Most restaurant owners know suggestive selling works but have no clue what it actually earns them per table. Your staff might be generating thousands in extra margin each month, or they could be pushing the wrong items entirely. Here's how to calculate the real numbers and stack the deck in your favor.
What is suggestive selling and why it makes money
Suggestive selling is when your staff actively proposes additional items to order: an appetizer, dessert, upgrade to a more expensive wine, or a side dish. The difference from menu design is that this happens personally and at the right moment.
💡 Example of impact:
Restaurant with 200 covers per week, average bill €32:
- Without suggestion: €6,400 revenue per week
- 20% of guests order €8 appetizer: +€320
- 15% of guests order €6 dessert: +€180
- 10% upgrade wine (+€4 per glass): +€80
Extra revenue: €580 per week = €30,160 per year
Calculate the margin impact per suggestion
Not all suggestions generate the same return. An €8 appetizer with 25% food cost yields more margin than a €6 dessert with 35% food cost.
Formula margin per suggestion:
Margin = Selling price excl. VAT × (100% - Food cost%)
💡 Example calculation:
Carpaccio appetizer €8.50 incl. VAT:
- Selling price excl. VAT: €8.50 / 1.09 = €7.80
- Food cost: 28%
- Margin: €7.80 × (100% - 28%) = €5.62
Tiramisu dessert €6.50 incl. VAT:
- Selling price excl. VAT: €6.50 / 1.09 = €5.96
- Food cost: 22%
- Margin: €5.96 × (100% - 22%) = €4.65
Measure and improve success rate
The success rate is what percentage of guests actually say 'yes' to a suggestion. This varies enormously by dish, timing, and staff member.
- Appetizers: 15-25% (higher with longer dining time)
- Desserts: 10-20% (depending on timing)
- Wine upgrade: 20-40% (if you have good alternatives)
- Side dishes: 25-35% (with meat/fish dishes)
⚠️ Note:
Measure this per staff member. Some are natural salespeople, others need training. The difference can be a factor of 3.
Combining with menu psychology
Suggestive selling works better if your menu is already psychologically well-designed. Staff can then capitalize on what guests are already considering. It's a pattern we see repeatedly in restaurant financials - establishments that combine both approaches consistently outperform those relying on just one strategy.
- Decoy effect: Put an expensive appetizer on the menu that nobody orders, but which makes the €8 appetizer seem reasonable
- Anchor prices: Start suggestions with the pricier item: "We have a beautiful beef tenderloin at €34 or our popular ribeye at €28"
- Bundling: "For €6 extra you get appetizer and dessert" (instead of separately for €8 + €6)
Calculate ROI of staff training
Training your staff costs time and money, but the ROI can be enormous.
💡 ROI example:
3 staff members, 4 hours training each:
- Cost: 12 hours × €15 = €180
- Improvement in success rate: from 15% to 25%
- Extra margin per week: €400
- Paid back in: €180 / €400 = 0.45 weeks
ROI: 2,083% per year
Track results digitally
Many restaurants don't track suggestive selling, so they don't know what works. With a POS system that registers this or a simple app, you can identify patterns.
Tools like KitchenNmbrs let you calculate the margin per dish precisely, so you know which suggestions yield the most. Then you can train your team to push those items especially.
How do you calculate the margin impact of suggestive selling?
Determine your current average bill
Add up your total revenue from last month and divide by the number of covers. This is your baseline against which you measure the impact of suggestions.
Calculate margin per suggestion item
For each item you want to suggest: selling price excl. VAT × (100% - food cost%). This gives you the profit per sold item.
Measure success rate per item
Track for 2 weeks how many guests say 'yes' to each suggestion. Divide number of sold suggestions by total number of guests × 100%.
Calculate total margin impact
Multiply: number of covers × success rate × margin per item. This gives you the extra profit per week from suggestive selling.
Optimize based on data
Focus training and energy on suggestions with the highest margin and reasonable success rate. Stop with items that score poorly on both.
✨ Pro tip
Track your top 3 margin items for 2 weeks and identify which servers consistently hit 25%+ success rates on suggestions. Their conversion patterns reveal the exact timing and phrasing that maximizes profit per table.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
Was this article helpful?
Frequently asked questions
How much can suggestive selling increase my revenue?
Well-trained staff can increase the average bill by 15-30%. For a restaurant with €500,000 annual revenue, this means €75,000-€150,000 extra revenue per year.
Which suggestions yield the highest margin?
Usually appetizers and side dishes, because these often have low food cost (20-30%). Wine upgrades also score well because the margin on beverages is higher than on food.
How do I train my staff in suggestive selling?
Teach them the margin per dish, so they know what to push. Practice timing (after ordering the main course) and natural phrasing without pressure.
Should I suggest all dishes?
No, focus on 3-4 items with high margin and good success potential. Too many options confuse both staff and guests.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
Engineer your menu for maximum margin
Menu engineering combines popularity with profitability. KitchenNmbrs gives you the data to strategically design your menu. Test it free for 14 days.
Start free trial →