Run a special's board during the fortnight focusing on British, seasonal produce.

• Make your establishment stand out by offering themed events to customers and journalists during the fortnight. Some ideas include local ale tastings, cheese tastings, a BBQ masterclass etc

• The fortnight is expected to draw in as much revenue as Christmas (but without the snow!). Every day of Love British Food 2012 will be equivalent to a weekend total!

• Remember you are marketing for both an international and domestic market. 320,000 additional overseas visitors are expected to come to Britain in 2012 but there will also be 580,000 UK residents visiting London. Capitalise on the opportunity to capture new groups of customers but don't forget your locals!

• Although it may be tempting to hike your prices during the fortnight all our advice suggests this is a huge mistake. Focus on quality and value and customers are likely to come back to your establishment. Demonstrate your commitment to providing fair pricing and practices throughout the year of 2012 by signing up to the Charter today [Click here] to see how.

• With the eyes of the world upon us customer service is more important than ever! Concentrate on personality and knowledge. Make sure your staff know:
  • The food, beers and wines offered
  • The locations of each event, details about the torch relay and 'live sites'
  • Leading athletes
  • Tourist hotspots
  • The games programme of events
  • Transport details

• Think outside the box. The timetable of The Games and the influx of people will change the peak hours of your business during the Fortnight. Some Olympic activities dont finish until 11.50pm and customers could be roaming the streets into the early hours of the morning. Many councils are considering extended opening hours, for instance London's Westminster Council has granted more late licences to bars and restaurants in the 3 month window surrounding the 2012 Games. If you wish to take advantage of this it is important to start a dialogue with your authority now. For more advice see bighospitality.co.uk/In-the-Spotlight/Olympics/Olympics-start-dialogue-over-longer-hours-now.

• Think about transport links during the fortnight and whether these will affect your business. A huge influx of people and changes to public transport mean journeys made by staff, customers, visitors, those delivering or collecting food and drink could be affected. See london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness for advice, information and a toolkit to help you operate as smoothly as possible during the Games. See london2012.com/olympic-route-network/home.html for information on day-to-day impact of the Games on London's road and transport system.

• For more advice on preparing for 2012 see [this link].

• For more ideas on how to take part in Love British Food 2012 see this link