The restaurant industry is quite competitive, and getting new customers or existing customers
to walk through your doors can be quite a hassle. Every owner has the same question of how
restaurant can increase their sales in their minds. By providing top-notch, premium quality
services, and an ambiance and atmosphere that is comfortable to be in, you will not only have
customers returning to your restaurant but will draw in new, potential customers as well.
Mentioned below are a few tips and tricks to help you boost your sales.

1. Have A Menu That is Easy To Read and Navigate Through
Extremely long and detailed menus are something that customers despise, especially if they’re
coming to your restaurant after a long day. Your menu should also be categorized into different
sections that specifically mention whether the food is an entree or an appetizer. This makes it
easier for customers to skim through the menus.

To encourage purchases, the menu should be built in a way that the prices and items can be
matched. Items can also be offered on a seasonal basis. Put out items that you think customers
will prefer to boost your sales. Short descriptions should be mentioned, along with high-quality
pictures of the meal in case of online menus.

2. Increase The Level of Services Being Offered
This could be adding the option of a delivery service, as most customers tend to enjoy their
meals in the comfort of their own home. Utilize services like UberEats to help facilitate you in
delivery, as it might be cheaper to do so during the initial stages. Later on, once you hold a
certain percentage of the market, you can have your delivery service.

The website or application for an online ordering system should be user friendly and not too
complicated. The process of payment and order should be simple so that customers are
inclined to order in the future. Offer items for takeout that can be prepared with ease and
won’t mess up during the delivery process.

3. Have a Tight Hold On Inventory Levels

When it comes to restaurants, it is quite easy to stock up on materials that may not necessarily
be required, especially in bulk. Since these items are perishable, these might be added as a loss
to the business.

Since you have a better idea of what most customers prefer, stock up on those dishes’
materials, so you don’t always run out, and vice versa. You can estimate by looking at previous
sales to get a general idea of what materials might be required for the upcoming weeks.
However, keep the general trends and occasions in mind as well when stocking up on
inventory.

4. Provision of Complementary Goods
As a restaurant business, you need to aim to boost up your Customer Lifetime Value. This is the
money that customers will be willing to spend on your restaurant while visiting it or continuing
availing services from it. CLV can be for just a few days, a few months, years, or in some cases,
just one, singular visit.

To boost the CLV, it is very important to give your customer the best experience and service
them so that they remember it. The quality of the meals themselves should also be good
enough to draw them back in. Another way of doing this is by providing and selling
complementary goods. These could either be appetizers, desserts, or drinks. Whether these
Complimentary goods are free or at a discounted price will depend on you. You can also offer
them deals such as a Buy one Get one free deal, a discount, or a free drink for a specific number
of entrees purchased.

5. Create Merchandise
To properly establish your brand name and make yourself well known, you can start a
merchandise line. Now, this could be something small, like a sticker of your logo. It could also
be a line of cutlery, glassware, or clothing items such as shirts, bags, etc. This will require some
investment from your side but will prove to be helpful in the long run.
Items during the initial selling period should be limited to invoke interest inside the customer.
They should also be tailored according to the customer’s preferences. Take a note of the recent
merchandising trends and use them to make your merch stand out from others.

6. Have a Reward Points Program
To put it simply, customers can avail reward points for the number of times they visit your
restaurant and avail of your services. After a specific amount of services have been availed, they
can use the reward point system to get a free item. Now, this could either be a free drink, or a
dessert, or an appetizer. Reward points can be based on punch cards. These are a great way of
making customers think that they are valued, and they will keep coming back to your restaurant
to avail of your services.

7. Motivate and Encourage Employees to Perform Their Best

The employees at your restaurant can either make or break your brand image. Usually,
customers are inclined to go to places where the customer service is good and treated
respectfully. If a particular restaurant has high-quality dishes but ill-behaved staff, the
customers will tend to focus on the negative points and not visit your restaurant again. This can
also create a bad image for you.

To make sure that your staff is up to mark, it is your job to keep them happy and treat them in a
good manner so that they end up reciprocating that behavior. Train your employees well, and
educate them on the rights and wrongs. Teach them how to sell the products on the menu
when customers ask them for advice. Your employees can also tell you about what is popular
amongst customers and what isn’t, which will tailor your menu.

Ensure that your employees don’t laze around and are speedy with their services to increase
the table turnover rate. Make sure they talk to customers in a polite and friendly tone, which
makes the customers back due to excellent customer service.

8. Advertise your Restaurant
Your marketing strategy should target the right people and be done effectively to really “sell”
your services. Advertising can be done through flyers or posters that can be pasted across the
streets. However, you can also opt for playing ads on tv to maximize the number of people who
see your ad. However, the place where you advertise matters as well. For tv and radio ads,
make sure that the advertisement is done in a region that is close to your restaurant, and not in
a completely different city.

Another way to expand your reach is through social media marketing, which is quite common
these days and cost-effective. It is quite simple; all you have to do is make a social media
account about your restaurant. This could be done either on Instagram or Facebook. Both of
these apps have built-in ad plans that will tailor your ads so that they are displayed to potential
customers. They are quite inexpensive as well, as compared to other modes of advertisement.
These are a few ways of how restaurants can increase their sales and help you boost the
number of customers you get in the future.