As a restaurant owner, the question of “how to increase restaurant sales” probably keeps you up at night.

Well, no more! We’re here to guide you on increasing restaurant sales in-house and online.

Boosting your sales isn’t just about making changes in your physical restaurant anymore. It’s also about mastering your online presence to create different revenue streams.

👋 If you’re ready to see how you can use social media platforms to your advantage, improve your SEO for reach, and have sound marketing strategies, then this article is for you.

Let’s start with increasing your restaurant’s sales online.

How to increase restaurant sales online

You don’t need to be a technologically savvy restaurateur to reap the many benefits the world has to offer.

So let’s highlight some ways to get customers to enjoy your delicious menu items and boost your restaurant revenue while we’re at it.

Offer online ordering

In a world where convenience is king, having online ordering on your website is a priority. When your customers are hungry and land on your website, make it easy for them to order directly from you.

📈 After all, 70% of consumers say they’d rather order directly from a restaurant than a third-party delivery service.

You can cater to this preference today by adding the Orderable WordPress plugin to your website. With Orderable, customers can order directly from you.

Studies also show that 20% of consumers spend more on off-premise orders than on a regular dine-in experience. This shows the importance of having an ordering system up and running. Plus, this allows you to reach potential customers beyond your physical location.

Orderable lets you do all of that! It integrates with your existing website and makes it simple for your existing and new customers to place orders online. It is super user-friendly, making the ordering process stress-free.

This helps in boosting your restaurant’s revenue and bottom line.

Optimize your menu for online ordering

If you’re serious about increasing restaurant sales online, optimize your menu for online ordering. The trick is simplifying your online menu and highlighting dishes that travel well for delivery and takeout. Dishes not suited for delivery can lead to dissatisfaction, making it less likely for a customer to return.

For instance, if your restaurant is famous for its steak but doesn’t travel well, consider promoting your equally delicious, travel-friendly dishes like pasta or gourmet sandwiches. Or, you could think about adapting your steak dish to survive the food delivery journey.

Also, having an optimized menu helps aesthetically. A cluttered menu can be overwhelming and might turn potential customers away.

Orderable can help build great-looking menus with flexible layouts and beautiful product labels. Your customers can be at peace knowing exactly what their appetizer or entree will look like on their table.

Leverage email marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool to keep customers engaged and promote your restaurant. You can stay top of mind by sending promotional offers, special events, or menu updates.

A sound email marketing strategy is an organic way to foster customer relationships and have them order from you. A well-timed email with an enticing offer can lead to a surge in online orders.

For example, a promotional email can create buzz and excitement if you have a new dish on your menu. Similarly, a discount code during slow periods can drive sales. Remember, the key is to offer value that encourages customers to engage with your emails and ultimately place an order.

All you need is Orderable on your homepage, and an incentive in the email, and customers will flock to order directly from you.

Improve your social media presence

While it’s easy to dismiss social media and see it as a waste of time, it can be your restaurant’s best friend. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are platforms where you can engage with your audience, showcase your dishes, and invite people to your events.

If you think you need a large following to pop up in customers’ radars, think again. Even a small social media presence can have a big impact, especially through word of mouth. It’s an effective way to connect with customers, share your restaurant’s personality, and, most importantly, keep your brand in mind.

Being top of mind leads to increased online and in-house orders. A perfect example of this is how Taco Bell shows up online. Instead of promotional tweets, Taco Bell engages in funny and personable conversations with its followers. This creates a brand image that resonates with its target demographic.

💡 For more on this, check out our blog post for extra insights on effective restaurant marketing tools.

Offer curbside/local pickup as well as delivery

Being flexible is a must if you want to increase restaurant sales. Offering convenient curbside pickup, local pickup options, and delivery expands the target audience. You can easily cater to a wider range of customer preferences and needs.

More options can attract a broader customer base, including those who prefer to pick up orders without extra friction. Additionally, pickup options can help save on delivery costs for you and your customers.

With Orderable, offering curbside and local pickup is a breeze. That’s because it has an easy-to-use, customizable platform.

Here are just some of the benefits of this:

• You can set when you can deliver or accept orders for pickup.
• Customers can select when they would like their order based on your schedule.
• Have custom checkout optimized for quickly processing local delivery and pickup orders.

Also, if you have multiple locations, customers can order food from the one closest to them. You only need a website and the Orderable plugin to make this happen.

Have a customer review strategy in place

We cannot stress enough how important a customer review strategy is for your business. It will maintain and boost your restaurant’s reputation. And we all know that a great reputation means repeat business, new customers, and a successful restaurant (to name a few things).

It’s safe to say you should encourage satisfied customers to leave a review on platforms like Yelp or Google. Reviews serve as social proof and influence customers’ decisions to order from your restaurant. Positive reviews can increase trust in your brand and draw in new customers, leading to increased sales.

On the other hand, you should also respond to negative reviews (professionally, of course!). This shows your commitment to customer satisfaction. It can even help to convert dissatisfied customers into loyal ones.

The customer experience fuels customer loyalty, so it’s not something to take lightly. Your dining experience needs to be highly rated, as well as the experience someone has on your restaurant’s website.

Add a tipping option at checkout

When it comes to increasing your restaurant’s sales, every dollar counts. One quick way to do this is to add tip prompts to your checkout process to boost revenue. Not only does this increase the overall order total, but it also serves as a way to support your staff.

The convenience of adding a tip at checkout can encourage more customers to do so. With Orderable, you can easily add this feature to your online ordering platform. This is a win-win situation for your restaurant and employees.

Implement online upselling

Upselling is a proven method to increase your restaurant’s sales. It involves adding extra features for your customers to select during the online ordering process. Orderable’s platform makes it easy to suggest add-ons or upgrades to dishes that customers have selected.

You’ll automatically increase the average order value and boost your sales by suggesting additional items, such as extra toppings, side dishes, sauces, or premium ingredients.

Offer dish customization

Customers love to personalize anything and everything, including their food. With Orderable, they can choose their toppings, spice levels, sides, and so on, making customization a straightforward process.

Not only does it give them a sense of control and satisfaction, but it will help you increase restaurant sales. This also lets your restaurant business reach new customers and encourages repeat orders.

Now that we’ve gone through these nine ready-to-implement ways to impact your restaurant business online positively, let’s look at what you can do to increase restaurant sales in-house.

How to increase restaurant sales in-house

Now that we’ve covered the digital side of your restaurant business let’s focus on where the magic happens – inside your restaurant.

How can you encourage customers to walk through your doors, enjoy your culinary creations, and drive in-house sales?

Train staff to upsell

Upselling isn’t only for your online platform. You can also use this strategy in-house. Upselling involves training your staff to suggest add-ons like appetizers, desserts, or premium drinks to customers during their dining experience. This can significantly increase your average order value, increasing overall sales.

For example, your staff can recommend pairing a specific wine with a meal or suggest a specialty dessert. The key to effective upselling is ensuring it comes across as a recommendation rather than a pushy sales pitch. The goal should be to improve the customer’s experience, not pressure them to buy.

With the right training, your staff can steer customers towards higher-value items. This can significantly increase your restaurant sales while increasing customer experience. A win-win!

Implement a loyalty program

Offering a loyalty program is one of the best strategies to increase restaurant sales in-house. This approach encourages repeat business by rewarding customers for frequent visits or purchases.

A well-executed loyalty program can increase customer retention. This is usually more cost-effective than acquiring new customers. Also, it makes customers feel valued and incentivizes them to choose your restaurant over competitors.

For instance, you could implement a points-based system where customers earn points for every dollar spent. They can redeem these points for free meals, discounts, or special offers.

A loyalty program increases sales and helps with customer loyalty as they will likely spread the word about your restaurant.

👋 Want a step-by-step guide to help you create a loyalty program? Check out our in-depth restaurant loyalty program guide.

Revamp your menu

Another overlooked factor in increasing restaurant sales in-house is your menu. Have you recently updated yours? Periodically showcasing ‘customer favorite’ dishes and new dishes excites customers.

A stagnant menu can become predictable and boring. A periodically refreshed menu piques customer interest and gives customers a reason to revisit your restaurant.

One way to revamp your menu is to feature dishes that use seasonal ingredients. This keeps your menu fresh and interesting and is often more cost-effective due to the abundance of in-season produce. For example, a strawberry salad or a pumpkin soup can be great menu additions in summer and fall.

Another technique is to introduce dishes with a higher profit margin. If you’re known for your gourmet burgers, consider adding a range of premium toppings or sides at an additional cost. This can increase your average order value while enhancing the dining experience for your customers.

Host special events

Hosting special events is an engaging way to create buzz around your restaurant. It makes it the go-to place for memorable dining experiences. Think about themed nights, live music, cooking classes, or tasting events that can attract a larger crowd.

Special events attract more customers and encourage them to spend more in-house. These one-off and unique experiences create a sense of excitement and make customers spend more than they would on a regular dining visit.

It’s like when you’re on vacation, and you think less about the cost and more about the overall experience of it.

For example, hosting a ‘Taco Tuesday’ can be a hit, drawing in groups looking for a fun night out. Cooking classes can make foodies excited to learn and taste different dishes. These events increase your restaurant sales in the short term and promote customer loyalty.

Improve table turnover time

In the hustle and bustle of the restaurant business, every minute counts. Improving table turnover time (cleaning and resetting tables quickly after customers have finished their meals) is an important strategy to serve more customers and increase sales.

The faster you can serve new customers, the more customers you can accommodate during business hours, leading to higher sales. Plus, efficiently managed table turnover can reduce waiting time, leading to happier customers and better reviews.

Training your staff is the key to improving table turnover time. Encourage them to communicate with each other about which tables are almost done, so they can be cleaned and reset promptly.

Offer catering services

You can also go the route of offering catering services for parties and events. This is a fantastic way to increase restaurant sales outside regular business hours. With the potential to serve large groups at once, you can generate significant income from a single event. Additionally, it will increase your restaurant’s exposure to potential new customers.

If you run a pizza place, maybe cater for children’s parties or casual corporate events. You could cater to weddings or high-end corporate functions if you have a fine-dining establishment.

Either way, don’t forget to market your new catering service. Feature it on your restaurant’s website, social media platforms, and on-site promotional materials.

By offering catering services, you’re not just increasing your restaurant sales but also strengthening your presence in the community and broadening your target audience.

Learn how to increase restaurant sales today

Navigating the restaurant business in 2024 can be tricky. You need a blend of tried-and-true methods and fresh, innovative strategies. As discussed, many tactics exist to increase online and in-house restaurant sales.

To increase restaurant sales online, harness the power of Orderable to offer your customers online ordering. For in-house, use upselling a loyalty program and revamping your menu regularly to increase sales.

2024 is a year filled with opportunities for restaurant owners willing to adapt and innovate. Implement these strategies to increase restaurant sales and create a memorable dining experience for your customers.

Take the first step today and watch your restaurant thrive in the year ahead.