Restaurant sales techniques for waiters. Increasing the average check in a restaurant. The most effective methods What can be sold in a bar

In this article, we will look at the various techniques that are used at different stages of the sales technique.

Sales techniques

1. Clarifying the Guest's needs

2. Offering alternatives (herringbone technique)

3. Nod of agreement (Sullivan nod)

4. A sentence in a positive form without using the particle NOT

5. Colorful description

6. Guide the Guest through the menu

7. First - last

Let's look at them in more detail.

1. Clarification of the Guest's needs. If you ask a guest questions, take the trouble to listen to the answers very carefully. Not only listening, but actually hearing the answers is very important, as this will help you quickly orient the Guest and help him choose. There is no need to offer the Guest Philadelphia (despite the fact that this is one of the most expensive rolls) if the Guest said that he does not like raw fish.


2. Proposal of alternatives (herringbone technique). As a rule, people answer “no” to questions in which such an answer is expected. Try to answer “no” to our questions: “Will you drink anything?” and “Would you like tea or coffee?” The answer “no” for the second option is a little strange, isn’t it? If you ask questions with a set of alternatives, the answer “no” will be much less likely to occur to you. The “Herringbone” technique, which also consists in the waiter’s ability to classify the category of dishes according to a certain criterion, which allows you to speed up the time for accepting an order, determine the guest’s preferences as accurately as possible, and also helps to offer additional ingredients, various sauces and additives.


3. If you want to keep the Guest’s “no” answer to your proposal to a minimum, use a technique called a nod of agreement or a Sullivan nod.” When offering a dish, gently lower your head down and lift it back up (as if you were nodding affirmatively). The guest will repeat your movement and agree with you. To use this technique effectively, you need to practice it on friends without warning them about it.


4. When offering dishes, you should focus on the Guest’s wishes, and not on the price on the menu. The guest may agree with your proposal and be outwardly very pleased, but conclude for himself that he was “hyped” and forced to spend extra money. Next time he will think before visiting our bar, and will definitely remember the waiter - the “offender”. And don't use the particle "not".


5. Colorful descriptions of dishes. Once you find out what the Guest wants, you can advise him on a specific dish (set of dishes) from our menu. At the same time, in the description it is worth mentioning exactly those properties that interested the Guest: “This is a very satisfying dish” (for those who are very hungry). “This dish is a masterpiece from our chef” (for gourmets). “This dish will be prepared within five minutes” (if the Guest is in a hurry). When describing the merits of dishes, it is better to present information in the form in which the Guest wants to receive it. Come up with a colorful description for each dish, and you will see how quickly your Guests will begin to decide on their order, and how easily and naturally you can sell expensive dishes and drinks.


6. Guiding the Guest through the menu is based on offering Guests dishes from each menu category. First, you need to find out for what purpose certain Guests came to our establishment. If the Guest has come to have a hearty lunch or is visiting us for the first time, here the menu is managed in full. The waiter offers dishes from each category, which will allow you to ensure your check is full and increase your revenue. An experienced waiter, when accepting an order, sees from which categories of dishes the Guest has not yet ordered and offers it himself.


7. When offering alternatives, remember the “First – Last” rule. People usually remember the first and last thing you say to them. You can convince the Guest to order a specific dish if you mention it twice at the beginning and at the end of the sentence. “We have a wonderful selection of desserts. Be sure to try (Sullivan nod) Fruit Tempura.” First you mention desserts in general, and then you give a specific example. This gives the Guest a barely noticeable psychological “push”, thanks to which he can agree with the waiter.

New “non-round” prices

Everyone has seen the flashy, bright price tag with the inviting inscription “New Price” in large supermarkets. The supposedly old price is crossed out at the top, and a new one is added at the bottom, sometimes barely 15-25% less. In fact, it's just a trick - like a magician's, to create an illusion. The presented product was and will be sold at the same price, it’s just that such a price tag is needed to deceive customers - potential buyers.

And one more thing - “non-round” numbers ending in -99 are perceived much easier, because the previous digit always contains a number that is one less. The buyer clearly retains in his subconscious the information that the product costs three hundred and something rubles, and not four hundred -hence the ease of making a purchase.

To check whether such a simple scheme works in your particular case, simply conduct an experiment using the previous rule: done - systematized - compared the results. If it didn’t work, try the same thing, but with a different product. In the process, you will definitely find for yourself exactly the best option that works.

"Salad without onions"

There are always clients who don’t like something – either in the cuisine offered, or in the range of services. Offer him the same range of services, the same cuisine, but without any components that are unacceptable to him. Remove the pepper and mustard from the table, make a “salad without onions,” and do not put ice in the whiskey. Thus, by including all components or ingredients in the price, you can save money. This method is called “customization” for a specific client. If the client prefers to snack on cognac only with lemon, cut him half a lemon beautifully and carefully, ultimately billing him as for a full salad.

And one more way, beautifully voiced by Ostap Bender, who sells a ticket to failure: “Whoever pays double the price can take the second ticket for free!” Offer to purchase several units of one product at once, formalizing the action with calls like: “if you buy two servings, the third one is free!” Of course, the markup should include the cost of all three orders. Well, someone won't necessarily use the service, but will still order two beers, or two salads, or two martinis.

70 plus 80 = 160

Customers very often make purchases unconsciously, driven by appeals and beliefs. This was proven by psychologists who studied sales problems back in the last century. About 90 percent of all visitors to your nightclub will want to feel like regulars in your establishment, for whom everything is available, including special offers.

These special offers include any combination of products that are often ordered together. Beer and salty snacks, coffee and cakes, vodka and pickles. And if in your club coffee costs 80 rubles, and cake – 70, then as a special offer “coffee + cake”, they should cost... no, not 140 or 150, but 160 rubles. There will definitely be people who want to use the “special service”, even if not from amongregular customers. Calculate how much you can earn in a month on such a simple lot. People are accustomed to the fact that if an offer is “special,” then it is profitable. Carrying out basic calculations is, alas, not for the majority of our fellow citizens.

Increase in average check value

One of the fastest ways to increase profitability, or profit, of an enterprise is to increase the cost of the average check. Marketing calls this operation “upselling” (Cross-selling). What does it mean?

It’s very simple - sell as a load or after. Someone who has already made a purchase and taken out a wallet or plastic card is easier to part with money than someone who still has the wallet in their pocket. There are examples when a fisherman who went to a store to buy worms for bait managed to sell a two-seater motor boat.

One of the simplest “cross-selling” openings is the stock phrase “Let’s choose something else?” A more advanced version of the same technique is the compilation of groups of products that can be offered as a complex. For a nightclub, this is the same beer with nuts, crackers and the obligatory fish (preferably more expensive), coffee with sandwiches or cakes, cheesecakes with cola.

To increase the average check, clients must be offered:

• Larger number of product names;
• More expensive goods;
• Related or additional products.

It is very important to convey the meaning of what is happening to the service personnel so that the offers are sincere and from the heart, and not strained, like, pay quickly, I have a turn. The easiest way to interest the seller is to set him, albeit a small, but your percentage of his direct sales.

Would you like a big mug?

Always offer customers more goods than they order. Have time to predetermine his order: when he asks for beer or cola, ask affirmatively (good waiters know how to do this): “Large?” - and nod your head. If the client does not (does not have time) to realize that he, in principle, does not need a large mug or portion of chips (popcorn), he will definitely agree. In this case, the cost of the product can be almost the same, but the difference in the cost of the output can be significant.

Focus on promoting large portions to a group of several clients. Why order three whiskeys when you can order a bottle? Why take everyone a roast when you can have a pig and everyone a salad? Enter small portions into the menu - from 50 to 80 grams. The customer will not have to order one large salad, but will instead decide to try three different ones. The low price for miniature portions is a serious incentive to purchase more products. This works especially well in set lunches.

Another method (can be carried out together with the first) is the introduction of large portions to the menu, forcing customers to order half a portion - but with the same restaurant markup.

Sales of related products

Related products have already been discussed. Such a product can be any addition to the main course - a sandwich for coffee, fish for beer, ice cream for lunch, an expensive cigar for a game of billiards. It is only important to properly train waiters and service personnel to be able to push such a product to the consumer in a timely manner. You can't just drink coffee, how can that be? Don't have your own cigars? A game of billiards without an expensive cigar is wasted time and does not bring pleasure! Have you booked a sauna in our club? What is a sauna without a massage!

If a service or product is “screwed in” with professional skill, the client will not only be satisfied with the service, but will literally oblige other clients - his friends - to take advantage of an interesting addition to coffee or a game of bowling. And now you are beginning to form a list of future proposals - what to serve with what “in combination”.

In any situation there are always opportunities. Using the example of one cafe in the capital, we will tell you how you can triple your income in a few months and attract visitors, despite the crisis.

To the question “How are you?” Now many people answer simply: “It’s a crisis, you understand.” Such a response from an employee may mean his dismissal or a drop in income, from a freelancer - a reduction in the number of orders, from a businessman - a decrease in profits and even losses. Such a global crisis, naturally, has affected almost all compatriots - only 16% of Russians say that nothing has changed in their lives and wallets over the past 1.5 years.

But sometimes things go badly even outside of a systemic crisis - these are personal problems of a company, entrepreneur or individual. If initially everything goes poorly and there is inefficiency, then even in difficult times it will be bad. You always need to develop. So let’s see how you can significantly increase the income of a cafe with minimal investment.

Initial data

Cafe "Black Cat" in one microdistrict of Moscow, there are several other competitors nearby: one of them is a fast food chain outlet, the second is a bar open until the morning, and several other small catering outlets offering their menus throughout the day.

Things were not going well at the Cheka, and it was necessary to urgently introduce anti-crisis measures, or rather, measures aimed at increasing work efficiency. At the start of the experiment, the average daily revenue was 10 thousand rubles, the average check was 300 rubles, that is, about 30 people came per day. Everything was in order with the cuisine and prices, at first glance, it was just not possible to “lure” new customers.

The owners of the Black Cat cafe tried to “stir up” the situation and allocated money for advertising - 75 thousand rubles at a time. We spent it on distributing leaflets, advertising on social networks and in the local newspaper. According to advertising, only 2 (!) clients came within a month.

Something had to be changed and urgently.

Working ideas for attracting customers to a cafe

Management brainstormed among employees and applied their ideas to change the situation. Only those solutions that cost the least were chosen - there was no extra money. In 2 months, we managed to increase revenue by 3.5 times, and net profit increased by 5 times. What proposals “shot”?

Business lunches with the right positioning

The cost of a set business lunch in a cafe is 300 rubles. Not a very tempting offer; people rushing to grab a bite to eat at lunchtime are used to lower numbers. Therefore, on the sign the prices for lunch of the day were indicated “item by item”. The announcement that in the cafe today borscht for 39 rubles and salad for 59 rubles brought in many hungry people.

And once inside, they looked at the mouth-watering photographs of the menu, appreciated the comfort of the establishment, and also took the main course with a side dish or tea and coffee with dessert. In total, all this cost 300 rubles, but the client chose only those positions that attracted him. Although the average check dropped a little, there were many more visitors during the lunch period (from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), which made it possible to increase revenue.

Minimal expenses were required - you just had to rewrite the announcement about a business lunch.

Advertising in the neighborhood

There were no office or administrative buildings near the cafe, only beauty salons, a car service center and a children's creativity center. An agreement was reached with these organizations to place advertisements for cafes on their territory - just small business cards indicating the cafe on the map of the microdistrict. Husbands, waiting for their spouses to have beauty treatments, dropped into the cafe to have a snack; parents, taking their child to a club, could drink coffee and dessert and work on their laptop; and car owners, handing over their car for repairs for an hour or two, calmly “killed” time with some tea or also ordered something substantial from the menu.

Expenses include additional circulation of business cards.

affiliate program

Additionally, a partnership agreement was concluded with these neighboring companies and all their employees, upon presentation of corporate bonus cards, received a 5-10% discount. As a bonus, they received the business lunch menu for the whole week in advance and knew exactly what was in the cafe that day. They sometimes went to lunch alone, sometimes as a whole group, but this also contributed to the increase in the flow of orders, both for the lunch menu and for dishes from the evening menu. The number of loyal customers immediately increased by a couple of dozen people.

Expenses – decreased profits due to discounts for personnel of “friendly” companies, which was compensated by increased turnover.

Promoters with coupons

The new edition of leaflets did not just tell about a cafe nearby, it included a specific offer for a potential client - a coupon for receiving two cups of coffee or tea when ordering dessert. Now advertising materials were not sent to the nearest trash can, new customers came to the cafe with them, if they were satisfied with the atmosphere, interior, prices and choice of dishes and drinks, they subsequently returned repeatedly.

Expenses - 20-30 rubles (the cost of two drinks) for each attracted client, who will pay for a dessert costing 100-150 rubles, and may also stay in the cafe for dinner or even become a regular visitor.

Two months later, the revenue of the Black Cat cafe exceeded a million rubles per month (an increase of 350%). For a small establishment with 8 tables, open exclusively during the day and without alcohol, located in a residential area surrounded by several competitors, this is a good result. Now you can try other ideas to increase revenue and attract customers, which will allow you to get even more without a significant increase in advertising costs. This is possible, as practice has shown.

Restaurant owners want to earn high income from their business. The difficulty lies in the fact that all revenue depends only on the client.

How to increase sales in a restaurant? What tricks will help increase restaurant traffic and average bill? Read about it right now!

Increasing restaurant revenue: quantity or quality?

To increase the profit of a restaurant you will have to make a lot of effort. There is no need to wait for your guests to come to you and order dinner for a large sum. Constant work on business development is required.

How to increase restaurant profits? The first way is increase attendance. This method is used in economy class establishments where the cost of food and drinks is low. To keep prices the same but increase sales, you need to attract as many guests as possible.

Second option - increasing the average check in a restaurant. A whole range of measures is used for this. You need to push the visitor to buy either more or more expensive.

How to increase restaurant revenue using traffic

Do you want the number of guests to grow every day? Get ready for a fight. There are thousands of restaurants in Moscow and fierce competition. To attract new customers, your business must be competitive.

To achieve competitiveness and attract new visitors, expand the menu range, engage in an advertising campaign, improve the quality and speed of service, and develop a unified concept. The main thing is to offer guests something original. This way you can attract more new visitors.

It's easier to work with regular guests. We need them to come more often. Only high-quality service will help, treating the visitor not as a client, but as a good friend.

How to increase the average check in a restaurant: effective sales techniques

Average check- this is common the amount of restaurant revenue divided by the number of customers. You can calculate the average bill for any period of time. This is not difficult to do, especially if you use systems for automatically accounting for catering turnover.

An increase in the average bill in a restaurant is only possible if the total cost of the order per person increases. The simplest, but not the most effective way to increase profits is raise prices on key menu items. It is rarely used, because the risk of losing visitors is very high. The only case when it is possible and necessary to raise the markup is when the target audience changes. For example, when an economy class restaurant is rebranded. The interior is changing, service is improving, and better products are being purchased. The establishment is outgrowing the “economy” category and can qualify for wealthier visitors.

Other ways to increase restaurant revenue don't require a large investment. The main thing is management skills and knowledge in the field of sales.

Menu that sells

Menu design is as important as the quality of the food. Due to errors in the text or unattractive design, visitors may refuse to visit the establishment. A well-designed menu takes into account the psychological characteristics of a person:

• When creating a menu, remember laws of attention. The upper right part of the page is the point of concentration of a person’s gaze. Place the most profitable positions there.
• Please indicate prices under names and descriptions of dishes, use the same font size.
• Use decorative elements(frames, underlines, pictures), but do not overload the menu with them. Focus your guests' attention on the positions that are most beneficial to you.
• The description of the ingredients will tell the visitor little. If desired, he can find out the composition from the waiter. Better describe the taste of the dish or give a brief history of the recipe.

Increasing sales in a restaurant: basic techniques

There are two sales methods that are actively used in public catering. One of them is upselling. It is aimed at increasing the cost of dishes. The other is crossselling - at increasing items on the menu.

Upselling(upselling) is an offer of a more expensive option. For example, a larger diameter pizza or a double portion of a dish is offered. You can add an original recipe from the chef or specialty coffee to the menu at a price higher than its analogues.

Methodology crosselling(cross selling) helps to increase positions in the check. This is the sale of additional ingredients, sauces, syrups. If the main course ordered will take a long time, offer guests light snacks. In Europe, it is common to serve drinks before guests have chosen their dishes.

How to increase turnover in a restaurant: secrets of profitable service

Are your employees pleasant to talk to and courteous, but don’t know how to sell? This needs to be fixed. Waiters and bartenders are your main source of sales.

How to improve the level of service in a restaurant? Use these tips:

• Develop service standards. Literally write down how your employees should greet visitors, when to offer dessert, and how often to approach the table.
• To sell, you need to know your product. Knowledge of the menu, ingredients, and cooking methods is mandatory for every waiter. Create an expanded menu, fully describe the composition, nuances of preparation, and taste characteristics. If necessary, arrange a tasting for employees. They must know what they are offering.
• Learn the principles of active selling. Create scripts, indicate which phrases are best to offer additional products to the client, and what cannot be said. In particular, it is not recommended to use negatives or interrogative sentences.
• Create "order expansion tables". In it, indicate which products can be recommended for which dishes. For example, with soups - branded bread, with pizza - double cheese, beer, juices.

Traditionally, waiters' salaries are wages and tea. It is beneficial for them to please the guest. If you add to the bet also percentage of sales, your employees will make efforts to increase the average check.

One form of employee motivation is competitions. Announce the dish of the day, let the person who sells the most portions receive a small bonus.

Restaurant sales: increasing profits with proven methods

The restaurant business in Moscow is at the stage of active development. New establishments are constantly opening, new “tricks” are being invented. To keep up with trends, study your competitors.

Pay attention to all the details of the service, because they are what bring profit. How the waiter greets the guest, what the menu consists of and how it is designed, what is offered in addition to the dishes. Don't copy other establishments, but consider their practices.

Think about increasing sales in your restaurant when preparing for the opening. If you decide to buy a restaurant, conduct a detailed analysis of the work of the previous owner. In order not to lose regular visitors to the establishment, introduce innovations gradually.

If you want to quickly increase the income of your establishment, then one of the most effective methods is to increase the average check.

What is the average check in a restaurant? Calculation formula

There are several formulas for calculating the average bill. You can make calculations based on dishes, where the average bill is the cost of a main course, two appetizers and a dessert, excluding drinks and alcohol. We have chosen a formula by which you can find out the real average bill in your establishment. This is the amount that the waiter brings to the cashier over a certain period of time, divided by the number of guests. Namely guests, not checks! For example, if a waiter’s earnings for a working day amounted to 20,000 rubles. (10,000 UAH) and he served 50 guests, then his average check is 400 rubles. (200 UAH).

It is best to constantly monitor the average bill in your establishment using an accounting system. and see how it is implemented in the Poster program. Free trial period - 15 days.

Train your staff to sell

To increase the average check, you need to sell items from the menu in addition to the order or offer a more expensive dish instead of a cheaper one. Therefore, it is very important to motivate staff so that proposals look sincere, and not feigned or just “for show.” The easiest way to get sales staff interested is to set them a small additional percentage of daily or monthly revenue. Especially if your establishment doesn't allow tipping, such as fast food, coffee shops, and pizzerias without waiters or takeout.

First of all, staff need to be trained on how to sell correctly, and only then implement marketing ideas to increase the average check.

Methods to increase the average check

"Upselling"- offering a more expensive menu item as an alternative.

For example, your guest wants to order beer. The waiter may suggest a drink from the mid-priced category that is most often ordered, but it is better to recommend a new craft beer or a more expensive variety. When guests want to order two sets of different rolls, the waiter can offer them a set that will contain many different rolls, including those that the guests wanted to order. If visitors simply order 2 cups of tea, then the waiter can offer them a teapot with branded fruit tea, etc.

"Cross-selling"- sale of additional positions, order expansion.

The essence of this method is that the waiter offers to try additional drinks, dishes or ingredients for dishes. These can be sauces for potatoes, fish or meat, snacks for beer, a first course for the main course, a topping for ice cream or an additional topping for pizza. The list can be continued for a very long time, it all depends on the profile and assortment of your establishment. Recommendations can be given during the order process, at its different stages. For example, a waiter can offer guests a dessert for coffee or a salad while the main course is being prepared.

Aperitif

The cross-selling method is underestimated in restaurant practice, especially in small establishments. Some waiters don’t even use it, for fear of scaring off the client. But it is not necessary to do this with all the honors and sophistication of a high-status restaurant. We have compiled small rules for offering an aperitif:

• Offer an aperitif to guests immediately after serving the menu. The sooner a visitor orders a drink, salad or cold appetizer, the faster the waiter will serve it (of course, you need to take into account the speed of the bar and kitchen) and will be able to offer it again. Please note that an additional drink on average increases the check amount by 10%!
• Repeat orders directly depend on how timely the offer was received. For example, if you offer to “refresh” glasses of beer when guests have almost finished drinking it, then most likely they will agree. If you offer too early, when the glasses are still half full, you will probably get a refusal. There is also no point in offering a drink when guests are already finishing their last course and their glasses are empty because they are about to leave. The best option is to offer the guest a drink when 1/4 of the contents are left in his glass!

Waiter phrases

If you simply tell your waiters: “Go into the hall and make an offer,” then, most likely, customers will hear standard phrases like “Maybe there’s something else?”, “Would you like dessert?”, “Any drinks?” ?. Such phrases don't sell. Therefore, special trainings have been created for waiters, where they teach how and what sentences should be used to describe your drinks and dishes.

To prevent the waiter from coming up with something new every time, remembering what else can be offered for this or that dish, we advise you to create a table with a detailed expansion of the order for each dish. Having learned this table, he will be able to easily and quickly recommend to the guest how to expand his order. Also add ready-made templates with phrases for waiters and service personnel, with the help of which they will advise visitors on dishes and drinks.

Offer an alternative. Instead of saying “Would you like any drinks?” say: “Tea, latte, fresh juice or maybe beer?”

Forget about the particle “not” in sentences, no negation!

Make a sentence in the affirmative, with the words: “I advise”, “Try”, “I recommend”, “Our visitors often order”, etc.

Offer specific items: “Our new craft beer, only the first week on the menu. Want to try?".

Excessive intrusiveness

The administration of any restaurant or cafe is afraid that the waiters will be too annoying. Yes, there is some truth here, but this can also be avoided. We even made a list where we described, in addition to obsession.

The first thing you can do to avoid overloading guests is to prohibit waiters from offering dishes that you do not intend to expand the order. You can also limit the volumes for sale, provide only 2 types of servings: for example, sell pizzas of only one size or pour juice only into 200 ml glasses.

Add “safe words” to your establishment’s rules. If the visitor said: “That’s all”, “That’s enough”, “Perhaps that’s enough”, “Nothing more” - the waiter stops giving additional recommendations.

Organize a service assessment at your establishment. Find out from your visitors whether the waiter was too intrusive, whether he helped with the choice, or whether he advised anything.

As the experience of domestic restaurateurs shows, intrusive waiters are a rarity; they often do not even try to sell and very rarely take the initiative themselves.

Selling marginal dishes

It is not necessary to sell the most expensive items on the menu. It is necessary to analyze specific positions or sets and highlight from them the dishes that have the highest markup, even at their average cost. You can sell more inexpensive dishes, but at a much higher markup than, for example, delicacies. How to find out which dishes you have a margin - spend.

Selling with you

Desserts and pastries from your menu in original packaging can be offered to visitors at the end of the evening. Ask your guests what they liked best and offer to order more to take with them. If guests refuse a certain dish, citing the fact that they “can’t handle it” or “won’t eat it,” then you should definitely offer them to pack the leftovers with them.

The most important

To sell, you need to offer. In turn, in order to offer, you need to understand what you are offering. Therefore, the staff must know the menu perfectly and quickly navigate it, as well as be aware of all the nuances of the food preparation process. And most importantly, waiters must clearly answer any guest’s question about items on the menu and understand what exactly to offer, at what time period and to whom. If the staff can sell, then the rest depends only on the skills of your chefs and the right marketing strategy. An increase in the average check will not be long in coming!

Calculating the average bill is one of the important aspects of financial planning; if you want to learn more about this, watch a separate video lesson dedicated to this topic.