Introduction
As veganism continues to gain acceptance and popularity, vegan restaurants are popping up all over the world. Many people are turning to veganism to make eating healthier and better for the environment, so it’s no surprise that vegan restaurants are becoming increasingly popular. According to recent statistics, the global vegan catering industry is expected to reach over billion by 2029, a CAGR of 8%.
So if you own a vegan restaurant, what can you do to increase your sales and profitability? This article will discuss some strategies you can use to increase the success of your vegan restaurant. Continue reading to learn more!
Differentiate curated menu offerings
Offering the same vegan fare of burgers, wraps, and salads might seem like a good enough vegan menu for a restaurant, but your customers will get bored quickly and won’t return customers. Differentiating your curated menu offerings can help keep customers coming back for more.
Adds value to the guest’s dining experience
Make your restaurant stand out by offering signature vegan items that can’t be found anywhere else. Create flavor combinations that keep your guests coming back and ensure they have an ordinary experience. Developing a unique menu can also build a stronger reputation for your restaurant and attract guests who want something unique.
Showcasing seasonal items to keep customers interested
Avoid the classic vegan menu and incorporate fresh and tasty seasonal selections. Colorado has summer dishes to taste, while South Florida will offer warmer, comforting appetizers in the winter. Tailoring your menu to the climate and season is a perfect way to keep customers interested in what you have on offer.
Offer take-out items for busy guests
Include plant-based takeout items on your menu that can be pre-ordered and picked up, such as soups, salads and sandwiches. This not only provides convenience for your guests, but also provides another stream of income for your restaurant. For example, if you sell 10 to-go items per day at an average of each, your restaurant can generate 0 in additional daily revenue.
Use Delivery Templates
Adding delivery to your vegan restaurant’s services can be a positive way to increase both sales and profitability. Delivery options provide customers with convenience and security during the pandemic. Delivery not only allows customers to deliver food right to their doorstep, but also allows your restaurant to collect customer data, target demographics, and preferences.
Creating an effective delivery option requires more than activating a delivery button on a website or app. Many restaurant owners miss out on the full benefits of delivery when they underestimate the effort required for successful delivery. Thus, it is important to focus on the following areas when updating delivery for your vegan restaurant:
- Research The different delivery models available, depending on your budget and your local competitors. Consider upfront costs, fees associated with delivery providers, and potential delays.
- Partner with food delivery companies. Investing in a delivery partner that brings a system of drivers, tracking, and order routing can help your performance on digital delivery platforms.
- Optimize delivery time. Make sure the customer gets their food as soon as possible to ensure a positive experience.
- Analyze customer data to target demographics, measure success and adjust menu offerings. You can regularly develop promotions and special offers to boost the frequency and loyalty of your delivery customers.
Delivery orders typically have a higher checkout size because customers typically order multiple items, including drinks and other extras. An added benefit is that delivery orders usually come with a gratuity. A survey by food delivery platform Food Flying, Inc., found that on average, customers tend to pay between 15% and 20% for deliveries. This combined with the fact that restaurant menus tend to have items that cost double their ingredients means that delivery can be a very profitable strategy with often little cost to the owner.
Let’s take a look at a sample profitability calculation based on delivery orders. Suppose the restaurant’s delivery order ticket size is , with a 5% online ordering fee and a 20% gratuity. With these numbers, the restaurant owner would cost per delivery order, before factoring in the cost of ingredients, operating costs, and delivery partner fees. The calculations are as follows:
- Order Ticket Size =
- Online order fee = 5%
- Calculation: ( x 5%) = .75
- Net ticket size: .25
- Bonus = 20%
- Calculation: (.25 x 20%) = .25
- Net ticket size: .00
- Net income =
Focus on customer service
In today’s competitive landscape, providing excellent customer service is essential to keeping a steady stream of loyal customers. This is especially true for vegan restaurants, where a direct connection between the customer and restaurant staff is necessary to create strong relationships and high levels of satisfaction. Customer service techniques can be divided into four main categories: speed of service, quality of service, product knowledge, and building customer relationships.
Speed of service: The average customer will expect to be served in a timely manner when entering a vegan restaurant. It is important to define clear process protocols and ensure that your staff are aware of them. Training and the development of best practices can help in this regard. For example, designing a kitchen layout in line with the customer’s flow or to provide staff with up-to-date recipe lists. Implementing a system or process that helps ensure orders are taken quickly, prepared quickly, and served quickly can help increase sales.
Quality of Service: Providing a quality experience goes beyond speed of service. Restaurant operators must refresh staff on the hospitality guide and have a customer-focused attitude. This includes activities such as smiling, greeting customers, being curious about their needs, checking in with customers to ensure their satisfaction, and offering assistance in other areas of the restaurant. This level of care using high quality ingredients and products can help create an impression of kitchen staff expertise, increase customer retention and in turn sales.
Product knowledge: Similarly, providing vegan options can be a real boon for restaurants. Rather than just offering general vegan options, staff should be knowledgeable about vegan diets and the food ingredients used to provide those options. Equip your staff with information on how to prepare food in the kitchen. Also, let them know the appropriate dishes to suggest to customers. Having this knowledge product can ensure that customers can buy vegan foods that they can trust and can even suggest them to others.
Customer Relationship Building: For a successful customer experience, it is imperative that vegan restaurant staff go above and beyond basic service guidelines and build rapport with customers. Developing relationships with customers is important for customer loyalty, so it’s essential that restaurant staff make their customers feel valued. Strategies such as customer feedback surveys and customer loyalty programs can help businesses build relationships with their customers, as well as understanding their needs and likes and dislikes.
Focusing on customer service can have big impacts on customer satisfaction, overall sales, and ultimately the profitability of a vegan restaurant. For example, a vegan restaurant owner could increase customer satisfaction ratings by 25%, leading to a 25% increase in overall sales. This could lead to a 5% increase in profitability.
Leverage Seasonal Marketing Strategies
Seasonal marketing strategies can be a great way to increase sales and profitability for your vegan restaurant. Taking advantage of changing seasons, holidays, and local events can increase your restaurant’s exposure and get people in the door. Here are some tips and tricks to help you leverage seasonal marketing strategies like a pro.
Plan Ahead – Before you start marketing seasons and holidays, plan ahead. Make a list of important dates, then create a marketing plan to target those events. Knowing what your promotion strategy is ahead of time will help eliminate last-minute scrambling.
Promote Individually – Create promotions or special events that target individual seasons, holidays, and local events. This can increase the restaurant’s visibility at different times of the year, improve your reputation as a vegan restaurant, and attract more customers.
Offer specials – Offering specials on popular dishes or menu items can be a great way to get people in the door. You can also offer special discounts for children, families or special events. Providing customers with incentives to visit your restaurant is a great way to increase sales and profitability.
Create Unique Dishes or Menus – By creating new dishes for each season, holiday, or local event, you can stay ahead of the competition and give customers something new to try. You can even create a special menu for the event that changes from season to season.
Calculate the impact – Calculating the impact of your seasonal marketing strategies is essential to understanding how they affect your restaurant’s sales and profitability. Track metrics such as number of new customers, repeat customers, check size, discounts used, and total sales to measure the impact of your campaigns. To illustrate, if you offer a 10% discount during the holiday season and total sales during that time increased by 20%, the discount had a positive impact on your business.
Leveraging seasonal marketing strategies can be an effective way to increase sales and profitability for your vegan restaurant. By planning ahead, targeting individual events, offering special offers and discounts, and creating unique dishes or menus for each season, you can maximize the impact of your promotions and increase your bottom line.
Syndicate a vegan lifestyle image
In today’s world of food, sustainability, health and wellness, consumers are more aware of the health benefits of eating vegan. A successful vegan restaurant should focus on providing a vegan lifestyle image and building a recognizable brand. By positioning your restaurant as a vegan establishment, you can attract more customers who are actively looking for vegan restaurants.
Here are some tips and tricks to help you attract more customers and increase your restaurant’s sales and profitability:
- Develop a brand identity – Create a unique name and logo to differentiate your restaurant from the competition. Focus on creating a recognizable brand that people can easily identify with.
- Design your menu items – Consider how your menu items display your vegan lifestyle image. Design your menu to showcase vegan options while still providing enough variety for different tastes.
- Set promotions – Offer discounts, promotions and special offers to attract more customers to your restaurant. Supplement these promotions with positive reviews on third-party sites, such as Yelp.
- Embrace social media
- Engage the community – Inherit vegan events like cooking classes and tastings. Engage the local community and partners to help spread the word and create a strong culture around veganism.
– Develop a presence on social media platforms to increase your brand awareness and inform potential customers of your vegan lifestyle image. Share vegan recipes, post behind-the-scenes photos and videos, and use influencers to help spread the vegan message.
By implementing these strategies, you can increase your restaurant’s sales and profitability. For example, if you offer a 10% discount on meals, it can increase sales by up to 15%. This is at no cost to you and should be included in your budget plans. To ensure maximum profit, be sure to adjust your menu prices accordingly.
When it comes to increasing sales and profitability, there are many strategies you can use to promote your vegan lifestyle image. By taking advantage of the tips and tricks outlined above, you can attract more customers to your restaurant and ultimately increase your sales and profitability.
Conclusion
Making your vegan restaurant profitable is all about creating a successful marketing strategy and providing excellent customer service. Your menu, marketing efforts, and customer service should all sync up and promote a vibrant image of vegan living. As the vegan lifestyle grows in popularity, investing in your vegan restaurant would be a smart move. Whether you’re making unique vegan dishes at your restaurant or focusing on seasonal ingredients, stick to the strategies discussed and you’ll be well on your way to making your restaurant a success!