Photo by Marcus Herzberg: https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-people-gathering-inside-bar-1058277/
All restaurants are interested in trying to sell more to their guests than you may initially order - that just makes for good business sense. But doing so while you’re trying to enjoy the ambience of the experience can be both an opportunity and a challenge. An opportunity, because of course, they don’t want to make you feel like you’re being upsold at every opportunity, or that your comfort means less than you paying for more.
However, restaurants also have a good opportunity to make use of the fellow feeling and joyful relaxation you’re experiencing within their hospitality. You might just feel inclined to buy a bottle of wine or treat yourself to a larger steak depending on the occasion and celebration going on.
With that in mind, let’s discuss how to increase spend per head when running a restaurant, using the most common measures owners use:
Let The Menu Guide & Excite
It’s tempting to throw every idea you’ve got onto one menu and hope something sticks, but restraint is what sells. Guests scan rather than study, and if they feel like you’re not clear in your direction or confused, they default to the cheapest or most familiar option.
Here is where being refined with regal descriptions can be enticing. If you have a few strong dishes, well-written descriptions, and a clear layout, as well as some a la carte and platters or grouped course meals, it can do more for your revenue than adding ten new sides. Anchor your pricing with one or two high-ticket dishes and make sure what you actually want to sell feels like the obvious choice without shouting about it.
Train Your Staff Confidently
Most guests don’t want a waiter listing out all the upgrades they can pay for. But if that same server has actually tried the new wine or tasted the dessert that just came in, it doesn’t sound like a pitch anymore. It’s just enthusiasm and they act as an ambassador.
That’s the kind of energy people because they want to trust their host. So, don’t train for memorising lines or pushing extras, but givethe team confidence in the food and let that speak naturally. The guest is more likely to say yes when it feels like a shared experience, in that way, especially if they feel respected and guided, even if to the restaurant POS system.
Time The Offer
People get defensive when asked too much too early, as they haven’t settled in yet. They’re still deciding if they’re having a starter or just getting drinks. Once the mains have been cleared, and the table’s a bit quieter, that’s the time to read the room. Perhaps they’d like a second bottle, or maybe dessert sounds good after all. A little breathing room creates better spenders, meaning that if the table trusts the pace, they’ll linger longer, and the longer they’re there, the more generous the mood usually becomes.
With this advice, you’ll be more certain to increase spend per head in your restaurant, and no doubt benefit as a business with a focused, attentive offering.
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