How to Sell More Food and Beverage

The Fundamentals

The goal of menu merchandising is make the guest happy, not to try to sell them what they don’t

want.

Start with these basics:

• Too many managers try to change the way people act without first changing the way they think

• Teach your team how little you make before you teach them to sell more

• Teach them WHY we sell before you teach them what to sell and how to sell. This poster might help:

Show Them the Money!Poster Available at Sullivision.com

Product Knowledge is the foundation of effective menu merchandising

It is better to know it and not need it than to need it and not know it.

It starts with cleanliness, always.

You sell more in a clean restaurant, clean tabletops, clean Drive-Through window areas

The 4 Customer Expectations

• Cleanliness• Friendliness• Accuracy• Speed (in QSR and Fast-Casual Operations)

There are three types of selling:

1. Up-Selling (“Would you like a LARGE Coke?”)

2. Cross-Selling (“Would like to try a combo; you get medium fries and a Coke for only $1.70 more!”)

3. Re-Selling: (“Be sure and come back to see us again, and thanks for coming in today!”)

Habitual Consistency is the key to selling more

Suggest Your Best to EVERY Guest

Let customers Sample bite-sized portions of your menu items

Think of it as “try-vertising”

Make sure your team members sample bite-sized portions (in pre-shift meetings) of the

items you want them to sell

Have them practice describing the items at the pre-shift so they don’t “practice”

on the guest!

Use the SULLIVAN NOD

Whenever you suggest an appetizer, entrée, sandwich, dessert or beverage you want to sell, SMILE, and very

slowly nod your head up and down when you make the suggestion. Your customer will nod right back with you

and take your suggestion! It works on headsets too!

Model the Way

Teams will do as much (or as little) as their managers lead them to do. If they don’t see managers suggestive selling,

odds are they won’t either.

Sales Contests • Have a visible scorecard/scoreboard for

the team relative to their sales efforts and results

• Reinforce sales results everyday in the pre-shift meeting

• Use creative shift sales contests like “The Floating Ten,” “Bingo,” and “Team Poker” to boost sales (you can find the particulars on these contests in a Print article in the Sullivision archives called “Cool Server Sales Contests”)

What you reinforce is what you get, what you don’t reinforce is what you lose.

Always recognize and/or reward the sales efforts of your team members. Encourage those that aren’t having success and help coach them. Get the people who are doing well with sales share their best ideas with the others.

How to Sell More

• Cleanliness, Friendliness, Speed and Accuracy• Consistency: Suggest your Best to EVERY Guest• Use the SULLIVAN NOD• Sample, Upsize and Cater• Model the Way• Practice: Focus on the Selling Opportunities before each

shift • Teach your team how little you make before you teach

them to sell more