3-minute read ---
The market for specialty beverages has grown tremendously in the last several years. From demand for non-alcoholic mocktails for the health-conscious drinker, milk teas and boba shop mix-ins for teens and young adults, margaritas, dirty sodas, and more, the segment continues to expand through creativity. As a result, more restaurants are beginning to expand their specialty beverage options, especially operations in the quick service space, to compliment finger food appetizers such as chicken wings, garlic fries, dumplings, rice/grain bowls, and salads.
Here are 5 reasons to consider adopting specialty beverages in your operation:
1. Generate Traffic with Happy Hours (Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic)
Happy hours are a profitable strategy to attract both new and returning customers to a restaurant or bar environment. By offering discounted specialty beverages during specific times, operators create a lively and appealing atmosphere that can become the social center during a particular night of the week.
Here are 5 reasons to consider adopting specialty beverages in your operation:
1. Generate Traffic with Happy Hours (Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic)
Happy hours are a profitable strategy to attract both new and returning customers to a restaurant or bar environment. By offering discounted specialty beverages during specific times, operators create a lively and appealing atmosphere that can become the social center during a particular night of the week.
Happy Hours increase customer traffic
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But happy hours are not limited to bar menus, 21+ environments, alcoholic drinks, or even a specific time of day. Especially when schools are out for summer or vacation days, in addition to expanding a happy hour menu to include non-alcoholic mocktail options, local family-friendly, quick service, and sit-down restaurants can generate traffic with family-friendly specialty drink happy hours:
Happy hours not only increase foot traffic but also boost food sales as customers often order appetizers and small plates to accompany their drinks. This dual increase in beverage and food sales can significantly enhance the business’s revenue during off-peak hours. During warmer months, promoting discounted refreshing drinks can effectively draw customers into your dining environment. |
2. Prevent Theft and Increase Sales with a Required Beverage Feature
Implementing a policy where customers are required to purchase a beverage with their meal can prevent theft and boost overall sales. By ensuring every transaction includes a drink, restaurants can increase their average order value and reduce instances of customers sharing beverages or bringing in their own. This strategy not only secures consistent revenue from beverage sales but also encourages customers to try the specialty drinks on the restaurant’s menu.
Implementing a policy where customers are required to purchase a beverage with their meal can prevent theft and boost overall sales. By ensuring every transaction includes a drink, restaurants can increase their average order value and reduce instances of customers sharing beverages or bringing in their own. This strategy not only secures consistent revenue from beverage sales but also encourages customers to try the specialty drinks on the restaurant’s menu.
Require beverages to enhance customer satisfaction and your bottom line
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The Aldelo Express Required Beverage feature offers an innovative solution for restaurants aiming to prevent theft and increase sales by requiring wait staff to add a drink to each entree before adding another ticket item. This helps to mitigate the risk of employees forgetting to charge for drinks, which is a common source of revenue loss in the food and beverage industry. In addition, enforcing this requirement helps prevent employees from distributing “free” drinks in exchange for higher tips, prevent customers from claiming they did not receive a beverage, and boost sales by encouraging customers to try new drinks or purchase a specialty beverage.
Additionally, the Required Beverage feature streamlines the ordering process by prompting staff to include drinks with meals. This reduces errors and improves order accuracy, leading to higher customer satisfaction and repeat business. It also helps in maintaining consistency across all orders, ensuring that every customer receives the same high standard of service. This valuable tool not only enhances customer satisfaction by offering a more complete dining experience, but positively contributes to the restaurant's bottom line. |
3. Attract More Customers Across Multiple Demographics
Specialty beverages have broad appeal across various age groups and lifestyle preferences. Mocktails cater to health-conscious individuals and those who prefer non-alcoholic options, while creative milk teas and boba drinks are particularly popular among younger demographics. By offering a diverse range of beverages, restaurants can attract a wider customer base, from families and teens to professionals and seniors, ensuring a steady stream of patrons from the local community and beyond.
Specialty beverages have broad appeal across various age groups and lifestyle preferences. Mocktails cater to health-conscious individuals and those who prefer non-alcoholic options, while creative milk teas and boba drinks are particularly popular among younger demographics. By offering a diverse range of beverages, restaurants can attract a wider customer base, from families and teens to professionals and seniors, ensuring a steady stream of patrons from the local community and beyond.
4. Leverage Loyalty and Rewards
Incorporating specialty beverages into a loyalty program can significantly boost customer retention and repeat visits. Offering points or rewards for beverage purchases encourages customers to choose your restaurant over competitors. Special promotions, such as double points on new or seasonal drinks, can create excitement and drive traffic during slower periods. Reward customers with specialty mix-ins, upgrades, toppings, or discounts. This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also builds a loyal following of customers who regularly return to try new offerings.
Incorporating specialty beverages into a loyalty program can significantly boost customer retention and repeat visits. Offering points or rewards for beverage purchases encourages customers to choose your restaurant over competitors. Special promotions, such as double points on new or seasonal drinks, can create excitement and drive traffic during slower periods. Reward customers with specialty mix-ins, upgrades, toppings, or discounts. This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also builds a loyal following of customers who regularly return to try new offerings.
Manage drinks and tag-along items with Aldelo Express
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5. Easily Manage Mixed Drink Modifiers and Tag-Along Items with Aldelo Express
Aldelo Express, a modern point-of-sale system, simplifies the management of complex drink orders and modifiers. Whether it's customizing a milk tea with various toppings or altering a margarita with different flavors, Aldelo Express ensures that each order is accurately processed, tracked, and delivered. This efficiency reduces wait times, minimizes errors, and enhances the overall customer experience. Additionally, the system's robust inventory and back-office reporting tools can track ingredients and “tag-along” items (such as utensils and straws), helping users optimize inventory purchases and identify popular drink trends. The result is more efficient inventory management and effective marketing efforts. By integrating specialty beverages into your menu, you can drive traffic, increase sales, attract diverse customer groups, build loyalty, and streamline operations. These benefits make specialty beverages a valuable addition to any food service operation looking to stay competitive and meet evolving consumer preferences. |
Automatic Happy Hour Menu and Pricing with Aldelo Express and Masa+
With seamless data synchronizations across in-store terminals and web-based Masa+ solutions, restaurants that use Aldelo Express AI Menu Item Prediction, AI Menu Builder, Matrix Menu Builder, and Global Price Changer solutions make menu updates simple and fast. Users easily adjust in-store and online digital menus to include non-alcoholic drinks and specialty beverages, enhancing their restaurant with limited-time online menus or fully digitizing their operation with digital ordering and payment solutions. Users can set Happy Hour menu items and prices to automatically activate by the day of week and/or time of day.
Learn more by contacting an Aldelo representative today at [email protected] or 925-621-2410
With seamless data synchronizations across in-store terminals and web-based Masa+ solutions, restaurants that use Aldelo Express AI Menu Item Prediction, AI Menu Builder, Matrix Menu Builder, and Global Price Changer solutions make menu updates simple and fast. Users easily adjust in-store and online digital menus to include non-alcoholic drinks and specialty beverages, enhancing their restaurant with limited-time online menus or fully digitizing their operation with digital ordering and payment solutions. Users can set Happy Hour menu items and prices to automatically activate by the day of week and/or time of day.
Learn more by contacting an Aldelo representative today at [email protected] or 925-621-2410
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Restaurants that use ultra-competitive Aldelo Pay or Aldelo Partner Merchant Services obtain access to a Centralized Multi-Store Restaurant Technology Platform that includes Masa+ Online Ordering, Unlimited Software Releases, Unlimited Software Upgrades, and 24/7 Technical Support! *** Please contact an Aldelo representative today for more details, including a free Aldelo Express POS demo trial [email protected] | 877-639-8767 | [email protected] |
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