When your waitstaff is excited and having a great time serving pies, patrons can’t help but feed on the energy. The result? They’ll want to spend more time in your restaurant, and will spend more money when tempted with upsells. Patrons have new flavor adventures. Servers get better tips on higher ticket totals. You make more money. Everyone wins!
You can empower your waitstaff and servers to upsell by using a few key strategies.
Train and Gain Your Waitstaff
Servers confident in the products they sell and the recommendations they make to patrons can be upsell superstars. Set aside time for waitstaff to:
- Taste test all menu items
- Memorize ingredients and preparations for all dishes
- Determine ideal wine and entrée pairings
- Learn which menu items you’ve chosen to promote
- Understand menu options for customers with dietary restrictions
When servers are personally familiar with what they’re selling, it makes it easier for them to have authentic conversations with patrons. Upselling becomes a matter of good service rather than a sales pitch, and patrons are more likely to take waitstaff suggestions. If your servers are wondering how to upsell, it might help them to focus on simply providing great service. With quality customer service, the upsell opportunities will come naturally.
Servers in tune with their tables can also take advantage of “reading” their patrons to determine which upsells will work best. For example, if a server senses their guests are in a hurry, the deep-dish pie special may not be the best suggestion. The to-go bundle, though, may be a perfect fit.
The More the Merrier
Offer multiple items across different price points, so your servers have options to suggest to patrons. For example, offer appetizers across a range of high to low prices. When patrons consider their order, servers can suggest a few of the higher priced (which are typically the most profitable) choices. Different portion sizes can be a great upsell, too. A personal pie is great, but a server might recommend that it’s more fun to share the next size up or a better value to have lunch leftovers.
Picture It
People eat with their eyes. It’s not only a proven maxim, but also a wonderful way to upsell. Menus, table tents or other patron-facing items that feature professional food photographs allow the waitstaff to point out golden brown appetizers, gooey desserts or other tempting add-on items instead of just talking about them. Visual enticement is a powerful — and profitable — selling tool.
A Friendly Competition
There are a number of ways to motivate your waitstaff to upsell. Awarding prizes for the most upsells on a shift or having a contest around upselling a particular item are popular ways to incentivize waitstaff — but they do more than that. Friendly competition reinforces server buy-in to the overall sales goal, and also fosters team morale. Servers who enjoy themselves and what they do are critical to how your patrons experience your pizzeria — and often factor into their decision to return.
Upsells are a win for patrons, servers and your pizzeria. To get more tips for training staff to deliver on customer needs and advocate for your restaurant, download our Waitstaff Training Guide. Get your free copy now by clicking the button below.
