Creative tips and tricks

How to increase sales at restaurants With WordPress

Apr 21, 2023

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You're incredible. Your restaurant business is intact after the pandemic. You've demonstrated your strength and shown resourcefulness and shrewd thinking in business. Which is probably why you're here!

Costs are rising and a slowing economy might make other entrepreneurs stick their heads in the sand. But yours is different. You know you need to be proactive and nimble to improve sales in your restaurant and keep business booming.

This tutorial will show you how you can set up your WordPress website to directly receive orders without a third-party platform. Then, you can take back the full control over your online order.

We'll help you discover the incredible potential your online presence and the community can bring to your company.

Read on to find out how you can get the most value from your WordPress website and profit from the trend of membership that is taking the dining sector to the streets.

What Tools You'll Need

If your website serves as the place where you can post your menu as well as give contact details for bookings You're in need of catch-up to do. However, that's fine.

You only need a handful of plugins and integrations to transform your WordPress site into an effective sales tool and compete with big chain stores.

Best of all it's super simple with just a bit of insider information. It doesn't require a lot of tech skills to accomplish this.

WordPress and  have made it simple for non-techies to manage their business online. No programming necessary.

Here are the tools you will require:

  1. WordPress WordPress: The most used CMS for managing content (CMS) running around 810 million sites.
  2. Easy Affiliate This is the "all-in-one" affiliate-related program software that works with WordPress

How to Increase Restaurant Sales With WordPress

Step 1: Select a WordPress host and theme.

If you're not already running an WordPress site (sorry, but popular builders like Wix and SquareSpace don't come with the required features) you first need to pick a host.

When you've registered your domain you'll be required to choose an WordPress theme to design your restaurant.

Step 2: Install the Plugin

is the most popular WordPress Membership and monetization plugin for a reason. Its growing library of plugins and integrations make it extremely flexible, which means you can create the ideal subscription program for your clients.

Learn for instructions on how to install wordpress

You can do:

  • tap into profit from a increasing trend within the restaurant industry of subscription services which offer monthly or yearly fees,
  • increase restaurant sales through incentive programs for loyalty, or member-only discounts increase sales at restaurants through loyalty incentives or discounts for members onlyfor regular diners.
  • and build a community of valued and loyal customers.

There are many chains of all sizes that are taking advantage of subscription service. We'll look into more detail on how restaurants across all sizes are using their websites to create new membership services that are innovative.

Step 3. Add WPCafe and WooCommerce The Plugins

It's been a long process to create your menu to perfection, give top-quality service and grow your customer base. So, why should third-party platforms be charging outrageous charges and commissions?

DoorDash is charged a whopping 30 percent for their complete marketing strategy. But even if you choose to not participate in their marketing and pay their 15 percentdelivery charge, your company is still being marketed alongside the competition.

So you could connect your clients to these third-party apps. Who's to say that you won't lose out to the competitors paying for prioritized marketing?

Additionally, you're also subject to these platforms' changing terms and conditions.

With WPCafe it's simple for you to create your own menu, define your operating hours and the number of reservations available as well as cancellation policy, and many more.

By utilizing WPCafe and WooCommerce You can remain completely independent and have complete controlover the operations of your company at a half the price of hosted platforms.

Step 4. Upload Your Menu

It's now time to the menu items you want to add.

In WooCommerce, under the category Products add descriptions. include tags and categories for example, starter primary, main, soft drink, cocktail, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.

Additionally, you have the ability to upload photos of your dishes so people can see what they're ordering.

Step 5: Develop customer loyalty with a membership Program

You now have everything you need to run your business online, without the use of a third-party platform, it's time to think outside the box and think of ways to increase the loyalty of your customers.

A happy number: a 5% increment in loyalty to customers generates greater than 25% rise in profit.

It's important to keep your existing patrons to return.

 However, customer loyalty is in crisis.

Costs are rising and impacting how customers perceive about the brands they love.

These are not so happy statistics: Almost a third (30%) of people say that price increases affect their trust with brands. In addition, 22% believe their loyalty to brands is decreasing.

The business world needs to figure out ways to create value (or at least perceived value) for their valued customers. And membership programs are just the ticket.

Through a membership program that rewards customers to return with special offers as well as online content. You can also utilize your new website to cross-sell or upsell products and drink.

Keep an eye out for helpful suggestions and examples of effective membership programs.

This kind of setup provides an income that is predictable and stable - that makes planning and budgeting a more simple.

Plus, if you offer various levels of membership, members can upgrade their membership when they are more involved in your establishment.

It's all possible and made easy with.

Step 6: Create the Snowball Effect with Easy Affiliate

In the world of restaurant the goal of increasing customer satisfaction has an additional effect, which increases overall sales: it brings many more patrons in!

Food outings are an activity that is social. Restaurants are different to, say, retail stores. People seek out a top restaurant and share the experience with their friends, family, or even their partner.

It's the reason the importance of customer loyalty is especially significantin the world of restaurant. Keep your customers coming back and you'll see them bring many more guests with them. Make sure that their customers come back and bring even additional guests with them.

Well look at that, you have what's called an snowball effect!

Membership programs may enhance this impact of snowballs. You can offer rewards for inviting relatives or friends into your establishments and invite them to join the program as well.

This way you're not just making sure your customers are returning as well as bringing new customers through the door.

 Affili-what?

Affiliate programs are where you can earn a reward to promote your company's services to other people. Each "affiliate" is given an individual URL to your website. If someone buys or joins a club using their link, you can offer them rewards!

With Easy Affiliate, you'll be able to be rewarding your members for inviting their friends and family to become members. How do you do that.

  1. Add the Easy Affiliate plugin on your WordPress dashboard
  2. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Easy Affiliate > Settings.
  3. Click on your Affiliates tab.
  4. Where it states Registration Typeat at the top, It says Registration Type at the top,select private.
  5. Turn On Automatically Add Affiliates so new members will be automatically sent an affiliate link for your website.
  6. Click on The Advanced tab.
  7. Modify the Welcome emailto describe how it all functions to your customers.
  8. There is the option to choose and modify the Create Affiliate Sale Emailto automatically send an email with, for example, a voucher reward every time someone registers with their promo code.

Note: Easy Affiliate is designed to reward affiliates with the possibility of earning a cash commission for every sale from their unique link. If you'd prefer to offer vouchers to customers who can be used in your restaurant, make sure that you modify the settings and Ts&Cs to reflect this.

Ideas to Reward Members and Increase Restaurant Sales

Incentivize frequent diners with special Discounts

Remember, by keeping your loyal customers satisfied, you're saving on costs in the future.

Discount high markup menu items

If you're nervous about squeezing the margins of your business already strained make sure you offer discount on food items that carry higher markups like appetizers and drinks.

Set minimum orders

You can also set a minimum-order rule (e.g. complimentary drinks if you pay $X for your primary) to make sure you're still benefiting from the offer.

Do a members-only happy hour

For instance, you can offer exclusive only for members happy hour promotions for sales to increase during slow periods. Whichever is most beneficial for your company while increasing the perceived value of your clients.

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Always ensure that the house is the winner!

Get Strategic to Increase Order Size

Having a restaurant membership program offers plenty of opportunities to increase sales and up-sell or cross-sell products.

 The time has come to become strategic.

Think about how you can utilize promotions from your membership programs to encourage customers to spend more.

One common way is one way is to use package or combo offers. A patron who usually only takes a main dish and a soft drink worth $20 might be tempted by a combo deal with dessert and wine for $28.

It is possible to utilize data from your previous purchase by customers to tailor deals based on items they've purchased previously.

For example, if a customer is accustomed to ordering the same meal every time they visit you, offer them a discount on a wine that goes well with the meal. Offer a discount on a higher-priced meal with a similar taste profile.

You might just develop your own new one, a higher-priced order they'll continue to return to.

Create an Exclusive Online Hub

Membership programs aren't only about deals and discounts. It's also a place where your customers feel valued and as a part of a community that is exclusive.

The installation setup process is simple and quick and bbPress provides you with a unified admin area that allows you to easily handle and manage forums.

If your customers are getting the most benefits from their membership, the longer they'll stick in the restaurant. It's a win-win for both parties.

5 Examples of Membership Programs that can boost sales at restaurants

1. Drink Clubs

Due to their higher markups, the relatively low cost as well as their high perceived value drinks can be a good choice for membership deals and offers.

Give them discounts on drinks and guess where they're planning to dine out? at your establishment Of course.

Below are three examples of companies who have designed their membership programs around drinks:

 Cooper's Hawk Wine Club

Cooper's Hawk restaurant offers monthly registration to their wine club.

The members can take home three bottles of the restaurant's "wine of the month" with tasting notes as well as pairing recipe.

You can pick between wine clubs that are red, white, sweet, or different wine clubs depending on their taste preference. They can either enjoy the wine in-house with their meals or get them delivered.

The members also have access to many other discounts like a birthday gift 10 percent off take-out as well as catering, and special discounts on wine tastings.

Cooper's Hawk also offers gift membership! It's a great choice to wine enthusiasts as well as corporate gifts. It's a great avenue for restaurants to grow their sales and to introduce new customers to their business.

Boris and Horton Coffee Club

East Village's only dog-friendly café has a subscription to coffee for a month.

The members get eight drinks a month (which typically costs up to $40) for just $25.

The program is particularly ideal for independent, small companies that have a strong community, like B&H's dog-loving patrons.

 Panera Sip Club

Panera rolled out an $8.99/month unlimited coffee subscription in February of 2020, to massive satisfaction. The following the year customer loyalty had eclipsed 40 million.

Three years on, Panera has extended its offer to include a range of hot and cold drinks.

Interview in an interview with Fast Casual, Panera's chief brand and concept officer Eduardo Luz, explains the benefits of its free-of-cost model:

"Subscription services are table stakes in many other fields, and coffee was one of the products we could see as fitting in with that model to create a more convenient and affordable option [...] and providing us an ongoing revenue stream."

2. Frequent Diner Member

Through this model of membership that allows diners to are charged a fee for access to discounts and deals. When more customers dine at your restaurant, the more they maximize their savings, as well as the more business you get from them - everyone benefits!

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Everyone gets to win!

 Blood & Sand

In St. Louis restaurant Blood & Sand, members have to pay just $15 to enjoy numerous discounts including:

  • 20% off their bills
  • 30% off wine on the go
  • Champagne and an appetizer are complimentary.
  • Welcome bonus for new members
  • Preferential table assignment
  • Guaranteed midweek bookings
  • Cocktails are complimentary each time you visit 10 times.

3. A VIP, Exclusive Experience

With this model the members are charged a fee to be treated as a VIP. This isn't about creating value for your members, more about providing them with an all-out, luxury, VIP experience.

 M Den

In London, Gaucho steakhouse and M restaurants in London have joined forces to create M Den, a private member's club that offers exclusive deals and invitations.

A year-long membership at all venues costs PS1000 (about $1240) and includes VIP offers including:

  • A call to attend the "M is for Monaco" Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend-long event.
  • An individual bottle of high-end spirit of their choice.
  • Members only Lounge access to events only once every year.
  • Reservations for guaranteed restaurants and a VIP phone line.
  • Unlimited Members Lounge access to up to 5 guests.
  • Four tickets for sporting events in VIP with celebrities.
  • Monthly social gatherings.
  • Complete concierge services to assist with accommodation, travel and events.

Members also get access to The Portal The Portal is An online platform that contains information of upcoming events and extra advantages.

4. Community-Supported Restaurant Memberships (CSR)

It is an excellent solution for restaurants who are in the need of funding in the beginning. It works on the same lines of GoFundMe or Kickstarter, but for establishments.

The patrons pay upfront to redeem the same amount (or even) in services and food over time.

Your business will benefit from an instant injection of capital to help fund things like refurbishments or expansions. Your patrons benefit from greater return on investment.

 Lenoir

Austin-based Lenoir restaurant offers patrons an opportunity to join of their CSR.

They have 3 tiers of investing:

  • $1,000 gets you $1200 in their house account.
  • The amount of $2000 will give you $2500 in the house account.
  • The $5,000 amount will grant you a house credit of $3,000; a private, 5-course all-inclusive dinner for 8 people either at your residence or the dining area ($3,000 value) Two complimentary knife sharpenings, first access to events, as well as first reservations.

5. Content Hub Membership

If your restaurant has solid branding, with traditional roots for its food, you have the perfect recipe for creating an exciting online content hub for members.

Create behind-the-scenes videos sharing techniques for cooking, recipes Food stories, pairing ideas.

 L'Oca d'Oro

Based in Austin The restaurant, L'Oca D'Oro, is a restaurant that has won awards. significant branding and a strong relationship on its Italian cuisine.

The company offers two types of subscription on their site. For those who love food, they can choose Fiore's Regional Pasta Club, priced at $90 per month, while those who want to become Sommeliers can choose their Wine Share Club at $65/month.

Each month, participants who belong to The Pasta Club not only receive the ingredients they need and essential pantry items, but they also get to be immersed in Italian culture.

Members are invited to join the chef Fiore Tedesco as he tours the countries and cities that inspired his cuisine telling stories and sharing recipes as he goes.

L'Oca d'Oro combines subscription deals as well as online content, creating a unique exclusive experience for their members.

These examples should will inspire you to design a membership program that will reward loyalty, bring you an income stream that is recurring, and improves revenue.

Conclusion

We've shown you the process, is now your turn!

It is important to configure your website to take deliveries so that you're not at the mercy of the third party platforms that host your website. Take back control of your website by using WPCafe.

Then it's time to get inventive! Consider strategically which kind of membership plan will work best for your restaurant and get that revenue pumping!

Here's a list of actions you must take to improve sales for your restaurant via your site:

  1.   Choose a WordPress host and theme.  
  2.   Install the plug-in.  
  3.    Add WPCafe and WooCommerce plug-ins.
  4.   Download your menu.  
  5.   Build customer loyalty with a membership program.  
  6.   Get the snowball effect by using the Easy Affiliate.  

Have you discovered any interesting restaurant membership programs? Do you have any suggestions regarding how to boost the sales of restaurants using WordPress? Tell us about it via the comment section below.

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