Selling more appetizers can be a slam dunk to your bottom line. It’s a great way to promote items with good profit margins, increase check averages and encourage repeat visitation. With the right techniques and approach, your staff can prepare a winning game plan and succeed at selling more appetizers.
Make them shareable. Offer combo platters that several diners can share. This is a great opportunity for guests to try different items and indulge in smaller portions without feeling like they’ll spoil their meal. Plus, diners can also share the cost.
Train servers on Suggestive Selling. During pre-shift meetings, let servers try and taste the food. Let them know the ingredients and flavor profile. They’ll feel empowered with information to more likely to recommend and encourage the sale at the table.
Be creative. Classics like chicken wings and mozzarella sticks will always be fan favorites, but this is a great opportunity for chefs to put their creative stamp on these classics and develop signature items. Think unique flavors, fruit-based sauces and glazes or even different cooking methods for chicken wings. Tried and true mozzarella sticks get a refresh when wrapped with bacon and fried to cheesy perfection. Or cooked in a waffle iron until they’re crunchy and golden brown on the outside, served with salsa for dipping.
Use Social Media. Feature high-quality photos of your appetizers and post them on all your social media accounts, especially Facebook and Instagram.
Sampling. Have servers walk around the dining room with bite-size samples. Once guests have a taste, there’s a good chance they’ll want to get a complete order!
The team is ready to play, so now is the time to score with Sysco’s great lineup of time-saving products that make it easy to please consumers with no added stress on the kitchen.
According to Datassential, fried cauliflower is the #3 fastest growing item in the appetizer category, showing +131% growth over the last 4 years. Sysco Imperial Frozen Battered Cauliflower is made with tender florets and a savory coating for a unique appetizer or side. This product comes partially pre-fried for quicker preparation and cooks to a beautiful golden color for a great presentation. With a creamy texture and nutty, buttery flavor, avocados are a delicious, nutritious goldmine and continue to bask in the culinary spotlight. Sysco Imperial Breaded Avocado Slices feature perfectly ripe Hass avocado slices coated with a flavorful blend of citrus, black pepper, and tri-colored focaccia breading for a delicious crispy texture perfect for dipping in a wide variety of sauces. Sysco Imperial Wisconsin Cheese Curds are lightly breaded for an appetizing house-made appearance. Serve these cheese curds as a side dish, appetizer or as a snack. Both appetizers are easy to prepare with minimal time and labor. They go straight from the freezer to the fryer and need only minutes to cook. Another ready to cook product is Sysco Imperial Sweet Corn Nuggets. Made with sweet Grade A corn pieces rolled into a ball then coated in a crispy batter, these irresistible morsels can be deep-fried or easily baked in either a convection or conventional oven and ready in just minutes. And let’s not forget classic Mozzarella sticks. Sysco Classic Mozzarella Cheese Sticks.
Deliciously crispy and perfectly seasoned, these sticks are pre-breaded and ready to cook, cutting down on prep time and lowering your labor costs. Serve with marinara or any variety of dipping sauces for a great tasting appetizer or pair with other items to create a crave-able, share-able platter.
