Restaurant Upselling Techniques That Actually Work: A Manager's Guide to Server Training

Understanding Restaurant Upselling

A restaurant employs upselling as a separate practice from cross-selling even though people tend to mistake these two concepts. 

Through standardized restaurant upselling education, you can train your team to learn how to upsell effectively while serving customers, this can be done through real upselling examples. Specific training for food and beverage useless leads servers to provide effective sales that create both financial growth and improved guest satisfaction.

Upselling Techniques in Restaurants

Restaurants utilize sophisticated upselling techniques for their staff members to learn server selling methods. Servers employ upselling to encourage customers to make more profitable selections. In a high-end French restaurant, this could be between premium wines and deluxe entrées instead of standard options. 

Whereas in a fast food restaurant, this could mean getting the deluxe combo with a large fries and drink instead of the regular one.

The purpose goes way beyond simply trying to sell the more expensive menu item, it’s more about finding the gap that could otherwise take your business to the other establishment.

For example, Isla through your recommendations found out how well truffles go with cheese fries. This would’ve been a lost opportunity otherwise.

Restaurant upselling training, which primarily focuses on food and beverage upselling, equips employees with the expertise to sell more effectively. By using established upselling techniques, servers can transform regular interactions with customers into valuable revenue streams.

Each extra $20 in purchased food or beverage delivers $200 to the server's earnings when spread across ten tables within one shift. By working every day of the week servers can increase their monthly revenue by $6,000 which amounts to $72,000 in a year. 

Now, in an average restaurant with five servers, this extra revenue balloons to $360,000 annually. Waiting staff members in the United States could earn an extra $12,000 through this small $20 tip addition to each table. 

Small changes have a massive impact!

Cross-Selling in the Restaurant

Restaurateurs can use cross-selling as a tactical addition to their upselling strategies. The restaurant approach adds value to the guest experience through recommended matching items including side dishes or appetizers that complement the main course. 

The main purpose of cross-selling involves enhancing an original order instead of pushing customers into purchasing more expensive alternatives. 

Upselling training for restaurants when utilized with this technique enhances customer satisfaction levels while extracting maximum profit potential from dining tables.

Why Strategic Upselling Matters More Than Ever

The delivery of personalized dining encounters through strategic upselling serves dual purposes: it enhances both table check values and guest satisfaction levels. Through effective server upselling practices guests receive added value because their service representative suggests premium dishes and complementary beverages or attractive add-ons to their dining experience. 

The combination of enhanced revenue generation through effective upselling also delivers memorable dining experiences, leading customers to return for more. 

The current competitive market requires managers to track ROI metrics like average check increases and repeat customer rates because these metrics directly result from efficient upselling practices.

The extra revenue from upselling creates an atmosphere of service excellence that guests value immensely. Server gratuity increases substantially, up to 20-30% when servers use genuine menu knowledge for personalized recommendations. 

Your dining guests experience service contentment while your staff develops service excellence thanks to this approach. Successful restaurant operations need strategic upselling as its long-term advantages include improved customer loyalty and brand reputation that lead to management success.

8 Proven Upselling Techniques Your Servers Can Use Today

1. The Menu Knowledge Method

Understanding the menu is key to successful upselling. Servers need to know everything that sets the food apart from other restaurants in the area. They must be very well-versed when it comes to menu knowledge. This can include the premium ingredients, the preparation methods, and the chef's concept behind it.  

Such nitty gritty about the menu specifically makes the restaurant and staff unique. Such in-depth knowledge also makes it easier for the servers to speak about the menu in a confident manner and accurately convey what sets each dish apart.

• Master Signature Dishes: Make sure the servers understand not only the ingredients but the story behind the dishes. This narrative can evoke an emotional response amongst the diners.
• Premium Ingredient Highlights: Focus on the premium ingredients used. An example of that would be mentioning if a steak is local or from a well-known local farm or perhaps even the sustainability seafood farming methods.
• Xenia Mobile Micro-Learning Modules: Train your servers to read the room: slide in the dessert recommendation in front of a group of friends who are having a great time at your establishment or maybe a quick, high-end entrée idea to a group of work colleagues who are looking for something refined but quick to eat. 

The goal simply revolves around knowing the perfect moment to jump in without pushing the customer.

To keep these skills sharp, integrate innovative training tools, like Xenia. This Mobile Micro-Learning Module creates bite-sized, TikTok-inspired training sessions that provide essential menu knowledge delivered right in the palm of your hands, so your team is always up to speed, ready to engage with full confidence. 

By combining the best sales techniques with our on-the-go training platform, your staff has an opportunity to increase revenue and deliver a great dining experience every single day.

2. The Personal Recommendation Approach

Personalization is the key to good upselling. Rather than mumbling a few bits and pieces, server education needs to encourage methods on how a genuine relationship with guests can be formed.

The key is to create an environment of trust, this way not only will the server learn their tastes and preferences, but will also have the upper hand in guiding them through different upsells and add-ons without hesitation.

• Share Authentic Experiences: Ask servers to share authentic experiences with certain dishes. Particularly, when a server mentions how a specific appetizer made their meal more complete, guests tend to appreciate such sort of recommendations.
• Descriptive Language: Use words that can awaken the senses of the reader. Instead of “Our pasta is good,” say “Our pasta is handmade, tossed in a rich, opulent, savory sauce bursting with freshness and flavor of juicy, ripe tomatoes.”
• Connect to Guest Preferences: Comprehend and connect to guest inquiries or visible cues. When a customer tells you they’re short on time and need something to power through their next meeting, offer a light salad with a gourmet twist as a good suggestion.

3. The Strategic Timing Technique

As important as it is to know what is being recommended, knowing when to make the recommendation makes all the difference. Timing is everything in upselling.

• Appetizers and Starters: Train servers to suggest appetizers as soon as drinks are delivered so they have the best chance to offer more suggestions during the open window of opportunity.
• Wine Pairings: Wine pairings are typically perfect moments when guests are looking at the menu or when the server knows there is hesitation or curiosity.
• Dessert Opportunities: Make sure dessert suggestions come at a natural break in the meal—after the entrée or main course has been cleared and the next logical step is to ask for the dessert on the way to provide a sweet ending. Experts argue that the phrase “so you can” is a powerful sales tool. 

For example, when selling dessert to go, ask guests if they're full. If they respond positively, follow up by asking whether they're heading home or to a show after dinner. Then, suggest a specific dessert “so you can” enjoy it later without being too stuffed for the show.

4. The "Power of Three" Method

The balanced approach to structuring recommendations is in groups of three which caters to a range of guest preferences.

• Three Specific Options: Present three alternatives: one classic, one premium, and one with an innovative twist. The “good-better-best” approach, means that guests can choose depending on their budget and what their appetite is at that moment.
• Price Anchoring: Employ the three options and make the mid-range option the best value. This is a very subtle way of bringing guests to the more profitable choice, without making them feel too pressured or overwhelmed.

5. The Guest-First Approach

The concept of upselling is dependent on understanding and responding to the cues of the guest. The guest’s experience should always be catered to first by the servers.

• Read Guest Cues: Train servers to be aware of subtle body language and verbal hints. A lingering guest who is unsure or taking too long with the menu might be open to a good suggestion.
• Personalize Suggestions: Whether it is a business breakfast, a family dinner, or a romantic date night, make sure you communicate to a guest in a personalized form and offer a tailored menu.
• Occasion Matching: Align the upsell with the guest’s mood and the context of the visit. Another example would be to give an idea of a celebratory dessert for birthdays or anniversaries.

6. The Pairing Strategy

Pairing complementary items can enhance the overall dining experience and increase the check size significantly.

• Complementary Items: Pairing with (side) dishes, (appetizers, or) beverages that make sense ‘next to’ the main. For instance, you can recommend that the diner who will be enjoying a seafood dish pair it with a crisp white wine or a craft cocktail that specifically goes well with a spicy entrée.
• Wine and Cocktail Pairing Phrases: Equip servers with a repertoire of pairing phrases, such as “This cocktail’s citrus notes really bring out the flavors in our grilled salmon.”
• Enhance Side Dishes: Motivate restaurants to enter into truffle, caviar, and other premium upgrades for premium dishes that may be included in the service.

7. The Value-Add Technique

Upselling isn’t just about increasing the total bill, it’s about giving a dining experience perceived value.

• Highlight Portion Sizes: Give the guest a heads up that this dish is a winner when it comes to providing generous portions, leaving a warm and fuzzy, which could be great for sharing or possibly taking the leftovers to go.
• Emphasize Premium Ingredients: When recommending a higher-priced item, try to stress the natural ingredients, and where they come from.
• Experience Enhancement: Describe specifically how the add-on/upgrade will make the meal a more memorable experience, something worth the extra cost.

8. The Cross-Selling Technique

Upselling focuses on improving the meal experience; cross-selling moves from enhancing the meal order to suggesting other items that go well with the main order.

• Expand the Meal: Ask the servers to mention the items, such as appetizers, desserts, or even after-dinner drinks which come naturally with the guest’s order.
• Bundling Recommendations: People like value for their money and having the option to reduce the price point by increasing the number of items they buy, appeals to their sense of social value.

Common Upselling Pitfalls to Avoid

Even with the implementation of the best strategies, bad practices can drain your upselling efforts. Knowing these will allow your servers to adjust their approach to being aware of these:

• Being Too Pushy or Scripted: Overly rehearsed lines or aggressive recommendations can be too pushy and can alienate guests rather than entice them.
• Suggesting Items Blindly: Reading the guest and getting to know their likes is necessary; suggesting items randomly without considering their preferences will only result in a bad experience.
• Focusing on Price Instead of Value: When we focus on Price instead of Value, we risk leaving out the upsell and making the suggestion feel cheap, low quality, and obvious.
• Missing Key Timing Opportunities: It is also important to know when to offer suggestions so the dining experience is not hampered.

Transform Upselling Training with Xenia

The art of upselling doesn’t just happen by accident —it takes deliberate training, tracking, and reinforcement. Digital tools like Xenia therefore come in handy when allowing its users to use existing training methods in a dynamic, engaging, and practical learning mode.

Quick-Start Digital Implementation

Xenia is a mobile-first, micro-learning platform specifically for the food business. With our training module focused on TikTok style, short (60-second) videos, the focus has shifted to creating valuable content that quickly translates long training into bite-sized lessons that are engaging and digestible. 

By using this modern approach every server, whether they are a beginner or experienced,  is able to absorb the key upselling techniques on the go.

• Engaging Content: Create short, dynamic training videos for each up-selling technique in terms of engaging users. Take the example of a video explaining the ‘Menu Knowledge Method’ by explaining how to talk about premium ingredients and preferred dishes in a way that goes with the restaurant's SOPs.
• Consistent Training Across Locations: Xenia makes it possible for these micro lessons to be available across all your restaurant locations, meaning that every server is getting the same high-quality training no matter which restaurant they work in.
• Real-Time Updates: Maintain current training materials by updating the module as the menu changes or new upselling techniques are created.

Daily Training Routine

The way providing quality services becomes second nature to your service team, and upselling must similarly become a part of the daily routine. Our platforms' pre-shift micro lessons and real-time practice sessions with instant feedback support this.

• Pre-Shift Micro-Lessons: Start each shift with a quick review of featured items or upselling techniques. This could be a 60-second video focusing on a particular technique, such as the “Power of Three” method or the “Guest-First Approach.”
• Instant Feedback: During shifts, use Xenia’s digital tracking and reporting features to monitor performance. Real-time feedback helps servers adjust their approach and refine their technique immediately.
• Scenario-Based Training: Role-play scenarios, which bring up real-life situations, allow servers to simulate reading cues and make recommendations promptly. This hands-on training gives it a practical hand with theoretical knowledge.

Measuring Success

To truly understand the impact of your upselling training, it’s essential to track key metrics and set realistic goals.

• Revenue Metrics: Watch for alterations in average check and upsell conversion rates. If you implement upselling well enough, there will be an increase in revenue.
• Guest Satisfaction Scores: Assessing whether the recommendations made them feel the dining had been enhanced by the guest satisfaction surveys and feedback.
• Server Performance: Keep track of each server’s performance to find out whom to reward, as well as struggling servers that could benefit from some additional training.
• Digital Reporting: This enables you to use digital tracking tools to get actual data on training completion, improvement of performance, and the overall impact on revenue. Such a data-driven approach will continuously improve managers’ upselling strategies and enable them to tailor training to special needs more easily.

Conclusion

Effective upselling in restaurants is not just a skill, it is a strategic asset that turns the dining experience and can increase revenue significantly. To ensure success, restaurant managers have to invest in comprehensive upselling training.

This includes deep menu knowledge, personal recommendations, the right timing to ask, and digital training tools like Xenia that help to bring out the best of upselling in their servers.

To enrich every guest interaction, servers can use tried and tested methods such as the “Menu Knowledge Method” and the “Cross Selling Technique”, saving customers from ever feeling a sales pitch. Avoid making basic mistakes and focus on value, timing, and personalization. In doing so, your team will raise the average check and create loyal guests along the way.

Ready to optimize the upselling skill of your servers? Learn about what our digital training platform has to offer you in the consistent implementation of these strategies at every location. 

If you want to learn more and drive higher revenue, better guest satisfaction, and a stronger bottom line for your restaurant, schedule a quick demo today.