Boost Your Restaurant’s Ticket Size On Game Day or Any Day
Big day coming up? Whether it’s a holiday or the final game in a series, you know your diners are already anticipating what to order. Sure, you could stick to your normal menu and operations, but adding upsells and premium deals would make your diners–and your bottom line–even happier.
When festivities bring you a lift in takeout volume, make each order count for more by maximizing profit margins. Here’s how.
Tips To Increase Your Big Event Food Sales
Create a Party-In-A-Box
Consider getting creative and helping people make their special event food more festive. Source a themed table cloth, ribbons in team colors or swag to go with the season, and create a package that customers can order from you along with their takeout.
Combining a few inexpensive but festive elements into a single ‘Party-in-a-Box’ is a great way to have a higher margin item while also providing value back to your customers (Hello! One less store trip!) Plus with varying COVID-19 restrictions across the country, many customers will be looking for ways to stay safe at home, but still get in the spirit. 
Offer Limited-Time Event Menu Specials
Customers may have their go-to favorites, but it’s hard to say no to an exciting limited-time menu special! Get creative with your special event food offerings–bonus points for coming up with names that fit the theme.
For example, Mile End Deli is a restaurant in Brooklyn that gets into the Olympic spirit with a “Poutine Olympics” menu. Their online ordering features limited-time poutine dishes with international twists, like an eggplant parm poutine for “Team Italy.” Diners are encouraged to try all the “teams” before selecting a winner. Themed specials like these are a great way to get your diners visiting more frequently, or adding more to their orders than they might have otherwise.
It’s fair to price these special event food items higher than your normal menu, because of the limited quantities and the extra work that goes into them. Plus, since holiday and sporting events are usually a time when people gather together, you can make these menu specials available in larger portions to be enjoyed by bigger parties–just look at how Mile End offers a “party poutine size”!
Promote Drink Specials
If local regulations allow you to serve alcohol to go, make sure you are taking advantage of it. Create a special event cocktail, or just make sure your regular cocktail menu is available on your ChowNow ordering. If you have a “favorites” category on your menu, this weekend is a great time to add one or two easy drinks options to it so that customers can find them faster. After all, who wouldn’t want to add on a six pack with their order of wings?
Always Upsell With Menu Add-ons
Add-ons or upcharges are a way to make sure you are getting paid fairly for the work you put into take-out orders. If you don’t already track this info, look at your sales data to find your most popular sides or sauces. You can make sure that every time a customer clicks to order a hamburger, you are also offering them a side of fries or onion rings for that extra small charge – reducing customer friction and increasing your ticket size.
