“No one should be shy about selling, trying to increase check averages, just because the economy is bad,” says Jim Sullivan, ceo, Sullivision.com. “Menu merchandising has to continue in some way, shape, or form – but this is the time to curtail ‘upselling.’ What’s called for now is ‘situational selling’ – assessing your guests, seeing what they’re in the mood for, and making suggestions that are appropriate.” Jim says that a critical component of this is the ability to “read” guests – especially in the first 10 minutes – noticing body language, asking open-ended questions, and using friendly opening banter to gauge expectations and timing. “Take the ‘experience order’ first,” he advises.

Tim Kirkland, ceo, RenegadeHospitality.com, agrees. “The original upsell 35 years ago – ‘would you like more fries with that?’ – sold a lot of French fries and became so successful that it is used to sell everything from supersized popcorn in movie theaters to extended warranties. Because consumers are bombarded daily, he says, they’ve gotten very good at recognizing “upsells” – and at saying “no” quickly. “Besides, the basic idea of upselling is flawed, because it is reactive,” says Tim. “It’s an attempt to sell after the customer has made a decision, rather than guiding the decision. I think it’s much more productive to get in ‘front of the sale’ by having servers think of themselves as personal shoppers, not salespeople, and have them focus on reading the guests, figuring out what they would like, and presenting several appropriate options.”

Jim Knight, senior director of training/development, Hard Rock Cafe, says they can add $150,000-200,000 in sales a year to a Hard Rock unit using these techniques. “We teach our front-of-the-house employees not to be pushy when encouraging guests to add on to their orders. For example, ‘Did you know we have mushrooms, which would go great with your burger?’” Jim says that while they’re always looking for ways to increase their check averages, they teach servers to recommend only relevant purchases – not to try to convert a burger order into a steak, which will only offend the guest. “We want our servers to be themselves, no matter how quirky they are, and to be constantly alert to ways to personalize the experience for the guest – not just say, ‘do you want anything else?’ We’re in an experience economy, and the customized experience is what everyone is looking for.”

Bill Becker, coo, LTP Management Group/Hooters of South Florida, has moved away from traditional upselling also. “Our segment – fast casual – is inundated with upselling. One hears the same jargon verbatim over and over,” he complains. In order to set his restaurants apart from the pack, he hired Tim to teach servers how to increase check averages through timing and vocabulary, and by “reading” the guest – using what Tim calls the 4 R’s (see below). Tim says servers should ask open-ended questions and answer guest questions specifically. For example, when asked, “What’s good?” the server should be specific, not simply respond, “Everything.” If it’s a hot day, he advises servers to lead by saying something like, “Boy, it’s a hot day today, who could use a cold beer?” – rather than “What do you want to drink?” Bill reports that servers are relieved not to have to say the same spiel over and over and they enjoy personalizing their service. “We feel that using this strategy we’ll be able to overcome the possibility of declining frequency and negative sales by increasing our check average this year.”

Tim adds that, in his opinion, the greatest opportunity for incremental sales is the undecided guest. “It’s the guest who servers often consider an inconvenience because he or she slows down the ordering process – causing the other guests at the table to worry that the server will disappear,” he says. “A server can often guide that guest to the right choice by starting a dialogue with, ‘How hungry are you tonight?’”

personalizing the guest experience: tim kirkland’s 4 r’s

reconnaisance: take a mental snapshot of who is at the table. How you serve four women dining vs. a family is different – the women may want to take it slow and linger, while the family wants to get in and out quickly.

regularity:find out if the guests have dined with you before. First-time guests need to know more than regulars; they want to know what dishes you’re known for, and regulars want to know what’s new.

reason: ask what brings guests in so you can get idea of timing. A couple going to a nearby movie vs. a couple on a date have a different time frame for dining.

rate: determine the most desirable rate of service – leisurely, quickly, etc. Rate is informed by the 3rd R, reason.

from: The Renegade Server: Uncommon Strategies for Making More Money in 21st Century Food Service, by Tim Kirkland, Indian Creek Press.