How to Increase Restaurant Sales: 10 Proven Strategies

Most restaurants are making the same fixable mistakes: invisible online, menus that don’t convert, and nothing to bring customers back. All of that is solvable.

Here are 10 strategies that actually work. 👇

1️⃣ Fix your online presence before anything else

70% of customers check a restaurant online before deciding where to order or eat. If your restaurant does not show up in a search, you do not exist for that customer.

Start with the basics: make sure your restaurant is listed on Google Maps with accurate opening hours, a phone number, and photos. Add your menu. Respond to reviews. This costs nothing and makes an immediate difference.

If you are not on any food delivery app yet, this is the single biggest gap you can close. Customers who want to order from home will not call — they will open an app.

2️⃣ Make your menu work harder

Most restaurant menus are too long. A menu with 40 items does not give customers more choice — it gives them decision fatigue. They end up ordering the safest thing, not the most profitable one.

Audit your menu. Identify your three to five best-selling, highest-margin dishes. Give them better names and descriptions. Add photos where possible. Move them to the top.

Cut dishes that rarely sell. A shorter menu is cheaper to run, reduces waste, and makes it easier for delivery platforms to promote your best items.

3️⃣ Use promotions strategically, not constantly

Use promotions to solve a specific problem: fill slow hours, introduce a new dish, reward loyal customers.

A happy hour promotion from 2pm to 5pm on weekdays can turn dead hours into productive ones. A free side dish for orders over a certain amount increases average order value without cutting your margin on the main dish.

The key is having a clear goal for every promotion. If you cannot say what problem it solves, do not run it.

4️⃣ Build a base of returning customers

Getting a new customer costs five times more than keeping one. Your most valuable customers are the people who already love your food — and you probably do not have a system to stay in their minds.

The simplest retention tool is a loyalty stamp card. But if you are on a delivery platform, you can use that platform’s tools to offer repeat customers a reason to come back — a discount on their next order, a free item after five purchases.

Even something as simple as remembering a regular customer’s usual order builds the kind of loyalty that no promotion can buy.

5️⃣ Get serious about your delivery channel

Delivery is no longer a nice-to-have. In most urban markets, it now represents 30 to 50 percent of total restaurant revenue. If you are treating your delivery channel as secondary, you are leaving real money behind.

Delivery sales require a different approach than dine-in. Your packaging needs to travel well. Your menu needs to feature items that hold up over 20 minutes. Your photos need to sell the dish before the customer ever tastes it.

Treat your delivery presence the way you treat your physical restaurant: invest in presentation, respond to ratings, and track which dishes perform best.

6️⃣ Price your menu correctly

Many restaurant owners underprice their food because they are afraid to lose customers. But customers who leave because of a fair price increase were not loyal customers — they were bargain hunters.

Review your food cost percentage. If your ingredients cost more than 30 to 35 percent of your menu price, your margins are under pressure. A small price adjustment on your most popular dishes often has less impact on volume than you expect, while significantly improving your bottom line.

7️⃣ Photograph your food properly

One good photo of your best dish will do more for your sales than a week of social media posts about nothing specific.

You do not need a professional photographer. You need a clean plate, natural daylight from a window, and a phone. Shoot from above or at a 45-degree angle. No filters. No dark backgrounds. Food should look fresh, appetising, and real.

Update your photos on every platform you are on — Google, your delivery apps, your own social media. Outdated photos of dishes you no longer serve are actively hurting you.

8️⃣ Train your team to sell

Your staff are your best sales tool and most restaurants never train them to sell. Suggesting a side dish, recommending a drink pairing, or mentioning a dessert are not pushy — they are good service.

A simple daily briefing — this is today’s special, this is what we are trying to move, these are the three dishes we are most proud of right now — gives your team the information they need to sell without feeling scripted.

9️⃣ Track your numbers weekly

You cannot improve what you do not measure. At minimum, track your weekly revenue, your average order value, and your table or order turnover.

If you are on a delivery platform, check your weekly reports. Which dishes have the highest ratings? Which ones get the most complaints? Where are customers dropping off before completing an order?

These numbers tell you exactly where your revenue is leaking. Most of the time, fixing two or three things makes a significant difference.

🔟 Show up where your customers already are

Your customers are on Instagram, on WhatsApp groups, and on food delivery apps. If your restaurant is not visible in those places, a competitor’s is.

You do not need to do everything. Pick one channel and do it well. A well-run Instagram profile with three good posts a week showing real food from your kitchen will do more than ten poorly managed channels.

The same applies to delivery apps. Being on one platform and doing it well — good photos, accurate menu, fast response to reviews — outperforms being on five platforms badly.

What to do now

• 👉 Check your Google Maps listing today. Update the hours, add photos, make sure the address is correct.
• 🍽️ Identify your three best-selling dishes and make sure they are front and centre on your menu and on every platform you use.
• 🔁 Set up one simple customer retention mechanism — a loyalty card, a return offer, or a follow-up message after a delivery order.
• 📊 Look at your last month’s numbers. Find the one thing that is not working and fix it first.
• 🚀 If you are not on a delivery platform yet, research the options available in your area and choose one to start with.

 

Frequently asked questions

How can I increase my restaurant sales quickly?

The fastest wins are usually improving your online presence and fixing your menu. Make sure your restaurant is findable on Google Maps and food delivery apps with accurate information and good photos. These changes can have an impact within days.

How do I increase restaurant sales during slow hours?

Targeted promotions work well for this. A discount or special offer during your quietest hours — typically mid-afternoon on weekdays — can bring in customers who would otherwise go elsewhere. Keep the promotion time-limited and goal-specific.

Does being on a food delivery app really increase restaurant sales?

For most urban restaurants, yes. Delivery apps extend your reach to customers who would not otherwise find you, particularly those ordering from home or the office. The key is treating your delivery channel seriously — good photos, an optimised menu, and responsive service.

How do I get more returning customers to my restaurant?

Consistency and recognition go a long way. Loyal customers come back when they know they will get a good experience every time. Beyond that, simple loyalty programmes — whether a physical stamp card or a digital offer through a delivery app — give people a reason to choose you again over a new option.

How do I increase my restaurant average order value?

Train your staff to suggest additions — a side dish, a drink, a dessert. On delivery platforms, bundle options and set minimum order incentives. Pricing your menu correctly and removing low-margin items also tends to shift customer behaviour toward higher-value orders.

 

If you are exploring how delivery platforms can help your restaurant grow, find out how Glovo works for restaurants like yours.