4 Ways to Grow Restaurant Revenue Using Your Online Menu in 2021

People usually perform extensive research before making the right purchasing decisions. When it comes to food, people are even pickier—they look for reviews and judge restaurants based on their online presence before they place an order. One important factor determining whether or not they will eat at your food joint is the online menu. 

Therefore, you need to have a compelling online menu that communicates your restaurant's uniqueness. Here are four ways to make your online menu stand out and use it as a tool to generate more revenue.

1. Let your menu tell a story   

A 'bland' menu with generic names of the dishes that evoke no emotions in your customers will do you no good. On the other hand, if you use particular adjectives that induce a certain feeling in your customers, you will be able to bring in countless orders. This is called strategic labeling—you label your dishes to reflect a story and evoke an emotion. For example, names like "Daddy's Favorite Pumpkin Pie" and "Responsibly-Sourced Prawns" reveal a restaurant's backstory. 

2. Learn prudent upselling     

Simply put, restaurant upselling refers to influencing your customers' purchase by enticing them with a higher margin add-on or item. One way to upsell online and increase revenue is to suggest an addition before making the payment. These sections—which are often labeled as "Complete Your Meal" or "Pair It With"—should include your bestsellers. You can include a few diversified items that people usually prefer with their meal, such as appetizers and desserts. Additionally, you can increase your revenue by charging a small fee for "Extras" and "Add-ons," such as toppings and sauces. These extras will allow the customers to customize their dishes with options they may not have thought of before. Excited to try the new combination, they would eagerly include the add-on and place the order. Besides, as these add-ons can be effortlessly included with a click-of-a-button, customers will not mind adding them.   

3. Strategically structure your menu

Your bestsellers, your bread and butter delicacies (pun intended!), make your restaurant unique from other food joints. So, you need to prioritize these food items and place them at the top of your online menu. Tactically organizing your online menu and putting the best sellers on the top will help you generate more revenue. 

4. Capitalize on popular trends 

Hop on the bandwagon and incorporate food trends into your online menu. Maybe even dedicate an entire section to these foods with a catchy title. But, remember to place such sections on the top of your menu to grab people's attention. You can include seasonal trends to increase your sales during holidays. Other common attention grabbers are popular diets, such as vegan, keto, and paleo. Including dishes especially formulated for these diets in your online menu will establish your restaurant's image as an all-inclusive one.

But if you want to capitalize on these trends, you will, again, have to structure your online menu wisely.     

Apart from creating a better customer experience, your online menu (and your digital presence as a whole) impacts your revenue and determines the number of orders you receive daily. With these tips, you will be able to boost your sales and improve your cash flow. If you want to streamline your online ordering, trust EatBeat.com's innovative cloud-based ordering solution. Contact us today to learn more.