Once a customer makes the decision to dine at your restaurant, you probably depend on your food, service, cleanliness and overall experience to bring them back. But what are you doing to increase their spend while they are still there?
3 Ways to Increase Customer Spend:
1. Sweeten your dessert sales. Simply asking a customer if they would like to try dessert won’t necessarily win over their full stomachs. Look at what some successful chains are doing to get those extra sales for inspiration. Table 52 brings out a fully stocked sampling of all their desserts, which are right-sized and placed right in front of you. The option is no longer “are you interested in dessert;” the option is “which dessert would you like to try today?” And successful chain Grand Luxe Café asks before you eat your meal (when you are hungry, when everything sounds good, and when you think you’ll have room). They position their specialty dessert as one that is baked to order, so the kitchen needs to know in advance if you’d like to order one.
2. Reward customers for their spend. Punch cards are a thing of the past. Besides the fact that they don’t actually change behavior, they are difficult to track, and difficult for customers to manage. Instead, a restaurant rewards program that rewards customers for how much they spend can actually influence how much they spend. Rewards Network data shows that our loyal diners spend an average of 23% more than non-members at program restaurants. The more they spend, the more they earn.
3. Pair it. Alcohol is a high-margin sale that helps to increase customer spend. Some restaurants with extensive wine menus have used iPads to improve the customer experience, with pairing suggestions and wine education or notes. You don’t have to go that far, but be sure your staff is fully educated on your offerings and how they pair with your meals. You can also put wine, beer or mixed drink suggestions next to menu items to influence the pairing. Another great tactic is to offer tastes of wine or drinks – smaller sized pours that encourage trying more options and pairing with more courses.
