Four Moments for Upselling During a Meal

When working in hospitality you are hopefully taught how to look after your guests and deliver great customer service. Another focus point in my years of training Front of House teams was up- and cross selling.

What Is Up- and Cross Selling and Why Is it Important?

Upselling is to offer your guest a more expensive alternative or have them “upgrade” their order. Cross selling is trying to sell them additional items.

Of course the main goal is to increase sales. But it can also result in better customer satisfaction, if done right. You are trying to help your guests to make better decisions or point out options they were not even aware of.

Taking the Drink Order

When a guest orders a glass of red wine, you might walk off and pour them a glass of your red house wine. Instead you could let your guest know which choices you have for them. “Would you prefer a glass of our fruity Merlot, or the more full-bodied and rich Chianti?” Now your guest can actually make a more informed decision on which they’d prefer. They will likely choose which wine sounds more appealing rather than going for the cheapest or easiest option.

Presenting the Menu

This moment gives you the opportunity to explain certain dishes, mention your specials, or give your recommendation. Maybe they are interested in that “Chateaubriand for two” which is absolutely delicious and only on the menu this week.

Another tip is to have a chat with the chef before the start of service. Check if there are any dishes or items that need “pushing” that day (because they have a lot of mise en place for that dish). If that’s the case you can try to steer guests in that direction. Not so much always a matter of upselling but definitely a way to help the kitchen reduce waste.

Before you leave your guests to have a look at the menu you could suggest some nibbles for the table. “Can I bring you some olives or bread in the meantime?”

Taking the Food Order

Now it’s time to take the order for your guests’ meals and again there are moments to easily slip in that extra sale.

Think about offering sides to your guests with their main course. Instead of asking: “would you like any sides?”, try to mention at least one of the side options. When you ask: “would you like French fries or any other sides with your steak?” you will give the guests the feeling that you are thinking along rather than just trying to sell. It will be harder for the guests to say no when you made them picture that side of French fries alongside their juicy steak.

If no starters are being ordered you could double check with: “and would you like any starters?”

Time for Dessert and Coffee

Let’s say you have a very delicious, rich chocolate dessert which also is one of the more expensive desserts on the menu. Upon presenting the menu you could say: “if you are a chocolate lover, I can definitely recommend this dessert. It is my absolute favourite.” They may not be a chocolate lover, in which case they might choose something else. But if they are, there’s a good chance your guest will order exactly that one.

Additionally, if your guests were open to wine suggestions earlier, try to sell them a dessert wine or digestif. You can say: “we have a lovely 20 year old Tawny port that goes perfectly with this chocolate cake.”

Is your guest not having dessert? Find out if they’d like a cup of coffee or tea to end their meal.

Finally

A lot of staff members feel uncomfortable about upselling because they feel it’s too pushy. But really, it is all about how you try to make your guests aware of their options.

As you can see there is plenty of opportunity during a meal to try and up- or cross sell. Having said that, I wouldn’t apply all of the above to every single guest that you serve.

Try to read your guests and then apply these techniques where fit. Are they on a night out celebrating or are they here for a quick business meeting? The first will probably give you more chances to come with suggestions and order extra items. The last might be more interested in a quick main and a coffee.

My suggestion is, pick two moments during the meal and try to get that upsell in. I’m sure you will see it actually is a lot easier than it seems.