How to Increase Restaurant Sales: 25 Ways to Grow Your Restaurant Revenue

Today, restaurateurs have to be savvier than ever before. It’s no longer just about that great idea or even superior food (unfortunately). To survive in the current economy, you must remain curious and evolve, making sound business decisions that lead to efficiency of time, money and resources. 

To increase sales in your restaurant and diminish costs, there are a variety of approaches. Here we are exploring 25 ways to increase restaurants profits. From perfecting your marketing strategy and creating new avenues to attract clientele to improving the overall experience and offering your customers something new and exciting—you’re guaranteed to find opportunities to help you succeed in the years ahead. 

How to increase restaurant sales

• Create an unforgettable experience
• Maximize your menu, minimize waste
• Power-up your advertising strategy
• Put your customer first

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Increase restaurant revenue through unforgettable experiences 

1. Pay at the table

The waiting game is one aspect of an experience that can have an adverse effect on customer’s returning to a restaurant. Certain elements can be out of your control but when it comes to a seamless billing experience, this is something worth investing in. Since the pandemic, most establishments have evolved to offer pay at the table solutions with portable terminals to expedite the process for their customers. 

Using an integrated payments system, means in a few smooth steps customers can be billed, pay, tip and leave. Generally, clients prefer this method for the time-saving nature and the additional security of their credit cards staying within sight.  Not only does this allow servers to turn tables faster but the sheer efficiency means an overall reduction in labor costs. A win-win scenario.

2. Plate to perfection 

Generally speaking, we are visual creatures. We eat with our eyes almost as much as our mouths—taking in the colors, shapes and textures of food prior to it hitting our palette. Plating can be an overlooked element, especially in the warmer months as service is strained to accommodate crowds. But the devil is truly in the details, and putting that extra effort into plating actually impacts how people feel about the taste. From height, to textures, contrasting colors and even themes, putting your restaurant’s personality on the plate is guaranteed to please.

3. Learn from the best

No matter where you are with your business, there’s an express pass to improvement by examining what the best in the industry are doing differently. Setting yourself apart from the pack and making your space a go-to today, tomorrow and years from now means examining your operations and constantly evolving. Michelin star restaurants know what success takes and part of that is consistency in what you deliver— across your menu and with each dish. Dig into the stories of our very own Lightspeed Michelin Star chefs and their top takeaways. 

4. Sell restaurant merchandise 

Branded merchandise, or ‘merch’ as it’s often referred to, continues to rise in popularity. Restaurant merchandise is another touch point to show off your business’ personality. For those restaurants that have unique branding, this is the perfect way to celebrate and capitalize on it. From branded mugs to long sleeve tees and even dog clothes, let your customers show their support and do some (free!) advertising for you in their off hours. 

5. Add experiences to the menu

Drive restaurant revenue and stand out from the crowd by adding an unexpected experience to your space. Maybe it’s a musician that comes in once a month and elevates the dining experience or an opportunity to see the chef create their seasonal menu. Whatever it is, showcasing an alternative to the traditional dinner and drinks can bring in new clientele and impress long-standing customers. 

Maximizing your menu & minimize waste to drive profitability 

6. Reduce food waste

Food waste is a huge issue for restaurants and the environment. Luckily, through sustained efforts this is something that can be reduced and emerging technologies are central to this progress. There are a variety of applications and approaches to mitigating food waste all that lean into the truth of that what gets measured, gets managed. 

Winnow Solutions is one example, allowing restaurants to monitor their waste. The system works two ways, with the monitoring aspect establishing and reinforcing behaviour changes and the tracking offering visibility to see reduction opportunities in preparation. For example, if the camera logs the majority of fries being discarded— it might be worth rethinking the portion per plate.  These types of tools can make a serious impact on waste management.

Looking for inspiration for your waste management efforts? Take a look at Silo and Crate Brewery,  the world’s first zero-waste restaurant. The business’ policy means that everything is reused, so no materials are wasted. As Tim Dennis, Silo’s General Manager explains:

“Silo’s Zero Waste Policy was a game changer for me coming into the business. Everything is reused. Everything comes back out into service, time and time again.”

7. Optimize your menu pricing

There are a variety of components that go into menu pricing. If you find that inflation in food costs are getting the best of your profits—it might be time to reassess your pricing. You can review your costs in relation to a gross profit margin formula or total food costs over food sales. 

However, there are nuances for every establishment including competition and market tendencies that can also offer insights. Reworking your menu design can also play a surprisingly important role in increasing profitability. Engineering your menu puts your star menu items, ones that are both popular and high profit, front and center. The design taps into the psychology of your customer and is a low effort way to emphasize and encourage the dishes guaranteed to sell. 

8. Make reporting your right hand man

A sophisticated POS system is an irreplaceable resource for saving time and money. Advanced data can provide you with real-time information whether you are physically there or not. From the amount of bills, to what food needs to be reordered and your top selling items—the right decisions can be made faster with less room for error. With everything laid out in an easy to digest format, making menu adjustment is something that is no longer a guessing game. 

9. Incorporate top trends into your menu

If there’s one thing that is constant, that’s change. A restaurant’s success is a fine balance between digging into what you do best but also not discounting what is happening in the world and the new demands of customers coming through the door. 

For example, vegetarianism used to be the rarity in a group but now more individuals than ever are opting for plant-based choices and veganism is on the rise. From mocktails to canned-fish, it’s important to do your research and remain curious about the top trends in food and beverage. Try incorporating one a month into your specials to see if it resonates with your customers.

10. Offer ‘mini-meals’

The new approach to how individuals are structuring their days, might account for the trend toward ordering smaller plates. Whether it’s convenience, cost or an increase in consumption, the snacking trend is not slowing down. Although not ideal for family style service, many restaurants can benefit from offering a scaled down version of their typical fare at off-times of day or as an alternative for groups to share and experience more of the menu.