How to increase restaurant sales on Bolt Food

The food delivery industry is expanding rapidly — from 0,7 billion users in 2017 to 2,5 billion by 2027.

It’s not just the number of users that’s growing. More and more restaurants are joining food delivery platforms, and it’s easy to see why.

Food delivery apps like Bolt Food help restaurants reach millions of hungry customers and boost their sales.

In this article, we’ll show you how to increase restaurant sales and ensure that potential customers aren’t just browsing but actually ordering from you.

Ideas on how to increase restaurant sales

Cover photo

As users browse Bolt Food, one of the first things they see is the restaurant’s cover photo. It’s an initial customer touchpoint that can shape your brand’s perception. So, a high-quality cover photo is crucial.

Tips for your cover photo:

• Ensure the picture is of high resolution and looks clean.
• Feature popular or signature dishes to grab users’ attention.

Remember, first impressions count. With these simple tips, you can attract more people to explore your menu and potentially increase your revenue.

Menu 

When a new customer taps your cover photo, it’s a pivotal moment. 

Ensuring a smooth experience is crucial. Any complication might lead to a missed order. 

Here are key elements to focus on at this stage:

• User-friendly navigation: Organise your menu into clear categories like starters, mains, desserts, drinks, etc. Provide shortcuts instead of making customers scroll through endless options.
• Detailed descriptions: Customers appreciate details. Instead of a generic “cheeseburger,” list the ingredients to help users make up their minds.
• Dietary labels: Take advantage of Bolt Food’s menu labels like Vegan, Vegetarian, Lactose-Free, Gluten-Free, and more. People often rely on these labels to make decisions, so pay attention to them.
• Menu translation: While Bolt Food offers automatic translations, for maximum accuracy, consider manually translating the menu into the main languages of your market.

Nailing these details boosts order chances.

Food pictures 

As the saying goes, “We eat with our eyes”. The psychology behind visuals significantly influences our appetite, far surpassing the impact of plain text.

Food pictures evoke emotions and cravings, making them powerful tools for attracting customers.

But the menu pictures aren’t just about visual appeal. They should guide users through your portion sizes, serving aspects, and other details.

Food pictures help customers feel more comfortable, especially with exotic dishes.

We made a blog post about food photography, and here are some of the crucial points: 

• The most popular angle for food photography is 45° — roughly the angle at which we see food sitting at the table.
• Ensure the pictures represent the actual portion size.
• Use minimal, non-distracting backgrounds without patterns or contrasts.
• Photograph in natural daylight to avoid heavy shadows and warm tones.
• Choose a white balance of around 4500 – 5000K.

Read our blog post for more details. 

Bolt Food campaigns 

Getting a discount turns an expense into a bargain, leaving you confident in your decision. For example, according to a study, with a $10 coupon, people feel happier and more relaxed than those paying the full price.

The good news is that you don’t have to develop your own loyalty programme — run a campaign or set up a promotion on the Bolt Food platform to increase sales and customer loyalty.

You can run promotional campaigns by offering discounts:

• On all menu items.
• On specific menu items.
• On the delivery fee.

Based on our global data, restaurants participating in our marketing campaigns experience an average 30%–100% surge in sales. 

Bolt Food analytics

You can’t improve what you can’t measure. One of the best ways to get more restaurant orders is to understand your strengths and areas for improvement.

While measuring offline performance can be challenging, restaurants on Bolt Food have the advantage of accessing essential analytics to oversee and fine-tune their operations.

Through these analytics, you can track:

• New users
• Returning users
• Average order value
• Conversion — the share of users who placed an order after viewing your restaurant profile on the app.

💡Bolt Food also lets users leave ratings and comments about your restaurant, which we share with you. 

This feedback offers valuable insights into what customers enjoyed the most and what is yet to improve.

Keeping a close eye on these metrics and feedback will help you constantly improve customer loyalty and restaurant sales.

Promote your Bolt Food presence

With over 4.5 billion people using social media worldwide, most of your customers are likely active on these platforms. 

The data also shows that time spent on social media is increasing yearly, making it a perfect place for restaurants to connect with customers.

Use social media to your advantage. Inform your customers that you’re on Bolt Food or promote your discounts.

While many new customers discover your restaurant on Bolt Food, some of your offline guests might not know that they can order food from you online and get it at a discounted price. 

After signing up as a partner restaurant, you’ll get access to our professional templates to make your posts more appealing and attention-grabbing. It’s a simple yet effective way to ensure your customers stay informed and engaged.

Personal touch

There’s a surprisingly easy yet effective way to add a personal touch to your orders. Just write personalised thank-you notes on the delivery bags!

Handwritten notes positively and significantly affect customer spending. Because of the extra effort, you get a happy customer with a stronger connection and increased psychological closeness to your restaurant. 

To make it even more special, include the name and be creative to motivate your customer to share the experience with others.

Unleash your restaurant’s full potential

Bolt Food is a platform full of potential for partner restaurants, and these tips will help maximise that potential. And if you haven’t joined yet, sign up today and increase your restaurant revenue with Bolt Food!