Increasing the sales of your restaurant is key and, with a little strategy and work, it is a goal that you can achieve.
1 – Train your staff to be good sales people
Your waiting staff can of course help you to increase restaurant sales. They can upsell without being pushy and still let the customer feel in control.
Waiting staff are there to serve but also to make suggestions, advise and encourage customers to order just that little bit more. It is a good idea to describe the items on your menu to customers in detail. Encourage your waiting staff to share their favourite dishes, desserts and wines with customers. Make sure they are familiar with the wines on the wine list and the possible food and wine pairings so that they can make recommendations to customers. Put simply, waiting staff can encourage customers to order additional items.
The goal is for staff to establish a relationship with the customer and be their trusted guide.
2 – Increase table turnover
This is a basic but essential rule. The more people you serve, the more your sales will increase. For this, you need to manage table turnover efficiently. This needs to be done intelligently, without customers feeling like you are rushing them to eat and immediately leave.
Have a greeter at the door to efficiently manage the arrival of guests – whether they have a booking or not. It is also important to ensure that you have enough staff available to serve guests promptly and efficiently. The same applies in the kitchen so that dishes are prepared quickly.
If you haven’t done so yet, invest in a mobile payment terminal so that customers can pay at their table. Look to efficient models of restaurant layout for inspiration. Opt for a table layout that allows a good flow of service while maximising use of space. Lastly, create simple and adaptable menus so that guests don’t take too long in choosing what they want to order.
3 – Diversify your service offering
Offer customers the possibility to take-away, eat-in or have food delivered. Registering your restaurant on home-delivery websites will help to boost sales.
Setting up a delivery service is now much easier than before. You no longer need your own delivery staff thanks to the reliable and practical services available. Delivering is a great way to reach clients that don’t want to eat out.
To learn more about take-away sales, read our Guide to Developing Sales with a Take-Away Service
4 – Publish regularly on social media
It is vital for restaurants to have a presence on social media. Without one, you might miss out on potential business.
However, it is being active on a regular basis that matters. Social media is, at the very least, a form of free advertising that allows you to connect and engage with your customers and target market. Do your research and find out who your customers are. With social media, your goal is to build the notoriety of your restaurant and create a relationship with your clientèle. This can be done through interesting articles or simply with beautiful images and videos of your dishes. Advertising on these platforms is also easy to do and relatively cheap.
5 – Develop customer loyalty
Whether it’s through loyalty programmes, vouchers or discounts, you can develop customer loyalty, encouraging guests to come back and to communicate with their entourage about your venue. Don’t forget that your customers can become real ambassadors for you!
Learn more
As well as responding perfectly to today’s consumer desire to drink less but better, by-the-glass wine is also the opportunity for you, restaurant owners, to increase average spend. Here we share our four tips to make your by-the-glass wine offering a real springboard for growth.
