Servers are a restaurant\u2019s frontline sales force. They play a key role in building check averages and cultivating relationships that keep guests coming back.<\/p>\n
One of the most powerful tools in a server\u2019s arsenal is upselling, or \u201csuggestive selling.\u201d Done right, it\u2019s a proven way to bolster profits and guide customers to items that enhance their experience. But there\u2019s a fine line between selling and making customers feel pressured or manipulated. In other words, the technique requires finesse. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe greeter can take customers to the table and suggest a refreshing drink,\u201d says Dan Longton, President and CEO of Florida-based TraitSet, a workforce-management service provider. \u201cBefore you\u2019ve even seated them, you\u2019ve sold a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consider not automatically serving water. \u201cDrinks like iced tea, at $2, add up to a huge number over the course of a year,\u201d says Claire Crowell, Director of Operations for A. Marshall Family Foods Inc. in Tennessee.<\/p>\n
For those customers who do request water, suggest bottled.<\/p>\n
Suggest dessert items three times during service. \u201cEven if customers haven\u2019t saved room for dessert, the suggestion makes them easy take-home sells,\u201d Crowell says.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood servers always recommend ways to make the meal more pleasurable,\u201d Longton says. \u201cUltimately it\u2019s about better margins and bigger tips, but it starts with the customer experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Always ask customers if they\u2019ve visited before. If a customer has a favorite dish, suggest ways to enhance it, or recommend other menu items.<\/p>\n
Make personal recommendations. \u201cOne of our servers really likes the BLT, and she upsells it very well, explaining that she likes to add a fried egg and pimiento cheese,\u201d Crowell says. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing how many she sells and how much customers appreciate her enthusiasm.\u201d Customers can sense when servers are just trying to \u201cup the bill.\u201d <\/p>\n
Put a symbol next to your specialties.<\/p>\n
If you talk customers into adding cheese and mushrooms to their burger and those items cost a dollar more, let them know. <\/p>\n
\u201cA good server is able to suggest a better value that brings more profit\u2014a positive for the customer and the business,\u201d Crowell says.<\/p>\n
Use enticing descriptions. Make options\u2014such as a specialty coffee after dinner\u2014sound inviting to guests who have declined dessert. <\/p>\n
Sponsor contests and give prizes to servers who sell the most.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Servers are a restaurant\u2019s frontline sales force. They play a key role in building check averages and cultivating relationships that keep guests coming back. One of the most powerful tools in a server\u2019s arsenal is upselling, or \u201csuggestive selling.\u201d Done right, it\u2019s a proven way to bolster profits and guide customers to items that enhance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n