Increasing your average order size can increase your profits. In today’s blog, the foodservice experts at McDonald Wholesale discuss what the average order size is and provide some restaurant menu ideas that can help increase your average order size.
What is Average Order Size?
Your restaurant’s average order size refers to the average dollar amount spent per table in a certain amount of time. The average order size formula is your total revenue divided by the number of tickets for a given time period. Here are some restaurant menu ideas that can help you grow your average order size.
Try a Food & Wine Pairings Menu
By pairing food and wine options together, you can encourage guests to order something they might not have otherwise. If, for example, your menu clearly states that your restaurant’s signature dish pairs well with a specific Pinot Noir, for example, people who were planning to order just the dish might be enticed to order a glass of wine or vice versa. But you don’t have to stop with food and wine pairings! Calling out which beers pair best with different appetizers and entrees can encourage people to branch out and help increase your average order size.
Include Substitutions & Additions
When it comes to restaurant menu ideas that help increase your average order size, including possible substitutions and additions on the actual menu can entice diners to upgrade their meals. If, for example, you have a salad that’s typically served without meat, you can include different meat options for an additional cost. You can also include options for common additions like avocados, bacon, or extra ranch. On online ordering systems, you can even include pop-up options for tempting appetizers and desserts. That way, anyone who orders the tacos sees that they have the option to order some chips and queso or churros to take their meal to the next level.
Highlight Your High-Margin Menu Items
All restaurants have high-margin menu items that earn them a higher profit than other items on the menu. One restaurant menu idea to increase your average order size is to draw special attention to these items on your menu. Not only should you place these items in the most visible spots on your print menu, but if you have an online ordering platform, you should include these items in a “Popular Menu Items” section. That way, they’ll stand out to your customers. You can even train your staff to suggest these items for customers when they ask for recommendations on what to order.
Looking for more restaurant menu ideas? McDonald Wholesale has you covered. Not only are we an independently owned and operated foodservice distributor in the Pacific Northwest, but we also offer restaurant menu analysis and development services to our valued customers. In the meantime, check out our restaurant blog, where we cover everything from how to promote new menu items on a budget to how to manage rising food costs.