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QSR sales-driving tricks to kick off week

Sales sagging? Check out these "inspirational" week-starting tips and tricks to pick up business in the transition between seasons.

April 23, 2018 by Christopher Sebes — CEO, XPIENT Solutions

Here we sit on the precipice following all those wintry promotions, but still ahead of the real warm weather traffic-tempters most operators have planned. Need some week-starting inspiration?  

Look no further. Restaurants can rev up slow stretches and pick up market share through these ingenious methods that need only an on-the-ball operator to make them make you more money. After all, every restaurant owner and manager knows empty seats and idle order inflow equals wasted profit. Here are five inventive ways to get the customers, callers and online order-ers to get up and eat at your brand. 

• Offer something free.

Last fall, Chick-fil-a ran a month-long promotion designed to get users to download its app and agree to pick up an order in the store. Customers who ordered one of three items this way were treated to a complimentary chicken biscuit, egg white grill or hash brown scramble bowl. 

Short-term pain led to long-term gain because by the end of the month, the chain had raised its foot traffic market share by 8.3 percent. Offering a freebies for birthdays, anniversaries or more offbeat occasions is another sure traffic-boosting trick. 

• Create an Instagram sensation. 

It doesn't take a celebrity chef or high profile to start a buzz that will drive diners to your door. These days, an eye-catching beverage, dessert or other dish that has the foodie social media follower in mind will do the trick. 

New restaurants brands are even  increasingly designing their dining rooms with brighter colors and better lighting to make them photograph better. In fact, last fall news reports indicated that the number of Yelp performing restaurant searches with the word "Instagram" was exploding as consumers seek out the next cool thing.

• Consider adding a daypart. 

The American snacking habit continues to grow. If your neighborhood sees decent foot traffic throughout the day, promoting a limited menu of small bites, desserts and coffee drinks outside of lunch and dinner hours is one way to tap into that demand. 

Breakfast is another growing daypart, but before taking that leap it's important to consider whether your concept and site are amenable to early morning business. Making takeout easy is a must for either of these strategies, so offer grab-and-go choices and other quick-prep, takeout-friendly fare.

• Lean in to loyalty riches. 

Members of restaurant loyalty programs are already among your biggest fans. But the ability to accrue and use points, access exclusive promotions and any number of other benefits will drive them into your restaurant more often. 

• Promote meals for later. 

If you're good at catering to the changing needs of your guests, you will build traffic and loyalty. The number of "never-cook" consumers is growing, as QSR operators know. And as most operators also know, even these individuals don't want to always eat in-restaurant. 

Enter home meal kits — or your version of them. Promoting these types of accommodations will bring foot traffic, too, as will takeout desserts, such as whole pies and cakes, especially if they are a signature item for your restaurant. And coming warmer weather makes the takeout temptation even stronger, so it pays for a restaurateur to be "there."