Nov
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5 Ways to Boost Restaurant Sales this Summer

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Ash Bennett

Use these innovative approaches to increase sales through the summer season and beyond.

Smaller Items To Go

Incorporating smaller grab-and-go type items into your menu draws in customers that may not have time to sit down. Breakfast is a perfect time of day for small menu items. Morning is when people are headed to work, they need to grab a bite but can’t afford to sit and eat. Bagels, burritos, pastries and fruit bowls packaged to go are an excellent way to increase sales. Using Kent Paper’s Display Boxes, you can even put together pre-packaged lunches for customers to pick up on their way to work.

Online Ordering

Give your customers the opportunity to order food online. The convenience opens your market wide and offers options for buyers who want your product but don’t want a wait time. On busy nights, sell more food through online to-go orders regardless of the table space. Offering an online order option also reduces confusion when taking someone’s order and any possible mistakes when executing it. You can even set it up for them to pay online. When your customers arrive for their meal, make sure it’s packaged, bagged and ready to go.

Stay Open Late

Summertime is when nightlife is at its peak. Keep your doors open for a few extra hours and draw in the late night crowd. Often restaurants will switch from a dinner menu to a late night menu around 10 or 11 pm. This menu includes small plates, appetizers, snacks, and value food. Don’t want the dish load that late at night? Cut your labor costs and send the dishwashers home after dinner. Serve late-night meals in disposable or to-go containers like Kent Papers’ Brown Pine Boat Trays and Cones. These bamboo serving boats and cones make late-night eating fun, eco-friendly, and easy to clean.

Blog About it

Reach out to your customer base to let them know what is happening at your restaurant. Well-crafted photographs of scrumptious desserts, colorful drinks, and beautifully plated meals will have mouths watering before they step inside your restaurant. Let return customers know when to come in and try something new. Another way to use the blog as a marketing tool is to advertise when your restaurant upgrades to newer and better supplies, equipment, or packaging. If you’ve switched to a local, organic lettuce, then blog about it and let people know. If you’ve upgraded to sustainable food packaging like the eco-friendly line offered at Kent Paper, write about it on the blog.

Samples

Everyone likes a freebie. When you introduce new menu items, give out samples to create a buzz around your hot new menu. Have your wait staff drop them off as complimentary to-go gifts for your customers. Kent Paper’s paper boat trays are perfect for packaging up free samples. Or display them on the counter. No one can resist paper tray full of mini baked goods. Customers who love your product will come in to buy it, and they’ll tell their friends to stop by for free samples.

Cater to on the go customers who don’t want a sit-down meal with take-out food, get online and tell the world about what’s new with your restaurant, and pull in customers time and again with samples of new dishes and desserts. With these simple ideas, you can boost sales this summer and generate interest in your business.