6 Simple Ways to Increase Your Restaurant’s Sales this Summer!

Summer is here, the busiest time of year for most restaurants. Have you developed your summer marketing plan? It’s easier than you think to boost your sales this season…with just a few simple changes and ideas, you can make this summer your restaurant’s best ever!

Whether it’s creating and promoting a few new drinks, updating your website specials, adding online ordering to your website, or posting a few well-timed blogs – each step below is a simple and effective way to raise your restaurant’s visibility this season. Try one, or all of them this summer – and share your results with us!

1)   Post colorful, refreshing drinks online

Your Facebook page and website are the best places to features your summer-friendly flavored lemonades, seasonal cocktails, iced coffee concoctions & fun kids’ drinks! What are the three key ingredients for irresistible summer sippers? Fruit, ice and color.

How about your coffee-brewing technique? Have you switched over to a tried-and-true cold brewing method? It takes longer, but once you get in the swing of it, your customers will notice and keep coming back for more of that strong, tasty brew…plus you won’t be wasting so much ice trying to cool down warm coffee.

Kids’ drinks are fun and easy – check out some simple recipes online and you can make your restaurant a frequented family-favorite!

2) Update your website with summer dishes

As you add fresh new menu items, be sure you update your website with photos frequently. Websites that are updated regularly get more traffic and longer viewing times than those that remain the same. Tweet this

Is your website ‘static’? Does it include your basic information but rarely changes from month to month or season to season? If you don’t have an easy way to add seasonal items and specials to your website, you are missing a big opportunity to attract new customers.

3) Offer online ordering to increase business

Being prepared to receive take-out orders, and to execute them smoothly, can make or break a restaurant’s bottom line, especially in the busy summer months.  When someone calls in a large sandwich order, and your assistant manager is writing down each sandwich’s specific ingredients, not only does it take precious time and attention from the floor, there is a lot of room for error.

When you’re in the middle of lunch rush, take-out order phone calls can wreak havoc on your service and dine-in order flow. Being able to receive orders online avoids many potential issues – and studies show that online order tickets are 5-25% larger than phone-in orders!

4) Distribute “Order Online!” cards to customers

There are many ways to promote online ordering on your website, but even though we’re in the internet age, customers sometimes need a physical reminder to make that connection.

A postcard or small flyer listing some of your menu items, your contact info and your website with a note to “order online” will help you stay in your potential customers minds as they sight-see and travel around your town. Hand them out at your restaurant with the check, have a stack at your main counter, and offer them to local hotels and information booths that are near your restaurant.

5) Upgrade your restaurant decor for summer

If you have an outdoor dining area, upgrade it with new plants, flowers, vases, cheerful umbrellas and décor. If you don’t have an outdoor dining area, a summer tune-up to your restaurant’s look is important.

Do what works for your budget. Maybe it’s ordering some colorful tablecloths, perhaps it’s a new tabletop drink sign with your new summer beverages. Even a vase with a new flower arrangement each week for your ordering counter can bring some much needed summer cheer to your establishment.

6) Set a blogging schedule and stick to it

Regular posts will create a buzz about your restaurant’s events, reviews, news, menu and more. Sometimes it takes more than a great menu to make a new customer, so offer more than the basics on your website.  If you have a blog, pick a few specialty drinks, upcoming events or fun photos from last Sunday’s brunch to share with your readers. Tweet this

If you don’t have a blog page on your website, ask your web designer how one can be added – before the season is over! A little goes a long way with blog posting, and great pics will boost any blog post! Updating your blog regularly can add interest to your site in a way that nothing else can.

Remember…the season is just starting!

There you have it – 6 simple ways to increase your restaurant’s sales this summer. Which is your favorite, and what do you think you’ll implement first? The best part about summer is that it’s three months long, so you have plenty of time to try out ideas and measure your results! If you have more summer-friendly, business-boosting ideas to share, please leave your comment below.

2 responses to “6 Simple Ways to Increase Your Restaurant’s Sales this Summer!”

1. Anne Rizzoli says:

   July 21, 2014 at 9:21 am

   Thanks for sharing great information… share more on Dog Friendly Restaurants Santa Barbara.

   Reply
   • ashleyvincenti says:

     July 23, 2014 at 4:38 pm

     Thank you, Anne! 🙂 We’ll look into dog-friendly restaurants in Santa Barbara and elsewhere…good idea!

     Reply