Summary: Are you working hard to boost your restaurant sales but are still waiting for the result of your effort? Nevermind! The actions you put require direction. You might have, but we have suggested some of the proven steps “how to increase restaurant sales without advertising.” All you need to stay stick with this article and find out.
Despite the devastating coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic challenges, the global restaurant market has witnessed a boom with roughly 100 billion U.S. dollars over fifteen years. But, not all restaurant owners are fortunate enough to enjoy the post-pandemic effect. As a result, they are struggling and finding ways how to increase restaurant sales.
We have many clients from the food and beverage industry who are using our online food ordering system, and most of them keep asking if we could help them with some tips to increase restaurant sales.
We have taken this job in hand. Our team has gone through rigorous research and has even interviewed a few experts from the industry. We found an incisive report during the research and expert interviews. Let’s explore!
Before we jump onto the steps to increase restaurants , understanding what impacts sales will better help to create the best strategies. Keeping track will help you increase sales even without advertising. The factor that impact sales in the restaurant sector include;
Season and region
Season and region are the two crucial factors that hugely influence restaurant sales. Depending on the season and location, customer traffic may fluctuate, increasing restaurant sales significantly or decreasing sharply. For instance, data indicates that the two most celebrated dining holidays in the United States are Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.
Quality services
The quality of service impacts restaurant sales, and those struggling with sales need to pay serious attention to it. Whether you are running fast-casual dining, a fast-food restaurant, or fine dining, your customer seeks the best service quality, or they do not lack choices.
Cost and menu
Customers are tech savvy; they explore menus and prices online before placing any order or dining in. Your menu needs revision every now and then to keep up with the trends in the market. It should be reasonable, or it will discourage your potential customers.
Branding and experience
Did you know 90% of guests explore online to select restaurants for dining, while 57% go through the restaurants’ websites?
So, digital presence is the key. For example, they go to websites and explore the experiences they are supposed to enjoy. Better win the best.
The economy
The state of the economy undoubtedly influences restaurant sales. For instance, the pandemic may have permanently altered eateries, and the Statista report is the testimony.
We have discussed the factors that impact restaurant sales, and it looks intimidating, isn’t it? But, the report we have shown in the paragraph above is for a particular period of time. Now, things have changed completely upside down, and the restaurant market, especially restaurant sales, is back to normal.
The report suggests that despite the surge in consumer prices, people in the United States of America have started dining out, just like they were doing before the pandemic. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, food services and drinking places recorded sales of $86.1 billion in July 2022.
Tips to Increase Restaurant Sales and Revenue
When it comes to making profits in the restaurant business, there are two main factors that matter most increasing income and cutting costs. Check out our guide to managing your food costs for more information on cutting costs. In order to raise your revenue, you also need to optimize things (given below in the steps). You need to create strategies. There are several ways to increase restaurant sales, including:
Offer Takeout and Delivery
Takeout, delivery, and curbside pickup are the top choices of customers in the USA. They want their favorite restaurant to offer these services. As a result, you can make good profits. If you are struggling and exploring how to boost restaurant sales, diversifying your services can significantly help. Here are some suggestions if you haven’t already decided to offer these services:
Create separate takeout and delivery menu
The takeout and delivery menu should be completely different from what you offer to guests for dine-in. For example;
Make it a simple menu
Include the food items that can be easily prepared
Omit delicate items
Curbside pickup can improve restaurant sales
Curbside pickup is a favorite and fasted takeout service, though you need to train your staff for that.
Offer delivery service
If you still need to start, this is the perfect time to set up a delivery service for your restaurant.
Integrate online ordering
If you already have a restaurant website, start offering online food ordering for takeout, delivery, and drive-thru service.
Optimize Your Menu
What you offer —the menu is the most crucial factor that impacts restaurant sales. Is your menu merely a jumble of appetizers, entrées, and desserts? If so, it might be wise to reconsider. If your menu items aren’t earning their full revenue, it doesn’t matter how good they are, right? It may be as easy as giving a well-known item a new name or placing your highest-margin goods where customers will first see them on the menu. If you have integrated online food ordering system, you can simply create a menu online, hassle free.
Keep updating your menu
If you’ve been giving out the same version for years, think about switching things up every two years or once a season.
Keep highest grossing item first
Customers usually see the first five menus at first glance. So, keep the well-known items popular in the region among the first five menu items.
Promote menu items on social media
Another excellent thing to advertise is on social media and with other marketing resources is a new menu. Bonus points if you also manage to get certain dishes captured in some excellent shots. These shots can be better utilised on different social media platforms like Instagram, albeit you need to explore how instagram marketing works for your restaurant.
Integrate Online Food Ordering System to increase restaurant sales
Have you built a website for your restaurant? Most probably, yes. So, are you offering food ordering and delivery facilities to your customers? If not, this is the perfect time to do so. Nowadays, you have plenty of options available in the market that offer online food ordering systems with comprehensive features.
However, if you are getting this from any vendor, ensure that you get the following features;
Phone call ordering
Today’s customers like to explore things that are conveniently available to them. For example, allowing them to place an order on call will help you boost restaurant sales.
Mobile app ordering
Ensure the online food ordering system you purchase has mobile app ordering facilities. It will allow customers to explore the menu and order the food they want.
Website ordering
Integrate features into your website so it will provide a better experience for users visiting your website. They can get the experience they are supposed to enjoy and even place an order instantly.
Q R based digital Menu & Ordering
Guests who visit for dine-in should get a digital experience for faster services. For example, they don’t like to wait for the waiter to take orders. Instead, they take the digital menu and order instantly. For example, restaurant with digital transformation offers QR Code Menu to their customers so that can place faster and even served faster.
Enhance Your Mobile Presence
People use their mobile devices to access the internet. No matter how much work you put into your company’s website, most visitors will only leave the page immediately if it is optimized for phones and tablets. Make sure your website works well and looks beautiful on P.C.s, tablets, and mobile devices. Now, you can do plenty of additional things to help your mobile users utilize your services, for example;
Register your restaurant business on Google My Business
Create social media accounts and maintain an active online presence
Interacts with users and announce promotions, daily events, and menu on social media
Focus on Trends
The most prosperous restaurants look for ways to stay one step ahead of the competition, even though some aspects of the sector are evergreen. As a result, restaurant owners have the chance to give their regular customers a unique experience and draw in new diners eager for adventure by staying on top of new and developing trends.
One of the best ways to increase restaurant sales is to keep up with the trends. You can do the following things to stay updated with the restaurant industry and bring implementation as the market reacts. Here’re some tips you can apply;
Read blogs related to the restaurant industry
Explore social media regularly, stay active on social media
Connect with your competitors, such as owners, managers, and others
Focus on Customer Retention and Loyalty
No doubt, you must take majors to attract new customers, albeit existing customers are equally important. You need to implement something to retain existing customers. Here are a few steps to help you do it.
Ads free promotion
You can create a strategy to retain customers and increase customer loyalty. For example, you can ask your loyal customers for a promotion. For example, word of mouth is the single largest way to gain traction. While people do not quickly trust paid ads when a friend recommends any restaurant, it goes in handy —they trust it easily.
Customer loyalty program
For customers who visit our restaurant frequently, you offer them rewards so that they get benefits each time they visit your restaurant for dine-in.
Host charity event
Customers will notice the effort you put towards the community. That will help you earn their trust and give them a valid reason to visit a restaurant or place an order online.
Increase Speed of Service
You are aware that you can make more money by turning more tables every hour. So why not provide your personnel with the necessary resources to improve service speed and effectiveness? Here are ways you can improve the speed of services and so do improve restaurant sales.
Train your staff
You can train your staff and ask them to deliver service to guests properly. Besides, you can also make specific rules for them to follow. But, of course, the rules must be in favor of customers as well as your staff.
Install PoS System
You will undoubtedly have an integrated system with comprehensive features in place. Still, if you need an online food ordering system, use the PoS system. It will increase speed, whether it is to collect payments or let your customers place orders.
For instance, a mobile point of sale (POS) device enables servers to submit orders straight to the kitchen from the POS. They can avoid having to rush.
Partner with Online Delivery Service Provider
You can also partner with a third-party delivery service provider. There are times when people need to remember the restaurant or have no idea which restaurant to choose for their food. But they remember the third-party food delivery service provider where they can easily place an order for their desired food. It will be the most practical way to increase restaurant sales.
Convenience is the key
Convenience reigns supreme in today’s app-driven world. Think of collaborating with well-known local delivery services like Seamless, GrubHub, and DoorDash.
Best way to increase sales in a restaurant
One of the most excellent ways to boost sales at a restaurant is to collaborate with popular delivery providers. This can simplify your ordering procedure, attract new diners or guests, and keep your current ones happy—all from the convenience of their cell phones.
Maximize Your Table Turnover Rate/Table Reservation System
Sometimes guests at your restaurant prefer to dine at their leisure, and they take longer than usual to leave your restaurant. It might result in driving your other customers away from your restaurant. You can do the following things to increase the table turnover rate;
Create a timeline for service
There should be a timeline for serving the guest. Whether you have to train your server or your staff, you need to determine how much time each step of service should take.
Focus on dining room decoration
Your dining room decor will ensure how long your customers will linger in your restaurants. You can grab some best low-cost interior designs, ensure the decor matches the theme, and help you increase restaurant sales by smooth table turnover rates.
Embrace the power of upselling
Upselling refers to motivating customers by offering them a better option to serve and letting them upgrade their current purchase. Here are proven tips to do so;
Description menu item
You need to feed data to your server and teach it to describe the menu item in detail and explain its taste, texture, and method of preparation;
Suggest upgrades
Would you like Pizza instead of a burger? Or would you like to have cheese topping or mayonnaise? There should be some better ways to suggest menu upgrades to your customers.
Similarly, you can train your server so that it can make a specific suggestion at the right time.
How Will These Tips Help You Increase Restaurant Sales for Separate Items
The tips we have suggested above will help both -the one who has already started their restaurant business and also the ones who want to open a restaurant. Before we jump start how these tips will boost restaurant sales, you can explore our recently written article “how to open a restaurant” if you are planning to start one. The tips we have suggested above will help you boost the following restaurant sales;
Increase Pizza Sales
If you are trying to increase sales of Pizza, you can implement these steps and keep Pizza at the center point. For example, you can offer rewards and vouchers on weekends to attract customers to place an order online or visit your restaurant to dine in.
Boost Burgers Sales
Suppose you are selling only Burgers; you can apply the steps above and get its benefits. The measures, such as teaching your guests the perks or benefits you offer when they visit your restaurant, can help boost restaurant sales. If you are finding ways to increase sales in your food business, then the steps given above are the best option for you.
The steps given above are the best steps to increase every type of food sales. For example;
Increase fast food sales
Boost catering sales
Cloud kitchen sales and so on
Final Thoughts
When you apply these steps, you will get the best results that will not only increase restaurant sales but also increase restaurant revenue flawlessly.
Examining your current restaurant business plan, you should also understand the restaurant business challenges. Then, later you build better restaurant sales ideas.
Last but not the least, when it comes to increasing restaurant sales, you have plenty of options to apply. You may need to make a personalized effort to boost sales, though connecting with an expert is the best way.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Increase Restaurant Sales
How can I increase restaurant sales?
We have suggested steps in this article; you refer to tem and implement the ideas we have referred to. They are tested and proven by experts. Besides, you can determine the sales challenges and find the best way to increase restaurant sales.
Determine the challenges
Create better restaurant promotion strategies
Implement the plan effectively
How can restaurant sales increase daily?
The main mantras that will help you maintain consistency and boost sales daily are fast, comfortable, and convenient.
Train your server
Education your team
Provide faster services
Focus upselling
Maintain better table turnover rates
Provide the best food at competitive prices
How do you attract customers to your restaurant?
There are many ways to attract customers. For example, you can offer them the following;
Free WiFi
Schedule Live Music
Use Email Marketing
Offer Birthday Gifts
Provide Them with a Better and Smooth Website with Interactive Features
Apart from these facilities, you can also initiate promotional activities, such offering personalised vouchers, giving them special discounts, and more. However, you need to do this through effective digital marketing for restaurant.
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