We’ve all done it. We’re sitting at a new restaurant, reading over their exhaustive menu, and starting to feel slightly overwhelmed. Vacillating between the steak and the shrimp, we defer to the server with the familiar question: “So, what’s good here?”
The most common reply? “Why, everything!”
But with this response, servers pass up a golden moment. Instead of taking the opportunity to start a valuable conversation, this vague answer is so unhelpful it may actually leave the customer more confused than they were before.
A specific response, exhibiting knowledge and mastery of the menu offerings, may help sway the buying decisions of restaurant guests. A server who is able to describe drinks to desserts in delicious detail will whet the appetites of their guests and increase their restaurant profits.
One way of keeping your restaurant’s servers in the culinary know is to make it easier for them to eat the food they serve. Restaurants that offer their employees a discounted meal policy will benefit in the long run. Their firsthand testimony to the tastiness of the menu will entice guests to try more—and buy more.
“Suggestive selling is one of the most valuable tools to building your sales,” says Seth Pollino, of Pinnacle Hospitality Systems Sales. He would know—Seth has been involved in the restaurant business his entire life.
“It is more difficult and expensive to drive new customers into the building,” he says. “It is much easier to get the ones that are already in the seats to spend more money.”
Giving the staff access to the restaurant’s meals will help them feel more invested in the business and serve as a great form of advertisement. Servers appear more legitimate while making recommendations. A specific reply of, “Oh, the fish was just caught today” or “The lamb is my personal favorite” or “The key lime pie is even better than my grandma used to make”, is more likely to influence customers’ menu decisions.
At Pinnacle Hospitality Systems, we protect your profits. Pinnacle will help improve your restaurant’s bottom line not only with proven computer hardware and software designed for the hospitality industry, but with unmatched business consulting and accounting resources. Pinnacle can integrate your point-of-sale, accounting, and inventory in a single easy to use interface. For more details on how we can help increase the profitability of your restaurant, call us today—1.800.771.7100!
Food trucks have gone gourmet. No longer are they just the construction worker’s lunch. Killer Pasta is a mobile food truck in Miami that is making every possible effort to provide the freshest, best tasting pastas & salads for their customers. By working with local farmers and dairy companies they use the freshest ingredients including local seafood and Key West shrimp (when in season). Killer Pasta makes their pastas, cheeses, and sauces daily. With delicious weekly specials based on the local produce offerings you are always assured a great meal. Continue reading “Killer Pasta is Killing It” »
