How to increase restaurant sales: 14 practical ideas

It might seem counterintuitive to run specials or deals to increase restaurant sales, but this tactic has proven results. In fact, TouchBistro's 2025 American Diner Trends Report states that 62% of diners are motivated to dine at restaurants that have limited-time offers. And according to a 2022 McKinsey survey, around 65% of restaurant executives say limited-time offers play a critical role in boosting transactions – and are especially effective as part of a larger revenue growth management strategy.

There's a lot of flexibility in how to make offers and deals work for your business. For example, you could run a seasonal special to provide a discount on certain items, offer a BOGOF (buy one, get one free) deal, or create a new menu item available for a limited time. Third-party delivery platforms like Uber Eats provide self-serve marketing tools that make it easy to create and manage promotions tailored to new or existing customers.

An outstanding menu will be on-brand, up to date, consistent across channels, and easy for customers to navigate and use. Make it eye-catching by choosing quality images, fonts and colours that appeal to your customers. Then consider how you might organise your menu to draw attention to your biggest sales drivers or highest-margin items.

Attractive pricing and deals help turn hungry browsers into buyers. But, to keep customers choosing your restaurant, make it effortless for them to order exactly what they want, when they want it. In-app customers are not speaking to a live restaurant representative, so it's essential for your menu items to be easily customisable. For instance, White Castle's flexible online ordering options meet customers where they are – both in terms of their cravings and geographic location. Ordering a slider in New York or New Jersey, for example, comes with certain expectations, so the company has made it easy for customers to opt out of default selections and enjoy a high degree of control over their order. Choice and flexibility at users' fingertips goes a long way towards reducing errors and chargebacks and improving customer satisfaction.

Treat your menu like a living, breathing document. Update your offerings and design regularly to feature new items and give your customers a reason to keep coming back. Platforms like Uber Eats give you clear, real-time insights into sales and performance data, so you can tailor your menu to your audience's cravings. The platform's intuitive dashboard provides information on bestselling items, and its Menu Maker allows you to create, edit or update any part of your menu quickly.

Provide suggestions for items that pair well together. One common tactic is to suggest a drink pairing with a main dish for an added cost. This is a win-win – customers have got more to enjoy, and you benefit from a higher check total.

Make sure you train your restaurant staff to suggest these offers in person as well. A conversation about the pairing may go further towards persuading the customer than simply including it as an option on your menu.

For BOGOF deals, try offering complementary items like 2 mains that pair well together, or a side dish that fits well with a main. This strategy can encourage customers to sample menu items they would otherwise forgo – making it more likely they'll order them in the future.

Like complementary items, you can upsell add-ons that round off a meal. Most often, these add-ons could take the form of a starter, a dessert, a side dish or even a premium topping.

If a customer orders a main, for example, you could offer the option to add soup or salad for a few pounds more. These items often don't cost a lot for you to make, and selling them more frequently can lead to a noticeable increase in profits.

Attract new and returning customers to your restaurant location by using your physical space in creative ways. Here are a few ideas that can give your brick-and-mortar real estate more selling power:

• Place a QR code with an online menu on a street-facing window to drive orders
• Set up a stand outside with grab-and-go items for purchase
• Design signage that highlights promotions or new seasonal items
• Offer small samples for passers-by

These ideas help inspire curiosity and appetites – and act as an invitation to step inside and book a table.

Posting on social media gives you an opportunity to expand your reach to new audiences. In fact, according to a 2024 NielsenIQ, GfK, and World Data Lab report, 53% of Gen Z consumers – who make up roughly a quarter of the global population and are the largest generation in history – have selected "buy" buttons on social media networks. This suggests the importance of social commerce and making sure that your restaurant is visible on social platforms.

To promote your restaurant widely, design and share content that's tailored to each platform. For example, you can use a Facebook page to announce new menu items, hour changes and upcoming events. To post photos of menu items or behind-the-scenes content, consider focusing on Instagram or TikTok. You can also create a picture-worthy place in your restaurant to encourage photo ops, increasing the chances that customers will share content with their followers.

Ad targeting on search engines and social media platforms is becoming more advanced. These tools can allow you to nudge customers with high buying potential towards ordering. Depending on the platform, you may be able to create custom audiences of people who browsed your restaurant website at specific times, visited your menu or even chose certain dishes. From there, you can tailor ad creative to align with items that attracted a customer's interest – and entice a final purchase decision.

Additionally, if you decide to use a third-party delivery platform, you may be able to place ads on its website or app. Using a platform like this gets you in front of customers with high order intent – they're looking for their next meal, after all – and ads can help encourage more of them to choose your business. With Uber Eats, keyword targeting makes sure your restaurant reaches customers searching for specific terms, while custom creative connects your restaurant's shopfront image to the search terms. For example, when a customer searches for a burger, your restaurant pops up at the top of the search featuring your signature dish – compelling customers to select and engage.

SEO (search engine optimisation) makes your restaurant website more visible on search engines like Google, which can help drive more clicks and page visits. Local and organic search together make up the majority of web traffic, with 46% of Google searches local. This means customers in your geographic area are searching online for restaurants like yours.

SEO strategies – such as optimising your webpages, creating blog content and encouraging other online publications to link back to your site – are low-cost ways to give your website more authority and provide customers with information they're seeking. You can then translate any traffic that results from your higher search ranking into direct sales by adding an online ordering solution to your website.

Building a loyal customer base is a key component of a thriving restaurant. According to a 2024 National Restaurant Association report, 52% of adults say they belong to a loyalty programme at a restaurant, coffee shop, snack place or deli – and 96% of those members feel the programmes offer "better value for money".

Not only does a loyalty programme help keep your restaurant top of mind for customers, but it also incentivises higher order values by encouraging customers to earn rewards at a quicker pace so they can redeem them sooner.

You can also include additional perks like free delivery in your loyalty programme. Uber Direct, which offers on-demand delivery for orders placed directly with your business, makes it easy to go the extra mile for loyal, local customers. Plus, with 72% of people more likely to keep ordering from companies that offer express delivery, this kind of perk is a win-win for you and your customers.

Like loyalty programmes, subscription programmes offer benefits to customers who regularly choose your restaurant. Instead of the points-based reward system that most loyalty programmes use, subscription programmes charge a small monthly or annual fee in exchange for regular discounts and exclusive offers for membership holders.

A subscription programme can be a great strategy for personalising the customer experience and building loyalty – and ultimately generating more revenue for your business.

When it comes to encouraging loyalty on Uber, restaurants can enjoy access to Uber One members, who pay to receive exclusive discounts and benefits like £0 Delivery Fee. As of April 2025, Uber One has over 30 million members globally, making it a valuable programme that can drive more predictable revenue and higher average order values for restaurants.

Show customers that you appreciate their business by sending them deals based on current events, preferences or milestones. Here are a few examples of meaningful offers:

• For special occasions: Give customers a free menu item on their birthday to encourage them to enjoy a meal at your location.
• On specific items: If you're taking note of customers' favourite items, send them a personalised discount to increase the chances that they'll come in. By making the offer time-bound – like a chicken wing happy hour – you can increase off-peak sales.
• For theme days: Does an item on your menu have its own day? Celebrate dates like National Pizza Day or Taco Tuesday for a big boost in sales and customer satisfaction.

People appreciate when businesses see them as more than just customers. By sending offers catered to guests' cravings – however out of the box they might be – you help them feel noticed and appreciated, making it more likely that they'll order from you the next time their stomach grumbles.

Some customers may need extra encouragement to visit a restaurant in person – especially when the weather is rough or their favourite series just released a new season. By hosting an exciting event, you can give them more of a reason to help fill your tables.

If you organise an event around a big match in your area, for example, you could offer a small discount when customers come in wearing their club's colours. The savings can attract more guests and boost sales.

Many of your best customers may be just around the corner. They might simply need an extra nudge to discover or order from your business. Here are a few ways you can capture the attention of people in your community:

• Offer coupons for free or discounted items at other local businesses
• Include a small gift card to your restaurant in a local raffle or contest
• Send direct mail featuring discounts to potential customers

Using a third-party delivery platform is another way to expand your reach and develop a new revenue channel for your business. Some platforms even offer built-in marketing solutions to help you reach more people and increase sales.

One of the best features of third-party apps is their ability to reach customers who want to buy now. By tapping into these platforms' targeted ad capabilities, you can stand out to hungry customers and new users curious to try your menu.

Other innovative third-party platform tools, such as multi-location capabilities and insights and analytics, let you scale your business by reaching wider audiences more quickly and cost-effectively.