Top 10 powerful ways to increase restaurant sales for SMB

With high competition, changing customer preferences, and restaurant closures due to various reasons, maximizing revenue has become the main focus for HoReCa players. To grow income, it is crucial to implement effective strategies that appeal to the target audience, expand market reach, and capitalize on current industry trends. 

In this article, we provide 10 recommendations to help you increase restaurant sales, customer retention, and brand awareness. Let’s begin. 

How can you increase restaurant sales? 

1. Provide restaurant takeout and delivery services

Running a takeout and delivery are among the best ways to increase restaurant sales without advertising. Given the growing demand for convenience, takeout and delivery services have become a staple in the dining experience. 

To encourage customers to order from their homes and offices, you can set exclusive discounts on online/takeout orders or create family-sized meal deals. Furthermore, you can provide complimentary items with delivery purchases. 

In order to inform potential and existing clients about these deals, you should launch promotions through a corporate website and social media channels. On top of that, it is advisable to place printed materials (flyers, stickers, etc.) in the restaurant to keep all visitors aware of your offerings.

2. Partner with popular delivery service providers

In 2022, the worldwide revenue from online food delivery amounted to $760 billion, according to Statista. The revenue is projected to account for a CAGR of 11.47% during 2023–2028, with the market volume valued at $1.79 trillion by 2028. 

Meanwhile, the user base of food delivery services experienced stable growth in the past years, with more than 3 billion consumers using some type of delivery apps in 2022.

So, if you’re wondering how to increase restaurant sales without advertising, consider collaboration with popular food delivery platforms, such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. 

Business of Apps reports that Uber Eats has nearly 88 million users, DoorDash has 32 million users (with the majority of users from the US), and Grubhub has over 28 million active customers globally.

By partnering with online delivery businesses, you will get access to their customer base and save costs on running our own online delivery service. In addition, you will benefit from their extensive marketing efforts. 

To stand out from numerous restaurants registered on delivery apps, create a catching menu and launch exclusive promotions to encourage them to order your dishes over competitors. This will help you generate a higher profit and significantly grow a customer base. 

3. Cross-sell with complementary items

Income growth is not only about attracting more customers but also about maximizing the value of each transaction. In order to boost restaurant sales, you can implement cross-selling strategies by offering complementary items that improve the dining experience. For example, if a user orders a pizza, suggest adding a side of garlic knots or a beverage at a discounted rate.

You should also train your staff to make personalized recommendations based on client preferences. When visitors choose some dishes, the restaurant’s employees should be able to suggest enticing complementary items. Thanks to this, you will manage to generate a higher profit and improve the audience’s satisfaction.  

Furthermore, it is important to display and highlight complimentary items on your menu and/or online ordering platform to catch customer attention. This is another way to increase restaurant sales without advertising.

4. Provide tailored background music and a jukebox app

Tailored background music for restaurants can help venues increase revenue and boost guest satisfaction. By playing carefully selected music that reflects their culture, restaurants can push up overall sales by more than 9%, the sales of desserts — by over 15%, and the sales of side dishes — by greater than 11% (HUI Research). 

The main purpose is to find music that perfectly fit brand identity, the target audience’s preferences, and employee tastes. Creating playlists manually, however, requires a lot of time and knowledge of music’s psychological effects on customer behavior.

Using brand-fit music in conjunction with a digital jukebox is a sure-fire way to appeal to clients, drive sales, and minimize churn. A mobile jukebox app allows visitors to request their favorite songs, choosing from a large music catalog. 

While it is quite difficult to provide an accurate income growth estimate from a jukebox due to various factors, some studies suggest that it can contribute to a 10%–30% revenue increase.

5. Launch online advertising campaigns

When thinking about how to increase restaurant sales, online advertising is a sure way to achieve the necessary results as fast as possible.

This method allows businesses to target specific segments of the audience, sorted by age, sex, location, interests, and other attributes. Therefore, you will be able to reach out to potential customers and drive traffic to your restaurant.

To create advertising campaigns, you can employ Google Ads and social networks like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Menu Tiger says that users open Instagram nearly 18 times a day whilst 38% of Instagram visitors look through food content and 27% of users share it. Over 50% of survey participants claim they came to a restaurant after seeing promotional deals and discounts on Twitter. 

So, if you want to find the best social media platform, find out what your potential and existing clients mainly use. For this purpose, it is crucial to consider the number of your company followers on social media channels, their demographics, and other factors. What’s more, you should analyze the audience of your competitors. 

In order to boost restaurant sales with this technique, craft a compelling text message and visuals showcasing your unique selling points and offerings. Track the performance of your campaigns and adjust them based on real-time data to optimize ROI.

6. Collaborate with local influencers

Partnering with local influencers and food bloggers is among the best ways to increase restaurant sales and brand awareness. According to Modern Restaurant Management, around 50% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations on social networks to discover restaurants. Another research found that 37% survey participants trust social media influencers over companies.

So, invite influencers to review your menu, host events, or collaborate on special promotions. This way, you will reach out to the loyal audience, which is likely to trust their advice and opinions. 

7. Host special events and promotions at your restaurant

By organizing special events and promotions, you will manage to boost restaurant visibility and attract new clients. This is also an effective way to increase restaurant sales and come up with a unique selling point. 

Consider the following ideas:

• Themed nights. Host themed evenings, such as trivia nights, live music performances, or culinary experiences.

• Limited-time offers. Introduce limited-time promotions or discounts to create a sense of urgency, encouraging immediate visits and purchases.

Regularly monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify areas for improvement. Track sales trends, guest feedback, and operational efficiency. Use this data to continually optimize your strategies to maximize restaurant sales.

Explore “6 Captivating ideas to compose a restaurant’s unique selling proposition”.

8. Implement a customer loyalty program

If you’re wondering how to increase restaurant sales, it is essential to build good relationships with the clientele and improve retention. Implementing a loyalty program is an effective way to achieve these goals.

One study found that mobile discounts and promotions are important for 63% of diners when looking through restaurant ordering options. Another survey revealed that 7 of 10 respondents consider loyalty programs as a vital part of their relationships with a brand.

TouchBistro determined that loyalty programs are especially popular among younger customers. The research determined that 40% of Gen Z and 41% of millennials are already members of some restaurant loyalty program.

Experts say that businesses capture valuable insights about their clients, with 32% of guests using the programs on a weekly basis.

9. Embrace restaurant technology

In today’s digital age, leveraging technology is vital to restaurant success. Toast revealed that 73% of respondents say restaurant technology, for example, integrated POS systems, improves their customer experience. 

Juniper Research estimates that the worldwide spending via QR code payments will account for more than $3 trillion by 2025, climbing from $2.4 trillion in 2022. 

Another research found that 70% of restaurant owners were going to employ artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate workflows and increase profitability throughout 2023. 

Meanwhile, in 2022 only 13% of participants considered the integration of AI/ML as a top priority. For instance, it is possible to use AI chatbots to instantly respond to various requests. The analysts also identified that restaurant operators were thinking about incorporating robotics and voice technology into their processes.

Additionally, it is possible to build a mobile app or a mobile version of your website allowing users to browse the menu, place orders, track order status, get notifications, and receive exclusive promotions.

By utilizing innovative technologies, you will improve efficiency and customer service. Employees, in turn, will be able to devote more time to revenue-generating activities. As a result, you will manage to boost restaurant sales.

10. Optimize your restaurant’s menu

A well-structured menu can enable you to increase restaurant sales. Consider implementing the following menu optimization techniques:

• Highlight profitable items. Strategically place high-margin dishes or beverages on your menu to encourage upselling.

• Streamline choices. A concise menu can help diners make quicker decisions, leading to faster table turnover and increased sales.

• Create compelling descriptions. Craft enticing descriptions that showcase the uniqueness of each dish, stimulating customers to try something new.

You should also take into account that a long complicated menu may significantly slow down the ordering process, resulting in more time clients spend at your hospitality place. So, it is advisable to offer fewer items in the menu to maximize seat turnover rate. 

Find out more ways to boost a restaurant table turnover rate in the article.

Final words 

Increasing restaurant sales requires a multifaceted approach. By providing takeout, collaborating with influencers, creating a loyalty program, delivering an amazing background music experience, hosting special events, and optimizing your menu, you will create a winning formula for restaurant success. 

The key is to adapt and evolve, staying attuned to customer preferences and market trends. With strategic planning, hypothesis testing, and KPI monitoring, your restaurant will thrive in the competitive industry and bring a higher revenue.