As you are in the foodservice industry, you know that there are lots of challenges facing the restaurant business. For example, according to a Seated survey, owing to inflation, over 65% of local restaurants suffered a sales decrease. More than 40% of restaurant operations failed to pay July rent. Add in how competitive the restaurant industry is and the diverse choices customers have regarding online ordering and visiting dining locations in person. And do not forget the impact that the pandemic has had on the sector, with restaurant sales down $240B during 2020 alone.
So, you need to rethink your sales strategies to run a successful business. Keep reading for how to attract customers, increase restaurant revenue, and secure your competitive edge in the market.
11+ best ways to increase restaurant sales
1. Offer your customers the chance to place online orders
Ordering and fulfillment process is made easy with One2
Many customers today prefer ordering online food delivery. According to the National Restaurant Association, over 52% of adults agree that buying delivery and takeout food is essential to how they live. You may grow your own delivery fleet or use third party delivery. Else, take full advantage of the full-stack commission-free online ordering system from One2 that is a win-win situation for both your restaurant business and your guests.
Your-operations-wise: One2 platform allows you to get instant notifications of orders placed, meaning no misunderstanding & lost orders and more orders in less time. With it, online food ordering becomes as easy as ABC, and you have every confidence to increase your restaurant sales.
Customers-wise: They can place orders in mere seconds.
Competition-wise: You can be ahead of the competition. Potential customers will choose you as you shine in your services.
2. Boost sales with psychology
Hear what One2's customers have to say
You may use One2’s image-driven menu to have more customers purchase food items. As you already know, people are encouraged to take action based on what they see. The more beautiful food images customers see, the more they will desire to order.
Some other psychology strategies include:
Increase your restaurant sales by giving guests more comfort (e.g., providing convenient parking options and eliminating long lines with the adoption of One2’s online ordering system);
Tap into the safety need (e.g., using One2’s contactless QR code menu so that customers feel comfortable dining in person and putting brand-name condiments in view as customers want to know if they are getting good ingredients);
Add social interaction to your restaurant (e.g., greeting a regular diner with a personalized greeting such as “Hey, Ray. You want your usual table?);
Identify with the personality of your target audience (e.g., should you want to keep old, conservative customers coming back and drive repeat business, reflect their views and beliefs);
Feed your patrons’ liking for novelty (e.g., offering creative limited time offers);
Do not rush customers through their experience but serve customers quickly to increase table turnover rate;
Boost restaurant sales with tinted glasses since the glass color can impact how customers perceive their drinks;
Pump up the volume as this can encourage customers to drink beverages faster;
Discontinue the high-priced menu items that are least wanted;
Refresh items on a seasonal or biannual basis;
Set the mix of tables that is appropriate for your average dinner party sizes;
Update your dining room as its layout and style of decoration impact how long customers linger in your place.
3. Attract customers with an irresistible offer and unique customer experience
Any average person finds it difficult to refuse a good offer. The better your restaurant offers, the more likely you will attract new customers and turn your existing customers into promoters.
So, consider:
Encourage guests to spend more money by selling multiple courses as prix fixe menu;
Weekly or daily offers and offers on special occasions which you can implement with minimal effort and tangible results thanks to One2 Menu’s functionality of updating specials and prices instantly;
Complimentary offers and items;
Endless or bottomless options such as endless fries or bottomless coffee
Smaller dishes or options to select - like items that customers can eat snacks (that are growing in popularity) or that a group of friends can share;
Surprising your diners by giving them a pastry, for example;
Private dining, for instance, surrounding the area in curtains;
Choosing to host pop up experiences;
Joining your city's restaurant week for extra exposure;
Holding a workshop that allows restaurant owners to get the workshop fees as another revenue stream while attracting more loyal customers;
Hosting events such as trivia nights or live music to bring people into your restaurant and increase sales;
Offering signature packages.
4. Rank high on Google
When going online and entering keywords in Google, customers tend to order from the 1st restaurants appearing in search results. Should increasing restaurant sales be what you want, you need to be there.
One2’s SEO improvement, Google My Business sync, and restaurant website integration functionalities have helped so many restaurants get featured on the search engine, increase their reach, and enabled their existing customers and new customers to be aware of their latest updates. According to Anthony's Restaurant & Pub, "after adding the menu and integrating with Google, we observed an exciting 5X increase in views within 60 days."
Anthony's Restaurant & Pub's success snapshot
5. Offer various payment options to get more happy customers
Optimize your customers’ ordering experience by giving them multiple popular payment options. This way enhances convenience in the transaction process and helps draw in more new customers. And it is made possible with the One2 system that uses Stripe.
6. Increase restaurant sales with a QR code menu
Instant Contactless QR Code from One2
You should get rid of PDF menus in favor of a touchless solution that will speed up the service, optimize table turnover rate, improve customer satisfaction, and increase sales. Besides, before you determine the prices for your menu items, research your surroundings. Let’s say your competition is offering the same food with a comparable service at a better price, then your sales will observe a decline.
7. Reach more new customers through social media
Social media has a high impact. More than 74% of people in a study say that they bought a product after sawing it on social media.
So, consider:
Posting frequently to enhance your social media presence;
Communicate with your customers on comments, helping increase customer retention, attract new customers, and improve the restaurant’s sales;
Applying the 80/20 rule to social media, meaning 80% of the posts there are helpful to your customers and 20% promote your business;
Deciding to create social media accounts after learning what social media platforms your target customers spend their time;
Paying to advertise your restaurant on social media. Some popular advertising channels include social media ads, Google ads, and local community/charity sponsorship.
For more tips on standing out on social media, read this guide.
8. Increase restaurant sales through sales report
As they say, “you cannot manage what you do not measure.” The restaurant sales report given by the One2 system enables you to check real-time information about anything happening at your restaurant business. This ensures your solid grasp of order volume, the number of specials given, restaurant sales, the most selling menu items and the least popular ones, customer lifetime value, and earnings.
With the visibility provided by this platform, any restaurant owner can take advantage of the data to make the best, most informed decisions about actions they need to take to attract new customers, get more loyal customers, and increase restaurant sales.
9. Secure your competitive edge in the restaurant industry with ghost kitchens
To increase your restaurant sales, consider a ghost kitchen business model. Existing before the pandemic, they have gained momentum with the explosive popularity of delivery services.
This off premise business usually does not feature a dining room with workers and servers. Instead, it focuses on creating great menu items with low operating costs (e.g., labor costs). Else, some restaurant owners use this model to test new dishes with no brand risk if customers are not into the items.
The One2 Virtual POS system is a true turn-key technology solution for ghost kitchens, getting them covered from discovery, and ordering, to fulfillment. With it, you can easily and effectively expand your food franchise.
10. Increase restaurant sales with email and SMS marketing
With the high open rates for SMS, it is reasonable to add it to your marketing efforts. Whenever you plan to offer specials, just send the customers from your database a text message that contains links to online ordering.
Email marketing is also worth having a go. Without word count limitation, you can send longer messages. Keep your customers updated about all the latest happenings at your restaurant through periodical newsletters. Besides, emails have proved helpful in publicizing offers.
11. Communicate with your staff
Asking your staff’s opinions about what changes you should bring to the business. This way, increasing restaurant sales becomes not that hard.
Usually, the employees’ views are right because they deal with the guests daily. Taking their opinions and suggestions seriously will make them feel important, which is critical in running a business. To do so, you may call your employees for lunch at your restaurant weekly or set up a monthly open house session.
12. Retain existing customers through customer loyalty programs
Improving customer loyalty by 5% can skyrocket income by 25% to 95%. As people often trust their friend’s recommendations and feedback on restaurants, making your existing customer a loyal one is invaluable to your business' success.
You can build a customer loyalty program that allows your diners to earn points per visit and redeem them for rewards, for example, exclusive experiences or complimentary food. For how to make the program work, check here.
Above all, the loyalty & rewards program enabled by One2 fully fits your business and customers. Contact us for details.
13. Train your restaurant staff on upselling techniques for increasing sales
Upselling involves influencing customer purchases by enticing them with higher margins and more pricey items and add-ons. It is known to increase restaurant sales.
This strategy requires your employees’ ability to read the room and pay great attention to customer needs. Here are some tips in this regard:
Promote higher margin dishes: When a customer asks a staff what meal they recommend, they can recommend dishes with higher margins. Else, suggest them immediately at the beginning.
Ask enticing questions: These are better to be descriptive. For instance, “I got roasted tomato soup today, and it was tasty. It is not overly filling, so this bowl is a good way of starting a meal. Could I interest you in it?”
Show genuine enthusiasm for the food items being mentioned: This helps staff build more genuine connections with customers.
As far as delivery orders go, configure your online ordering system to recommend add-ons.
Related questions
1. I want to draw in more customers and increase restaurant sales. What is the core secret?
Put yourself in your guest's shoes.
2. Are restaurant sales down?
Restaurants in the United States have felt the pinch due to fewer customer visits. The National Restaurant Association reveals that there were more than 1 million dining locations in the U.S in 2019, yet over 100,000 permanently or temporarily closed in 2020.
3. What are average restaurant sales?
One of 3 categories that the sales fall into is:
Comfortable;
Successful;
Unsuccessful.
4. How should I promote a grand opening on social media?
- Organic/ Paid social postings
- Promotions
- Quality images
- Hashtags (about 3)
5. Restaurant staff contest ideas?
To increase your restaurant sales, you can engage your staff with:
- Contests of getting more social media followers
- Having perfect checks
- Simple sales contests
- Menu or cocktail competitions
- By-the-glass selling contests
- Supplier contests.
6. The effect of weather factors on restaurant sales?
A sales reduction may result from rain. Nevertheless, similar to the weather itself, restaurant sales can change without much warning. Some tips include:
- Adjust your employees’ schedules to optimize work assignments.
- Stock up on the right food.
- Use all the possible data, say weather data to learn about trends in your business.
7. How can sales tax alter the size of the tip you leave at a restaurant?
A tip of a certain percentage, for example, a 15% tip, calculated after tax will be bigger than the before-tax calculation.
