With these changing times and the need to increase profits, we need to have servers up their game to increase the cheque average.
In addition to upselling appetizers, a bottle of wine and the daily features, most servers tend to forget about the finish but desserts can add anywhere between $10.00 to $20.00 to the cheque, wildly increasing checking average and profitability.
This is a big reason why HMR Programs are becoming more & more popular and smart grocery retailers are investing more dollars towards this segment. Another major reason for the increased investment in this market segment is due to the fact that if an HMR Program is done right, it can become an extremely profitable segment for grocery retailers. There are high gross margins to be made by operating a successful HMR Program, however, it doesn’t come without some risks. Those high gross margins can erode quickly if there is a lot of food waste and nothing deteriorates faster than freshly prepared meals.
Some quick math : if a server sells 1 10$ dessert to each table and serves 100 tables/week this represents a minimum of $1000.00/week (50,000$/year!) in incremental sales. On top of helping your business, if the server adds the average 15% gratuity to that figure, they will earn an additional $150.00 per week. Not bad for making tableside conversation!
First, they need to actually offer dessert. This is by far the biggest issue as not all servers ask patrons. As we know in sales, you won’t close if you don’t ask for the order!
Second, don’t just offer a dessert menu, be creative in the explanation to describe the best sellers or what you want to sell. Example; The hot chocolate lava cake is oozing with rich chocolate topped with French vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream a drizzle of chocolate and lightly dusted with powdered sugar and we garnish with seasonal berries. I’m already starting to be hungry!
Also, start the sale at the beginning of the meal. Make sure you use personal recommendations, don’t forget our feature for after dinner …………
Do you prefer chocolate of fruit to finish your meal?
Our best seller is ………………….
My personal favorite is ………………
If the customer says no offer items that will travel well to go.
Try selling desserts without saying dessert – this will take practice but once done it will be a great way to sell more.
Remember stressed spelled backwards is desserts.
More profitability and TIPS will follow if you and your team put this in practice!!!