One of the surest ways of driving profitability in your restaurant is by increasing the amount that each table spends. When your service staff become experts at upselling, you’ll find profits headed upwards, even if the number of diners and tables remains the same.
That’s the magic of upselling, and why it’s essential for F&B operators. We’ve compiled a list of our favourite upselling techniques in restaurants – so you can tempt your diners into spending more, every time they visit.
Upselling technique 1: Pair main dishes with drinks
Alcohol is a high profit category for many dining establishments, and a fantastic way for you to raise your profit per diner.
To do so, you’ll want to entice diners to order a wine their main course. Train your service staff to make suitable pairing recommendations – for example, a red wine with red meat or a white wine with white meat – and you could see your alcohol orders and profits rise significantly.
Even better, your diners will appreciate the thoughtful recommendations!
Upselling technique 2: Recommend appetisers and side dishes
It’s no secret that Singaporeans love sauces. In fact, the quality of a sauce can determine whether a diner decides to purchase a dish or skip it. (That’s a big reason why McDonald’s McNuggets are incredibly popular, while other similar tasting chicken nuggets aren’t nearly as sought after by diners.)
In fact, sauces are so important to diners that people are willing to pay extra to purchase special sauces. You’ve probably seen this upselling technique used in fast food restaurants, where diners can purchase trendy sauces for their chicken, fries, and more – adding exciting dashes of wasabi, curry, salted egg, sweet and sour, or barbeque flavours to food items they already know and enjoy.
By creating and upselling special sauces to diners, you can keep them coming back to try new flavour combinations, while adding another revenue stream to your restaurant.
Upselling technique 3: Promote profitable items
Here’s a neat “profit hack” that you can use to increase your upsells – simply make a list of the most profitable dishes and drinks on their menu, then train their service staff to promote these items first.
This profit maximisation strategy is especially useful when customers ask servers for recommendations, as they will be more likely to order the items they are recommended. While diners are getting good recommendations, you restaurant will be benefit from all the highly profitable upsells!
Upselling technique 4: Charge for special sauces
It’s no secret that Singaporeans love sauces. In fact, the quality of a sauce can determine whether a diner decides to purchase a dish or skip it. (That’s a big reason why McDonald’s McNuggets are incredibly popular, while other similar tasting chicken nuggets aren’t nearly as sought after by diners.)
In fact, sauces are so important to diners that people are willing to pay extra to purchase special sauces. You’ve probably seen this upselling technique used in fast food restaurants, where diners can purchase trendy sauces for their chicken, fries, and more – adding exciting dashes of wasabi, curry, salted egg, sweet and sour, or barbeque flavours to food items they already know and enjoy.
By creating and upselling special sauces to diners, you can keep them coming back to try new flavour combinations, while adding another revenue stream to your restaurant.
Saucy Inspirations to Stay on Trend
Need ideas for creating delicious, aromatic sauces that people will gladly pay for? We’ve created a recipe book on amazing sauces, just for you.
Upselling technique 5: Spot opportunities to sell
Train your service staff to observe diners and understand what’s going on at each table.
For example, a group of diners who have finished their meal but are happily chatting, could be staying a while. This group of friends could enjoy their conversation even more, with an extra serving of truffle fries to share, or some refreshing desserts. Meanwhile, a couple on a first date may appreciate some wine to keep the conversation going.
All your service staff needs to do in these situations, is approach the table and recommend a few suitable options.
Upselling technique 6: Remember to upsell on delivery apps, too
We’ve spoken in-depth about training your service staff to be proficient in the art of upselling, but you can apply these same concepts on delivery platforms too!
You can create recommended pairings (for example, French fries and special dips, burgers and onion rings, or other popular combinations) specially for online deliveries – and even feature special promotions on bundle deals, so diners will be more inclined to get their entire family’s meal – from appetisers to desserts – from your restaurant.
When you upsell, your diners are happier
We hope this list of upselling techniques in restaurants has given you a few ideas on how you can convince diners to order more.
Here’s the best part about upselling. When you make genuine recommendations and give diners more ways to enjoy their meal – whether it’s with new and exciting sauces, or side dishes and drinks to share with friends – they’ll appreciate how attentive your service staff are, and enjoy their dining experience, even more.
