Increase Restaurant Profits With a 3-Step Counter-Strike Strategy

Increase restaurant profits with smart forecasting systems for ‘future-watching’ – you can adjust staff and purchase much more accurately. Smart forecasting and a well-planned Counter Strike plan will greatly benefit your bottom line.

If you have ever been caught out by an unexpectedly busy day, and didn’t have the staff or supplies to take advantage of it – this is the solution. So many lost sales! Or maybe you were staffed up for normal trade, and half your customers stayed home. Either way, it’s expensive – lost sales, or excess staffing costs and even loss of stock.

How to increase restaurant profits

When crowds arrive after a local festival or sporting event, you can be ready with the right staff and fully stocked in the kitchen and bar – can you hear the POS humming?  Or maybe it’s an unexpectedly wet night, and everyone stays home, so you activate a takeaway promotion to your customer list and use spare wait staff to run deliveries. When football, a special TV show or weather keeps people at home – you will be ready with your Counter-Strike Plan B to increase your restaurant profits.

First, let’s set up three key forecasting systems so you have a much more accurate view about what trade to expect:

#1 Track the effect of temperature and rainfall

• Make friends with a weather app. Many bakers adjust their pie production according to the temperature and have become quite exact with it as a money-making exercise. What’s your equivalent product?
• POS sales records can sync with a calendar – Google and other calendar systems can show the past weather, to match your sales figures.
• Look back over 12-18 months to see how hot or wet or cold weather influences expected customer numbers.
• Keep daily log books & online records that show customer numbers, weather, special events and the pattern of customer visits.

#2 Predict the effect of TV and sporting events.

• You’re sure to have a TV and sports fan on your staff (every business has one) – they can monitor these for you. Some events mean more trade, some mean less.
• If you know football means a hit to trade, organise an event for ‘everyone else’ eg a girls cocktail night or a trivia event.
• What about Married at First Site or The Bachelor on TV – are they good for trade or not? Be ready to dial up the Counter Strike!

#3 Watch for local events to increase restaurant profits

• Adjust your opening times accordingly, eg popular concerts and local festivals. 
• This can be a great time to open especially and catch the crowds. 
• The local tourist office or council will have information – subscribe to their newsletters.

Now Develop your Counter-Strike Strategy

• If everyone’s staying home because of TV or weather, plan an SMS and promotional blitz for your takeaway and pickup menus. Have Facebook promotions designed and ready to send.
• Late afternoon is a good time to push these out, and also the day prior if it’s a predictable event like sport or TV. 
• Add special group menus if people will be celebrating with friends – one delivery for 10 people, yes please!

More Action If It’s Suddenly Quiet

If you already have established communication with customers (regular social media, email, Google Business Profile posts and text messaging), you will be dialling it up with some of the promotions listed below. And if you’ve been too busy to develop these yet, now is the time! Move quickly, keep breathing, and make it look well-planned – ‘desperation discounts’ never look good.

Special Dining Nights: Host simple themed dining nights or a week that caters to specific cuisines, holidays, or cultural events. For example, a Mexican Fiesta Night, Italian Pasta Week, or fundraiser for a local non-profit where a percentage of takings goes to the charity. Promote these themes through your social media, email and SMS. Have several of these ‘in your back pocket’ ready to promote at short notice.

Happy Hour Meal Deals: Introduce extended or unique happy hour specials during off-peak hours. This doesn’t need to be all the time – it could just be May Madness or Crazy Week. Make these promotions short-term to keep up the urgency, and you can roll them out again in 6 months. Promote through your usual marketing channels.

Super Specials for Loyalty Members: they already have a range or rewards, this could be a very short-term bonus to get people visiting this week! Eg two-for-one meal deal, or free bottle of wine. Make it extra generous, and it won’t last long – using FOMO (fear of missing out) to the max.

I know that every February is quieter in our area, so we promote a special for our VIP members of 25% off the entire menu. It works very well – customers love it and we get a good bump in revenue. Being prepared makes a big difference’.
Chris Zirbel from Sassafras in Paddington, Qld

Keep a copy of these smart moves ready for next time!

Collaborate With Another Business: if you’re suddently quiet, there’s a chance that so are others. Can you share one of your promotions with a local business and return the favour? Eg a hairdresser, retailer or someone with a similar customer base. Works best, of course, if you’ve already developed a relationship with them, or maybe this is the time to make new friends?

Takeout and Delivery Deals: offer special deals for online orders – exclusive promotions for online customers, such as ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ on select items, or free delivery on orders over a certain amount. Promote it through your website, social media, and online delivery platforms. Make the promotion extra generous but for a short time only.

When you develop the combination of smart forecasting and a Counter Strike, you will be sure to increase restaurant profits, and the effect on your bottom line can be dramatic. Rosters will match high or low demand, maximising every sales opportunity. If people are staying at home – no problem, we will deliver! And if suddenly everyone wants to visit – we are ready!

At Foodie Coaches, we’re big believers in the ‘1% Effect’, where a combination of 1% improvements accumulate to make a dramatic change. See how better forecasting and Counter Strikes can improve your bottom line over a full year, through these 1% changes:

Save 1% of a Week of Labour Costs = $______ – divide by 100 = $______  X 52 = $________
Save 1% of a Week of Food Costs = $______ – divide by 100 = $______  X 52 = $________
Increase a Week of Sales by 1% = $______ – divide by 100 = $______  X 52 = $________

Ready for more sales & marketing support? Check all the great articles in the Foodie Coaches Sales & Marketing Blog.

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