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How to increase revenue in your restaurant without sacrificing customer service

Finding ways to boost profitability while still retaining your customer base is quite possible: it’s just a matter of adding perceived value to your restaurant in the eyes of your customers.

July 6, 2015

By Mark Masterson, Customer Experience Manager at IceMachinesPlus.com.

There are many ways to quickly boost profits for your restaurant. The simplest is just to raise your prices. If you do that too much though, you’ll drive off your customers. Finding ways to boost profitability while still retaining your customer base is quite possible: it’s just a matter of adding perceived value to your restaurant in the eyes of your customers.

Make your specials truly special

Your special shouldn’t be just a cheaper version of a dish you already have. Customers want to know there’s some extra creativity going on in the kitchen beyond the everyday menu items. That’s what specials are for. If you can entice a customer to buy a special and deliver well, they’ll be back for more specials.

Have all the courses

Much of the margin in a restaurantis made up of everything besides the entrée. Have specialty drinks, appetizers, soups, salads, and desserts. They don’t cost that much to add on, but can get away with a high markup.

Serve water on request only

Some customers won’t like this, but if you give water automatically your customers will be less inclined to order something else. Give them the menu and tempt them with all the other options first.

Make sure your servers are selling, but not overselling

One of the main roles of a server is to sell the dishes. However, if they’re too good at it they could blow the dining budget of the visitor. This could make them less inclined to come back, and also result in a lower tip for the server. Watch for overhype and underhype.

Consider bundling

If you have a profitable set of items that form a complete set of courses, consider bundling it together at a slightly lower price. You’ll still make money, and customers won’t have to try to calculate the final bill while looking at the menu. Give them an easy option and they’ll take it.

Offer soft serve ice cream

Soft serve has one of the highest profit margins out of any dessert option out there. You don’t have to call it soft serve on the menu. Make up a couple types of sundaes and offer those instead. People may be too full for pastries, but there’s always room for ice cream.

Offer alcohol

While this isn’t always appropriate for some restaurants, and it involves extra paperwork and licensing, alcohol can have an incredibly high profit margin. If you do sell it, make sure your servers are trained in how to sell it skillfully and pair it right with your menu options.

Have deep discounts during slow times

If there is a time of day or a day of the week that is consistently slow, that’s the time to put a deep discount on an item. Getting a few more customers into seats is worth it even if you are selling near-cost.

Try these tips out in your restaurant and see if your profits don’t increase over the next month or two. Sometimes it just takes a little shift to see a lot of cash in your registers.