The importance of advertising in marketing for restaurants and cafes is undeniable. It serves as a powerful tool for quickly reaching new customers and boosting sales. However, advertising budgets can often be expensive and unsustainable in the long run, particularly for new or small concepts.
The good news is that restaurants already possess valuable resources for growth without having to invest heavily in sponsored advertising. By focusing on enhancing existing offerings and making the most of every opportunity both inside and outside the restaurant, you can discover new ways of increasing restaurant sales. These tactics can help you during peak times, seasonal events, holidays, or even on any regular day of the year.
In this article, we will explore a range of tried and tested strategies for raising your restaurant’s sales and profits. We will cover practical methods that do not require a large advertising budget, but instead rely on creative thinking and the effective use of available resources.
Increasing Restaurant Sales: Enhance the Customer Experience
One of the most effective ways to boost restaurant sales without incurring high advertising costs is to focus on improving the customer experience. When customers have an exceptional experience, they are more likely to return and recommend your restaurant to others.
The first step in achieving this is to train your staff on upselling techniques. Their role should extend beyond merely taking orders to making thoughtful suggestions that enhance the dining experience and increase the bill without pressuring customers.
Depending on the type of restaurant you operate, you might also consider modern selling tools. For instance, in fast-food or quick-service restaurants (QSRs), self-ordering kiosks allow diners to customize their meals and add options comfortably. The digital recommendations can also increase the average order value (AOV) in your restaurant.
Creating a distinctive atmosphere is crucial for ensuring that each visit is memorable. This includes selecting appropriate decor and lighting that reflect the restaurant’s identity, as well as maintaining cleanliness and playing soothing music. These details significantly enhance the overall customer experience.
Lastly, ensure effective communication after the meal. For example, you can have the restaurant manager visit tables to check on customer satisfaction and gather feedback about the food and service. This shows personal attention and makes customers feel valued.
Implementing these simple steps can leave a lasting impression, foster customer loyalty, and increase the likelihood of repeat visits.
Make the Most of Your Restaurant Menu
A menu is more than just a list of dishes and prices. When designed carefully, it becomes a powerful marketing tool that can significantly increase your restaurant sales.
To make the most of your menu, focus on highlighting your most profitable and frequently ordered dishes. Use data and reports from your POS system to identify these items, and strategically place them in prominent locations on the menu, such as at the top of the page, or use eye-catching designs to draw attention to them.
Use menu engineering which classifies dishes into 4 categories:
- Stars: High-profit and high-selling dishes. Place these at the top of the menu.
- Puzzles: Profitable dishes that are not selling well. Promote these more prominently.
- Plow horses or cash cows: Popular dishes that are low in profit. Consider pairing them with other items to enhance their appeal.
- Dogs: Low-profit and low-selling dishes. You might want to consider removing these to reduce ingredient waste.
Additionally, create enticing offers such as bundled meals and limited-time promotions. Bundled meals encourage customers to purchase a complete package rather than just a single dish, while limited-time offers create a sense of urgency that motivates customers to try a dish before the offer expires.
By implementing these techniques, you can transform your menu into an effective selling tool that boosts revenue and profits without incurring additional advertising costs.
Leveraging POS System Data
Your restaurant’s point-of-sale (POS) system collects daily data and generates reports. This data is not just numbers. It’s crucial for making strategic decisions that can increase your restaurant’s sales and profits. By analyzing this data, you can improve your operations and enhance customer satisfaction in practical and effective ways.
Motivate employees & focus on best-sellers
Recognize and reward high-performing employees to foster a positive competitive spirit. This can motivate the entire team to improve their performance. Additionally, focus on the dishes or products that generate the most sales or profits. Highlight these items on your menu or create special offers to promote them.
Target repeat customers with personalized offers
Your loyal customers are your biggest source of revenue. Create personalized offers for them to boost their spending. Use Foodics’ CRM system to gather and analyze their data, and then send tailored offers through text messages, emails, or push notifications via your restaurant app.
Further reading: 7 Loyalty Program Benefits for Restaurants and Coffee Shops
Increase Operational Efficiency to Boost Sales
Boosting restaurant sales involves more than just attracting new customers. Research shows that the cost of acquiring a new customer can be 5 to 25 times higher than that of retaining an existing one.
Therefore, increasing your sales largely depends on your ability to keep and win back loyal customers over time. Providing prompt and seamless service not only fosters customer loyalty but also increases the likelihood of their return.
Additionally, efficient service allows you to accommodate more tables each day.
Here are the most important strategies for improving efficiency and reducing operating costs in your restaurant:
- Speed of service equals higher revenue: Speed is essential for success. When customers receive their orders quickly, they feel satisfied, which minimizes unnecessary time spent at the table. This allows you to serve more customers and maximize table turnover.
- Kitchen Display Screen (KDS): Use restaurant technology to streamline operations. Kitchen display systems (KDS) receive orders directly from the POS system or from a waiter app, reducing errors and enhancing front-of-house and back-of-house communication.
- Self-service kiosks: Use smart kiosks to reduce congestion at checkout and provide faster service to customers. These kiosks enable customers to select and pay for their orders themselves, saving staff time and minimizing order errors.
- Mobile app ordering: Encourage customers to order through your restaurant app for both delivery and pickup, as this can significantly increase sales.
- Pay at the Table: Waiting for the bill can be one of the biggest reasons for delays in table turnover. The pay-at-table system allows customers to scan a QR code on their table and pay directly from their devices, cutting checkout time and enhancing table turnover.
