Takeout and delivery have cemented themselves as essential offerings for many restaurants, and the competition is fierce. Just like you probably have in-house strategies to increase your average bill, you’ll also need to figure out how to upsell for to-go orders. Here’s what our experts have to say about how pizzerias could increase takeout sales and profits.

Make sure your order platform is easy to use

If your order platform is confusing, customers will want to get in and out as quickly as possible. If it’s simple and intuitive, they’ll be more likely to browse around. Whether you use your own system or a third-party platform, keep the user experience in mind, and remember that diners might not be familiar with your menu.

• Include pictures of your food, especially sides, appetizers, and desserts. People eat with their eyes, and pictures will grab their attention while they scroll down to your main dishes.
• Write clear and appetizing descriptions of your dishes that include main ingredients and any special tasting notes.
• Suggest extra toppings once customers have added a dish to their cart, like extra cheese, dipping sauces, or a stuffed crust for a pizza. Tip: placing Pizza Mozzarella IQF Cheese Sticks inside your dough is the easiest way to stuff a crust.
• Highlight your bestselling dishes in a “people also ordered” section. It’s a great way to push your sides and desserts one last time before people check out.
  

Make customers an offer they can’t refuse 

Customers aren’t necessarily looking for added value in the form of portion sizes: they might want to enjoy premium dishes for less or get more bang for their buck. If you play your cards right, an enticing promo could help seal the deal. Here are four avenues to explore:

Create winning combos

Combos are a proven strategy, of which family pizza specials are a good example. Plus, most delivery apps put combos at the top of the menu page, which helps them stand out.

The more combo types you offer, the more customers you could cater to, so get creative! Consider combos that include sides like cheesy breads, or create a more upscale one for a special occasion (like salad, pizza, focaccia, and homemade burrata). For an extra special experience, top pizzas with specialty cheeses, and include an expertly chosen beer to go with it! These combos, of course, would be priced at a premium.

Run discounts and specials

Like combos, delivery apps typically highlight vendors who are running promotions, so offering discounts and specials is a great way to rise to the top of the page.

Consider options like 10% off your “pizza of the month,” a discounted dessert when a main is purchased, a free item with every order of $30, or even a $10 discount once a customer has placed 5 orders with you to build loyalty.

Offer premium menu options

There are 3 key ways to highlight premium options on your menu. One is to have a “specialty pizza” section located above your regular pizzas. Another is to suggest substitutions once people have chosen a pizza, like upgrading their cheese or meat. Lastly, by offering a “custom” pizza, you can separate toppings by price: specialty cheeses like Brie, Ricotta, or goat cheese would be more expensive than Pizza Mozzarella or Cheddar cheeses.

You can also offer premium crusts like gluten free, seasoned, and stuffed, or offer to swap a regular side salad for a salad made with specialty cheese.

Give them something to enjoy later

Another upselling technique that has recently become popular is offering “purchase now, eat later” items. These are usually house specialties, like frozen pizza dough, a bottle of your spicy olive oil, frozen cheesy bread, or bottled pizza sauce. For more prepared meal ideas, check out this article on new earning opportunities for restaurants!

These tips could help you increase both your delivery sales and your average bill! The key is thinking about the true value you can offer to your customers, and how you can leverage the way delivery apps showcase their items.

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