At the heart of a competitive and constantly evolving market, the art of upselling and cross-selling can be a powerful ally for you! Here's a closer look at cross-selling and upselling in the foodservice sector.
What is upselling and cross-selling in the restaurant business?
Restaurant upselling is the subtle, strategic art of getting your customers to increase the value of their average basket by offering them complementary products or services. Imagine, a question as simple as: "Would you like to add French fries to your order?" can have a significant impact on your sales.
On the other hand,upselling and cross-selling are sales techniques aimed at offering your customers a premium or more expensive version of a product (upselling) or complementary products (cross-selling).
Upselling: definition, techniques and practical examples
Upselling involves encouraging the purchase of an improved or superior version of an item.
For example, offer a larger format for a drink or a premium option on a dish.
A waiter might say: "For only 2 euros more, you can opt for a double cheeseburger instead of your single cheeseburger". This requires staff training to ensure that upselling techniques are applied in a subtle, guest-oriented way.
Cross-selling: definition, methods and practical application
Cross-selling is the art of selling complementary products.
Let's say a customer orders a pizza, the cross-selling would be to offer a fresh salad or a sparkling wine to go with it. The phrase might be: "Would you like fries to go with your burger?".
👉 Going further: Why use a sales analysis tool in foodservice?
.jpg)
How do you integrate upselling into the sales process?
Successful integration of upselling starts with observation. What are your customers' favorite dishes and drinks? By spotting trends, you can come up with relevant suggestions. For example, if a pasta dish with pesto is popular, why not suggest a white wine that complements it perfectly?
Training your team to approach suggestions naturally is also essential. Here's an example of upselling. It could be as simple as saying, "Our homemade tiramisu is the perfect companion to our Italian coffee, would you like to try it tonight?".
Technology and digital tools in upselling
In an ultra-connected world, digital technology has become a key ally in optimizing your restaurant's additional sales.
Digital tools to facilitate up-selling
Digital tools offer a new dimension in suggesting additional sales. These solutions make it possible to digitize the menu, highlight products or special offers, and suggest additional items directly via online orders or interactive kiosks in the restaurant.
For example, when a customer chooses a hamburger, the platform can automatically suggest a portion of fries or a drink, facilitating a dematerialized and intuitive cross-selling approach.
Impact of digital solutions on sales and customer experience
The use of digital solutions for upselling transforms the way diners can interact with your restaurant. Not only do they have the power to order at their own pace and according to their own tastes, but they are also subtly guided towards options that can enrich their dining experience.
In addition, the use of these tools increases the average ticket for each customer by systematically proposing additional options and suggestions in an automated and optimized way. It's a method which, while increasing revenues, also offers a fluid, personalized user experience.
"My kiosks are my best salespeople: they skilfully offer extras that inflate my average ticket by €3 on average." Damien, BCHEF franchisee in Vannes
👉 To find out more: 8 tips for boosting average restaurant bills
Future prospects
Upselling and cross-selling strategies are key to increasing profits, while also having the potential to improve the customer experience. Adapted staff training, a detailed understanding of customer preferences, and the integration of digital tools such as order kiosks, are all levers which, when strategically activated, propel both customer satisfaction and sales!
👉 To go further: How to improve your restaurant's customer experience?
On the horizon are trends where technology and personalization will be at the heart of sales techniques. Artificial intelligence could play a significant role in understanding customer preferences, offering ever more refined and personalized suggestions.
At the same time, customers' expectations of an authentic, meaningful customer experience could influence upselling methods to become even more subtle, humanized and focused on value creation.
-
Did you like these tips? Don't hesitate to consult our other articles on our blog to help you develop your business!
Innovorder is the leader in digital solutions for commercial and institutional foodservice. Our team supports restaurateurs in their digital transformation with a complete ecosystem.
