How to increase restaurant sales: 14 practical ideas

It may 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 2025 survey by the National Restaurant Association, value deals appeal to 80% of delivery, takeaway, and drive-thru customers.

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 aren’t speaking to a live restaurant representative, so it’s essential for your menu items to be easily customisable. For example, 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.

Offer suggestions for items that go well together. A common approach is to recommend a drink pairing with a main course for an additional cost. This benefits everyone: customers have more to enjoy, and you gain from a higher bill total.

Make sure your restaurant staff are trained to suggest these options in person as well. Talking to customers about the pairing can be more persuasive than simply listing it as an option on your menu.

For BOGO deals, try offering complementary items such as two mains that go well together, or a side dish that complements a main. This approach can encourage customers to try menu items they might otherwise skip—making it more likely they’ll order them in the future.

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

If a customer orders a main course, for example, you could offer to add a soup or a salad for a few pounds more. These items often don’t cost much, 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 premises more selling power:

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

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

Posting on social media gives you the chance to broaden 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 as the largest generation in history—have clicked on “buy” buttons on social media networks. This highlights the importance of social commerce and making sure your restaurant is visible on social platforms.

To promote your restaurant widely, create and share content that’s tailored to each platform. For example, you can use a Facebook page to announce new menu items, changes to opening hours, 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 photo-friendly spot in your restaurant to encourage photo opportunities, 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 in 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 80% of US customers searching for local businesses each week. This means customers in your local area are likely looking online for restaurants like yours.

SEO strategies—such as improving your web pages, 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 the information they’re seeking. You can then turn 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 crucial for a successful restaurant. According to a 2024 National Restaurant Association report, 52% of adults say they are members of a loyalty programme at a restaurant, coffee shop, snack bar, or deli—and 96% of those members feel the programmes offer “more value for their money.”

A loyalty programme not only helps keep your restaurant front of mind for customers, but also encourages higher order values by motivating customers to earn rewards more quickly so they can redeem them sooner.

You can even include extra perks such as free delivery in your loyalty programme. Uber Direct, which provides 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 both 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, 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 the $0 Delivery Fee. As of Q4 2025, Uber One has over 46 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 value their business by sending them offers based on current events, preferences, or milestones. Here are a few examples of meaningful offers:

• For special occasions: Offer customers a free menu item on their birthday to encourage them to enjoy a meal at your venue.

• On specific items: If you’re keeping track of customers’ favourite items, send them a personalised discount to increase the chances that they’ll visit. By making the offer time-limited—such as a chicken wing happy hour—you can boost 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 increase in sales and customer satisfaction.

People appreciate it when businesses see them as more than just customers. By sending offers tailored to guests’ cravings—however out of the ordinary they might be—you help them feel noticed and valued, making it more likely that they’ll order from you the next time they’re feeling hungry.

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

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

Many of your best customers could be just around the corner. They might just 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 vouchers for free or discounted items at other local businesses
• Include a small gift card for your restaurant in a local raffle or competition
• 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 stream 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 advertising capabilities, you can stand out to hungry customers and new users keen to try your menu.

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