10 Methods to Upsell More

Upselling is one of the most underrated and under appraised methods restaurants can use to sell more. For the guest and the server, it can be an uncomfortable experience, often making it feel as if the server is required to push something on the guest that they don’t want.

If you want to sell more in your restaurant, check out these 10 up selling methods that are guaranteed to help your servers sell more.

1. Don’t Ask the Obvious

Keep it simple. Don’t ask someone if they want to see the menu or if you can take a drink order. Start by giving them the menu and offering drink recommendations.

2. Allow Staff to Try the Specials

Always let your team try the specials of the day. After all, how can they be expected to sell something if they have no idea what they’re selling?

3. Offer Dessert to Go

When you offer dessert to go, always use the words “so you can.” If your guests are full, offer dessert to go so that they can enjoy it later.

4. Offer Wine Samples

If your restaurant offers wine, train them to be experts on the best wine pairings so they can be suggested during the ordering process. Offer wine samplings to your guests when necessary.

5. Get Personal

Without being intrusive, get personal with the guests. Don’t be a robot that spits out the same script with every table.

6. Learn to Read the Guest

Learn to read your guests. A blue-collar worker is probably not going to want wine the way a couple will, nor will an office party want children’s menus. Read your guests and try to figure out what they want before you approach them.

7. Be Sincere

Make sure you go in with the right attitude. When you’re sincere, it will add to the service experience and you won’t come across as someone who wants to push something on the guest that they don’t want.

8. Create a Sense of Higher Value

Instead of using the word upsell, use the phrase “creating a higher value” that will create long-term value that will manifest itself in the form of repeat customers. Expose your customers to the values of the different products that you sell. This will help to meet their needs and, therefore, create a sense of value.

9. Praise and Reward Your Team’s Success

When your team is happy, they will sell more. Make sure you give positive feedback to the team members who are selling well and give out incentives to cultivate a fun working environment.

10. If All Else Fails, Use a Different Power of Suggestion

There’s more than one way to suggest something. When you’re suggesting an item, slightly nod your head – the guests will usually want to try what you’re offering. When making your suggestions, the suggestion you make last is the one they usually choose.