Waitstaff Sales Training – Windows of Opportunity

Knowing when to suggestively sell is just as important as the suggestion itself. Train your staff to exploit these windows of opportunity.

Beverage and Appetizer Window: After delivering a warm, friendly greeting, servers should suggest a beverage, mentioning at least two specific selections. Then, before leaving the table, it’s useful to plant the seed for an appetizer sale. A proven winner: “When I’m getting your drinks, take a look at our appetizer menu. The Nachos are my personal favorite.”

Wine Window: The best time to suggest and sell wine is after the entrée orders have been taken. After repeating back the orders to ensure accuracy and before leaving the table, servers can use the wine list as a sales prop, pointing out specific selections that will complement the meal but never pressuring the guests. The soft sell: “I’ll give you a minute to look over the wines and be back to take your order. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Dessert Window: The trick is to assume that guests want dessert, using sales dialogue that says “which one” instead of “are you interested?” Train wait staff to impart tempting words and phrases, followed by friendly persuasion: “Which one sounds good to you?”