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How to increase sales at restaurants By Using WordPress

Apr 21, 2023

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You're incredible. The restaurant you run is thriving post-pandemic. You've proven your mettle and demonstrated a lot of grit and thinking in business. This is likely the reason you're there!

Costs are rising and a slowing economy could make some entrepreneurs put their heads in the sand, but you're different. It's your responsibility to be proactive and progressive in order to boost sales at your restaurant and keep business booming.

Learn how to set up your WordPress website so that you can directly accept orders without a third-party platform. You will also be able to take full control of your online purchases.

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

Read on to find out how to make the most of your WordPress website and profit from the membership movement that's taking the restaurant industry on the run.

What Tools You'll Need

If your website is just the place where you can post your menu and offer contact details for reservations, you've got a bit of catching up to do. But that's ok.

It just takes a few plugins and integrations to transform your WordPress website into a powerful selling tool, and to compete against large chains.

Best of all it's super simple with just a bit of inside information. You don't need a bunch of tech skills to pull this off.

WordPress and  and have made it simple for people who are not tech-savvy to operate their businesses online. It is not necessary to program.

Here are the tools that you need:

  1. WordPress: The most used content management system (CMS) running around 810 million websites.
  2. Easy Affiliate This is the "all-in-one" affiliate-related program software for WordPress

How to Increase Restaurant Sales Through WordPress

Step 1: Select the WordPress host and theme.

If you don't have an WordPress site (sorry, but the most popular websites like Wix and SquareSpace do not have all the necessary features) it's first time to pick a host.

When the domain has been registered you'll need to pick the WordPress theme for your restaurant.

Step 2: Install the Plugin

It is one of the most well-known WordPress membership and monetization plug-in for a reason. Its ever-growing library of add-ons and integrations makes it extremely flexible, which means you can create the ideal membership plan for your customers.

Learn how to install on wordpress

You can do:

  • tap into profit from a increasing trend within the industry of restaurants to offer subscription-based services which offer annual or monthly fees.
  • boost sales at restaurants through loyalty incentives or members-only discounts increase sales at restaurants through loyalty incentives or discounts for members onlyfor regular diners.
  • to create a network of valued and loyal customers.

It's not just big chains making use of subscriptions. We'll look in greater detail about how restaurants that are all kinds of sizes are taking advantage of their websites in order to design new membership services that are innovative.

Step 3: Add WPCafe and WooCommerce Plugins

It's been a long process to create an excellent menu, offer top-quality service and grow your customer base. What's the reason, then, that the third party platforms charge outrageous costs and commission rates?

DoorDash charges a whopping 30 percent for their complete marketing strategy. Even if you decide to choose to not participate in their advertising and pay the 15%delivery charge, your company is being promoted alongside those who are competing.

So you could refer your customers to these apps from third parties. Who's to say that you'll not lose to your competitors who are investing in marketing priorities?

Additionally, you're also in the hands of these platforms' changing terms and conditions.

With WPCafe it's easy to publish your menu. determine your hours of operation as well as the amount of reservations that are available, cancellation policies, and many more.

By utilizing WPCafe and WooCommerce You can keep your full autonomy and controlover your operations at just a fraction of the cost of hosted platforms.

Step 4. Upload Your Menu

Now it's time to add your menu items to.

In WooCommerce, under Products Upload Descriptions, include tags and categories for example, starter, main, soft drink, cocktail, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.

Additionally, you have the ability to upload images of your meals so guests will be able to view what you're serving them.

Step 5: Develop Customer Loyalty with a Membership Program

With everything you require to manage your restaurant on the internet without third-party system, it's the time to be creative and find ways to build trust with your customers.

This is a great statistic: a 5% increase in customer loyalty generates more than 25% growth in revenue.

It is important to keep the existing patrons to return.

 But customer loyalty is in a crisis.

Costs are rising and changing how consumers are feeling about their brands.

Below are a few not-so-happy statistics About a third (30%) of customers say the price hikes affect their confidence in the brands they trust, and 22% believe they feel their loyalties are declining.

Companies must find a way to create value (or at least perceived value) to the customers they serve. And membership programs are just one way to do it.

Through a membership program it is possible to reward returning customers with exclusive deals as well as online content. It is also possible to utilize your new website to increase cross-selling and upsell of food and drinks.

Stick around for suggestions and examples of profitable membership programs.

This type of arrangement provides steady and predictable income which just makes planning and budgeting a more simple.

Plus, if you offer different levels of membership members can upgrade their membership in the course of becoming more involved in your establishment.

This is all feasible and made easy with.

Step 6: Drive the Snowball Effect With Easy Affiliate

In the restaurant industry, improving customer loyalty has a secondary effect that increases the overall revenue: it draws more customers in!

Eating out is social. That's what makes restaurants different from, for instance, grocery shops. The majority of people seek out a top restaurant and share the experience with their friends, family, or partner.

This is why customers' loyalty is incredibly importantin the restaurant industry; Keep your customers coming to you, and they'll be bringing more and more people with them. Remain loyal to their guests and bring even more people with them.

Look at this it's what's known as the snowball effect!

Membership programs may increase the impact of snowballs. Offer rewards for bringing guests from your family or friends to restaurants, and also encourage them to enroll in the same membership plan.

So you're not just keeping customers who are regulars, but you're also driving new customers through the door.

 Affili-what?

An affiliate program is where individuals are rewarded by sharing their business's information with other people. Each "affiliate" receives an exclusive hyperlink to your site. If someone makes a purchase or signs up for membership by using your hyperlink, you may give them a reward!

Through Easy Affiliate, you can be rewarding your members for in bringing their family and friends to become members. How do you do that.

  1. Include Easy Affiliate's plug-in to your WordPress dashboard
  2. On the WordPress dashboard, navigate to the Easy Affiliate menu > Setting.
  3. Choose your Affiliates tab.
  4. In the area that states "Registration Typeat at the top, It says Registration Type at the top,select the Private option.
  5. Turn On the Auto-Add Affiliates feature so new members receive an affiliate link for your site.
  6. Click on the Advanced tab.
  7. Make edits to the Welcome emailto describe how it all works to your members.
  8. You can also select and modify the email that you send to affiliate salesto automatically send an email with, for example, an incentive voucher each time someone signs up by using the code.

Important: Easy Affiliate is designed to give affiliates an amount of money for each purchase made via their specific hyperlink. If you'd prefer to offer vouchers to customers who can be used in the restaurant, be sure that you change the settings as well as Ts and Cs to reflect this.

Ideas to Reward Members as well as increase restaurant sales

Offers to reward frequent diners by offering special Discounts

Remember, by keeping loyal customers sweet and loyal, you'll save cash in the end.

Discount high markup menu items

If you're concerned about squeezeing your margins already very tight Offer discounts on menu items with higher markups like beverages and food items.

Set minimum orders

You can also set the minimum order requirement (e.g. complimentary drinks if you spend $X on your main) in order to make sure that you're still benefiting from the deal.

Make a special happy hour only for members.

Or you could run only for members happy hour promotions for sales to increase during slow periods. Whatever makes sense for your business while still driving up perceived value for your customers.

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Make sure the house always is the winner!

Make a Plan to Increase Order Size

Having a restaurant membership program will give you numerous opportunities for increasing the sales of your establishment and also to cross-sell or up-sell products.

 It's the time to be strategically.

Explore ways you could utilize promotions from your membership program to get customers to spend more.

Another option is the use package or combo offers. A patron who usually only orders a main or soft drink of $20 could be lured by a combo deal with dessert and wine worth $28.

It is possible to make use of data from previous customers' purchases to target promotions based on the items they've bought previously.

In this case, for example, if your customer is accustomed to ordering the same dish when they come to your restaurant, you can offer them a discount on a wine that pairs well with the meal. Offer a discount on a higher-priced meal with an identical taste.

There's a chance that you'll find a new favorite, more expensive order that they'll continue to return to.

Create an exclusive online hub

A membership program doesn't have to be just about offers and discounts. It can also be a space where your clients feel respected and as a part of a community that is exclusive.

The installation setup process is quick and simple, and bbPress gives you access to an admin panel that is unified, where you can easily control and moderate forums.

The more value your patrons get from their memberships more they'll stay to your establishment. It's a win-win for both the parties.

Five Examples of Membership Programs that can boost sales at restaurants

1. Drink Clubs

Due to their higher markups, relatively low cost, and a high perception of value, drinks can be a good choice for offers and memberships.

Provide them with discounted drinks and guess which place they'll choose to dine out? at your establishment Of course.

Three examples of companies that center their membership programs around drinks:

 Cooper's Hawk Wine Club

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

Members get to take home 3 bottles of the restaurant's "wine of the month" along with tasting notes and pairing recipe.

The club can be chosen from wine clubs that are red, white, sweet, or variety wine clubs depending on their preferences. They can either enjoy the wine in-house with their meals or get them delivered.

Members also get access to many other discounts like a birthday bonus, 10% off carryout or catering and also discounts on wine-tasting events.

Cooper's Hawk also offers gift membership! A great option for those who love wine and corporate gift ideas. It's a great avenue for restaurants to grow their sales and to introduce new clients to their company.

Boris and Horton Coffee Club

East Village's first dog-friendly cafe has a subscription to coffee for a month.

The members get eight drinks a month (which would normally cost between $40 and $45) for just $25.

This membership program works particularly for small independent businesses with a solid community, like B&H's dog-loving customers.

 Panera Sip Club

Panera introduced an $8.99/month unlimited coffee plan in February of 2020, to great popularity. By July of the same the year loyalty membership had eclipsed 40 million.

Three years later, Panera has extended its selection to include a wide range of other hot and cold drinks.

In an interview of Fast Casual, Panera's chief branding and concept officer Eduardo Luz, explains the benefits of its free drink model:

"Subscription services can be considered table stakes in many other industries, and coffee was a product we saw fitting into that model for a better and economical alternative [...] in addition to providing the opportunity to earn recurring income."

2. Frequent Diner Member

With this membership model, diners purchase carte blanche access to specials and discounts. If more people dine in your restaurant, the more they can save and the more revenue you get from them - everybody wins!

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Everyone is a winner!

 Blood & Sand

At St. Louis restaurant Blood & Sand, members pay $15 for access to various discount coupons, such as:

  • Discount of 20% on their bills
  • 30% of wine for take-away
  • Complimentary sparkling wine and appetizer
  • New member sign-up bonus
  • Preferential table assignment
  • Midweek reservations with guaranteed bookings
  • Cocktails are complimentary each time you visit 10 times.

3. An Exclusive VIP Experience

In this type of model the members are charged a fee to be treated as a VIP. The idea isn't to create value for your members, so much as giving them an extravagant, luxurious, premium service.

 M Den

The M Den is located in London, Gaucho steakhouse and M restaurants have partnered the for the development of M Den, a private membership community with exclusive offers and invitations.

Their annual all-venue membership costs PS1000 (about around $1240) and comes with VIP benefits such as:

  • An invitation to The "M stands for Monaco" Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend race.
  • The bottle is personalized with a high-end spirit of their choice.
  • Exclusive Members Lounge access to events only once every year.
  • Guaranteed restaurant bookings and VIP line.
  • Unlimited Members Lounge access to five guests or more.
  • Four tickets to attend VIP events with sports celebrities.
  • Monthly networking parties.
  • Complete concierge services to help with travel, accommodation and events.

Members also get access to The Portal The Portal is the online portal that provides details of events coming up and other benefits.

4. Community-Supported Restaurant Memberships (CSR)

This is a fantastic solution for restaurants who are in the need of cash in the beginning. The principle is along the lines of GoFundMe or Kickstarter however, it is for establishments.

Patrons pay an upfront sum in order to exchange the exact amount (or even) in services and food over time.

Your business will benefit from an instant cash injection to fund things like refurbishments or expansions, and your patrons benefit from greater profits.

 Lenoir

Austin-based Lenoir restaurant gives patrons the opportunity to become part of their CSR.

There are 3 levels of investing:

  • A $1000 amount will give you $1200 to the account at their home.
  • The amount of $2000 will give you $2500 in the house account.
  • The $5,000 amount will grant the homeowner a house account of $3,000 for a 5-course, private all-inclusive dinner for 8 people either at your residence or the dining area ($3,000 value); 2 knife sharpenings for free, priority access to certain events and prior reservations.

5. Content Hub Membership

If your restaurant is well-established with solid branding and strong, authentic roots to its cuisine If you're a restaurant with a strong brand and authentic roots, then you've recipe to create an engaging web-based content hub that members can access.

Create behind-the scenes videos that feature recipes, cooking techniques, food stories, and pairing suggestions.

 L'Oca d'Oro

Also based in Austin The restaurant, L'Oca D'Oro, is a prestigious restaurant that boasts a strong connection and branding to the Italian dishes.

There are two subscription options available on their site. For those who love food, they can choose Fiore's Regional Pasta Club, priced at $90/month, while aspiring winemakers can opt for The Wine Share Club at $65/month.

Every month, members of The Pasta Club not only receive ingredients and pantry essentials They also have the chance to be immersed in Italian culture.

Members join Chef Fiore Tedesco on a tour of his favorite cities and the nations that inspired his cuisine, sharing stories and recipes as he goes.

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

We hope these examples will inspire you to design your own membership program which gives you a reward for loyalty, generates recurring revenue, and ultimately increases the number of sales.

Conclusion

We've demonstrated how to do it, you're now the next to learn!

Be sure to set up your website to take deliveries so that you're not in the hands of hosted third-party platforms. Take back control of your website through WPCafe.

It's time to be creative! Think strategically about which kind of membership plan works best for your restaurant, and then get the revenue going!

Here's a list of steps you need to take to increase restaurant sales on your website:

  1.   Pick a WordPress theme and hosting provider.  
  2.   Install the plug-in.  
  3.    Include WPCafe and WooCommerce plugins.
  4.   Download your menu.  
  5.   Increase customer loyalty by implementing the help of a program for membership.  
  6.   Get the snowball effect with Easy Affiliate.  

Have you come across an interesting program for restaurant members? Do you have any suggestions regarding how to boost restaurant sales with WordPress? Let us know via the comment section below.

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Revenues for your restaurant can be increased with your self-hosted membership program.