Want to improve your restaurant’s revenue? Start thinking about how you can increase your average check.
Today, we’re going to be looking at four different ways you can give that average check value a nice boost. Let’s take a look.
Size Pricing
A little price perception can go a long way towards getting the customer to spend a little more on something they were going to order anyway. Picture the following scenario.
A customer has just finished looking over the menu. “I’d like to order a cobb salad please,” he says to the waiter.
“Want the large?” The waiter asks. “It’s only $1.99 to upgrade.”
“Oh, what the heck. Even if I don’t finish, I’ll just take the rest home!”
That’s the feeling you want to induce in your customers when dealing with sizes. I call it the Why Not? mentality. When dealing with a difference in price that’s so miniscule, why wouldn’t a customer just order the large?
Your customers’ perception of value and price is the key factor here. Upgrading to a larger size has to feel like a minimal investment on their part. Conversely, each size has to be priced effectively so that you’re still making a tidy profit. Find a nice balance between price, size, and profitability!
Add-Ons
Everyone loves a good old fashioned, create-your-own dish. Whether it’s a sandwich, burger, ice cream cone, or pizza, letting your customers add a few toppings is good for your restaurant for two reasons.
Reason 1: Those additions start to add up. When customers look at the menu, they’re not looking at the total price of their fully-customized dish. Rather, they see the base price, in addition to several appealing add-ons, which are priced very minimally of course.
For example, a customizable burger that has a base price of $9.99 is going to be a lot easier to sell than a preset burger at $12.99. To the customer, it just feels like they’re spending less.
Reason 2: Customization is a big selling factor in itself. Plus, customized dishes are all the rage these days. In fact, according to a Technomic survey (read more here), 72% of customers actually expect restaurants to allow them to customize their meals! With customization, the customer feels more in control of what they’re spending their money on.
Specials
At the end of the day, the most sure-fire way to get more money out of customers is to sell them more items. And specials are one of the best ways to add that extra bit of motivation!
Only available on certain days, times, and seasons, they’re offerings that, from the perspective of the customer, should be consumed in the present. If they wait, they may never have another opportunity again to try it!
So how can you use specials to raise the average check? One strategy is to ensure that you have a few non-entree specials on offer (i.e. appetizers, alcohol, and desserts). A limited-time special may make all the difference in getting a customer to order an appetizer or dessert when they may have not even planned on getting one in the first place.
Digitally With CoGoBuzz
With CoGoBuzz, our fully-featured marketing service, we’ll help raise your restaurant’s average check prices, thanks to our state-of-the-art digital solutions.
CoGoBuzz engages customers both in-store and out via WiFi, SMS, and Email. Through a one-time login to your restaurant’s HotSpot, customers are greeted with an interactive landing page. There, they can check out your restaurant’s menu digitally, and even give you a Facebook Like in exchange for a deal! Via SMS, CoGoBuzz puts you in control of a powerful, text-based loyalty program. Instantly text your customers with your latest specials!
Check out the rest of our website to learn more about CoGoBuzz!
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How do you boost the average check in your restaurant? Sound off in the comments!