How to increase restaurant gift card sales in 4 simple steps

Gift card marketing is a powerful tool for scaling your restaurant’s revenue and profitability.

Skip the article and turn takeaways into action by scheduling a call with our team.

Increase sales and customer frequency

As a restaurant owner, we’re always looking for new ways to boost revenue and keep customers coming back for more. But what if I told you that you’re underestimating one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal: gift cards? By leveraging gift cards in the right way, you can not only increase revenue and customer frequency but also build a retention strategy that guarantees customers will return without advertising.

The four step strategy I’ve created to scale gift card sales won’t increase your workload or create overwhelm and can be executed in minutes a day. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Make it easy to buy

The first step in executing the process is to make sure that you have a system in place for selling gift cards in your restaurant and online. Customers should be able to walk in and purchase a gift card as easily as ordering a food or beverage item. Make sure everyone on your team knows exactly what to do to keep the process frictionless.

Step 2: Set a monthly target for gift card sales

Once you have a system in place for selling gift cards, it’s time to set a monthly sales target. Personally, I recommend a target of $2,000 per month or $500 per week. This is a great place to start, and you can adjust the target as you see fit.

Step 3: Create a “win-win-win” scenario

The third step is to create a “win-win-win” scenario for you, your team, and your guests. The strategy here is to sell gift cards in-house and to incentivize everyone involved to do so. 

To start, find out what motivates your team to sell gift cards to every single table. Simply ask them and they’ll tell you what will motivate them. Then, find the right hook for your patrons. In my experience, a 10-15% discount will do the trick. 

Now, you have a system that benefits everyone involved. You make more money, your team gets a reward, and your guests get a discount.

Step 4: Craft a sales pitch for your team

The final step is to create a sales pitch for your team. For the most part, this is already done for you. It’s just about relaying the information. At the conclusion of the meal, the server or bartender should check in on the guests and ask if they enjoyed everything. Once the guest has confirmed that they did, the employee can then make the pitch. 

Here’s an example pitch that one of my clients used to sell thousands of gift cards:

“We’re running a gift card promotion this month, and if you buy a gift card of $50 or more, you get 15% off the gift card. It’s also part of an in-house competition we’re running, and the server that sells the most gift cards gets a free laptop for school. If you plan on coming back, I’d love for you to get the discount and to help me win the laptop.” 

What kind of monster could refuse that offer? It’s a no-brainer.

This promotion translates to tens of thousands of dollars in sales and guarantees increased customer frequency. You can run the program as often as you like and you’ll scale sales without spending a dollar on advertising.

Pulling it all together

Using this simple strategy is a common-sense way to scale sales, inspire your team, and dramatically boost customer frequency and loyalty. By making it easy for customers to buy gift cards in your restaurant, setting a monthly sales target, creating a win-win-win situation for everyone involved, and creating a sales pitch for your team, you can increase revenue and keep customers coming back for more. So, what are you waiting for? 

Be sure to click below to download the template that walks you step by step through creating your marketing masterplan.

Want a simple way to level up your restaurant operations? Yelp Guest Manager, a software solution that allows customers to check themselves in, handles waitlists and reservations, and much more. 

Restaurants that start using Yelp Guest Manager experience up to twice the traffic on their Yelp Business Page.* Get a demo today!

Fill out the form to get Josh’s gift card sales strategy template