7 ways restaurants can boost Super Bowl sales

What does this mean for restaurants? Surprisingly, it’s not always a touchdown. While delivery numbers continue to skyrocket, brick-and-mortar restaurants can get sacked. According to statistics, some restaurants see their business drop by nearly 20% compared to a normal Sunday. Some restaurant owners, specifically those who specialize in football faves like pizza and chicken wings, are generally immune to the drop.

The simple fact remains, people are excited to have a good time and watch the game. If you’re a business that wants to take advantage of the Super Bowl buzz, you’ll have to get creative in the hopes of increasing sales. Clover is all about providing tools to make businesses run smarter, faster and easier, and with these tips to increase sales on Super Sunday, your restaurant could score big even before the Big Game begins.

1. Think outside the restaurant

Many people want to be able to grab food and go home to watch the game, preferring not to deal with crowds–an even higher consideration during COVID times. So, bringing in a food truck to handle to-go orders is a unique way to bolster business, draw attention to your restaurant and prevent backups in the brick-and-mortar kitchen. Using a simple payment solution like the Clover Go gives businesses the ability to quickly accept payments and make lines move much faster.

2. Big game menus

Looking to spice up the menu for Super Bowl Sunday? Consider adding unique specials themed to the teams playing in the game. For example, this year’s contest between the Bengals and Rams could offer patrons a choice between Cincinnati’s unique chili or the L.A.-born French Dip. Sending a blast to your social media channels and email lists can help build excitement as people choose their team (and food) to support.

3. Game-day packages

Make it easy for football fans who want to have a restaurant-quality experience at home. Businesses can create meal kits that feature some of your top sellers that customers can purchase online and pick up in store, with simple cooking instructions or ready-to-eat ingredients. Using Clover Promos can help you reach a large audience quickly by sending the promotion to your customer list via email, text, and the Clover mobile app.

4. Make your place THE place

It doesn’t take much to have a fun Super Bowl party. All you need is good food and drink, some excitable people, and TVs. If you have the room, create a dedicated party area for the game. Bring in some extra TVs, have someone control the sound system, set up a basic squares contest, and give your waitstaff the ability to process orders efficiently with a handheld point of sale system like the Clover Mini.

5. Reward your customers

Everyone loves a deal, right? So take advantage of customers’ loyalty to your restaurant by offering them a Super Bowl special. Using Clover Rewards, you can create a game-day special–a free appetizer, $1 wings, half-price drinks during halftime–and have customers use their reward points to redeem it. This not only brings customers into your restaurant, it opens the door for them to purchase even more items.

6. Stay well stocked

As we noted, people enjoy eating and drinking during the Super Bowl. It’s imperative for any restaurant hoping to draw in a large crowd for the game to be prepared when it comes to their inventory. Clover’s enhanced Inventory app makes it easier to manage your menus, giving you an accurate view of all your items. Running low on a menu item? Pivot to a special on an item that’s well-stocked.

7. Have fun

While a Super Bowl Sunday crowd can be stressful, it’s important to have fun with the experience–so your customers do, too. When they go out to watch the Big Game rather than viewing it from home, people want a distinctive experience. Creating a festive atmosphere will go a long way. One fun idea is using the Happy Hour app to create a food or drink special for each quarter, giving customers something to look forward to as the game progresses.

To learn how a Clover can help you grow your sales all year long, contact a Business Consultant today.

Editorial Team

Holiday, Marketing, Run your business, Strategy

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