21 Ways to Increase Restaurant Sales and Revenue (Updated Guide)

Running a restaurant is a massive responsibility that goes far beyond great food. It involves managing margins, staffing, and constantly hunting for new revenue streams. If you’ve been losing sleep over your bottom line, cutting costs isn’t the only answer—sometimes, you just need to sell smarter.

We’ve updated our guide with 5 bonus tips to help you navigate the modern landscape of hospitality. Whether you are a casual eatery or a fine dining venue, here are 21 actionable strategies to boost your restaurant sales and revenue.

1. Get Efficient with Restaurant Industry Tech

Staffing remains one of the hardest challenges in the industry. The solution isn’t always “hire more”—it’s often “equip better.” Using the right technology helps your existing team do more with less.

• Centralize Details: Use platforms that keep reservation and event details in one place so nothing slips through the cracks.
• Modernize the Floor: Implement QR code payments and Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) to reduce server friction.

Tripleseat Pro Tip: If you manage events via spreadsheets or sticky notes, you are likely losing leads. A dedicated event management platform captures inquiries automatically, so you never miss a sale.

2. Offer Signature Private Dining & Catering Packages

Customers are willing to pay a premium for convenience and “experience.” Don’t just offer a menu; offer an event package.

• Create Tiers: Offer Gold, Silver, and Bronze packages to cater to different budgets.
• Visuals Matter: Use professional photography for your event brochures.
• The Payoff: Venues that actively market private dining often see this segment contribute 30% of their total revenue.

3. Get a Handle on Your Restaurant’s Inventory

You cannot improve what you do not measure. With food costs fluctuating, real-time inventory visibility is non-negotiable.

• Smart POS Integration: Use a system that subtracts inventory as orders are placed.
• Low-Stock Alerts: Set automated warnings so you never 86 a high-margin item during a rush.

4. Optimize Your Menu to Make It Shine

Is your menu a cohesive brand statement, or a confused list of dishes? Menu engineering can passively boost profits.

• Highlight High-Margin Items: Place your most profitable dishes in the “Golden Triangle” (top right, center, top left) of the menu.
• Simplification: Remove low-performing items that slow down the kitchen line.
• Refresh Often: Update the menu seasonally to keep regulars interested.

5. Plan Themed Restaurant Events

Give customers a reason to visit on a slow Tuesday night.

• Partner Up: Collaborate with local businesses (e.g., a “Yoga & Brunch” event with a nearby studio).
• Ticketed Experiences: Try wine tastings, cooking classes, or live entertainment.

Tripleseat Pro Tip: Managing ticket sales for these events can be a headache. Use tools like Tripleseat Tickets to handle payments and registrations automatically.

6. Advertise and Engage on Social Media

Your social media profile is your new “front door.” It is often the first place a guest visits before they ever step foot in your building.

• User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage guests to tag you. Reposting their photos builds community and trust.
• Video First: Focus on Reels and TikToks showing “behind the scenes” kitchen prep to build appetite appeal.

7. Sell Branded Restaurant Products

Diversify your revenue beyond food and beverage.

• Bottled Goods: Package your signature BBQ sauce, house dressing, or cold brew.
• Merch: If you have a strong brand identity, T-shirts and tote bags serve as revenue sources and walking billboards.

Do you run a restaurant with your own beer or coffee? Package your product and sell it. 

8. Increase Speed of Service (Turn Tables Faster)

The more tables you turn, the higher your revenue. But speed shouldn’t feel “rushed.”

• Handheld POS: Equip servers with handheld tablets. This saves steps back and forth to a stationary terminal and can increase table turns by 15-20%.
• Pre-Bussing: Train staff to clear tables continuously so the final reset is lightning fast.

9. Add Online Ordering and Delivery Services

Convenience is king. If you aren’t available on the couch, you’re missing a demographic.

• Direct Ordering: While third-party apps are popular, encourage ordering through your own website to save on commission fees.

10. Train Staff on Suggestive Selling

Upselling isn’t about being pushy; it’s about enhancing the guest experience.

• Pairings: Instead of “Do you want a drink?”, ask “Would you like the Malbec? It pairs perfectly with that ribeye.”
• The “Add-On”: Suggesting a side of truffle fries or a topper can increase check average with zero extra effort.

11. Try Text Message (SMS) Marketing

Email is great (see tip #13), but texts have a 98% open rate.

• The Offer: “Show this text for a free appetizer tonight.”
• The Urgency: SMS is perfect for filling seats on unexpectedly slow nights.

12. Host Large Groups & Private Events

This is the “sleeping giant” of restaurant revenue. Large parties provide predictable revenue, lower labor costs (set menus = easier execution), and higher check averages.

• Design Versatile Spaces: Use curtain dividers or movable plants to create “semi-private” areas in your main dining room.
• Incentives: Offer a free champagne toast for bookings over 15 people.

13. Create a Restaurant Email Newsletter

You own your email list; you don’t own your social media followers.

• Consistency: Send a weekly or bi-weekly round-up of specials.
• Exclusivity: Give subscribers “first dibs” on holiday reservations or ticketed events.

Free Resource: The Ultimate Restaurant Holiday Email Strategy: Turn Inquiries into Bookings

14. Offer Pop-up Experiences

Capitalize on trends (like a specific TV show finale or a viral food trend) with limited-time pop-up menus or themed events. These create scarcity and “FOMO” (Fear Of Missing Out).

15. Focus on Guest Experience

Great food brings them in; great service brings them back.

• Personalization: Train staff to remember regulars’ names and favorite drinks.
• Recovery: How you handle a mistake is more important than the mistake itself. Empower managers to fix issues instantly.

16. Collaborate with Influencers

You don’t need a celebrity. “Micro-influencers” (local foodies with 5k-20k followers) often have highly engaged local audiences.

• The Trade: Invite them for a complimentary meal in exchange for a Reel or honest review.

17. Use Local SEO

Ensure you show up when people search “Best [Cuisine] in [City].”

• Keywords: Use specific long-tail keywords on your site (e.g., “Best gluten-free pizza in Austin” rather than just “Pizza place”).
• Google My Business: Keep your hours, menu, and photos up to date on your Google profile.

18. Run Contests & Giveaways

Boost engagement by asking followers to tag 3 friends for a chance to win a gift card. This exponentially increases your brand visibility to local potential customers.

19. Optimize for Mobile

Ensure your menu and reservation buttons are easily clickable on a smartphone. Frustrated thumbs lead to abandoned carts.

20. Analyze Your Data

Use your POS and Event Management reports to see where your money comes from.

• Identify Trends: Are Tuesdays consistently dead? That’s where your new “Taco & Tequila” promo goes.

21. Leverage Lead Forms

Make it easy for people to inquire about big parties.

• The “Lead Form”: Put a simple inquiry form on your website for parties of 12+. This captures their data (name, email, date) so you can follow up and close the sale.
• Use automation to respond to leads faster. Free Resource: [Download our Guide on Winning Event Business with Speed]

Ready to Drive More Revenue?

Dining for large groups is a moneymaker. These parties are too big for a regular table but not huge enough to buy out the venue. If you want to capture this business efficiently, you need the right tools.

Tripleseat helps you manage large groups, private dining, and catering without the headache.
Request a Demo Today