How to increase lunch sales: venues with weak lunch trade
What the answer looks like
Illustrative output on sample data
Illustrative example: how Lexi answers this for a downtown restaurant group with five venues. It compares lunch and dinner covers from POS, and uses reservation and payment data to find dinner guests based nearby.
- Includes venues where lunch is under 25% of weekday covers.
- Includes dinner guests with two or more visits in six months.
- Includes guests whose home or work address is within a mile of the venue.
- Excludes guests who already come in for lunch.
What the data shows
Two venues qualify. Their nearby dinner regulars number 1,640, and most of them book weekday dinners.
What it means
These guests already like the venue and pass by at lunchtime. They have simply never been given a reason to come in.
What to do
Send them a weekday express lunch menu with a booking link, and track lunch covers for four weeks.
Want me to push the 1,640 guests to Klaviyo?
Why it matters
Lunch fills a dining room that rent and staff are already paying for. Pairing your weakest lunch venues with dinner guests who live or work nearby gives you a warm audience for a lunch push, which usually converts better than advertising to strangers.
Frequently asked questions
How can a restaurant increase lunch sales?
Make lunch fast, predictable and easy to book. Offer a short express menu, a fixed price that suits a work break, and online ordering for pickup. Then promote it first to dinner guests who live or work nearby, who already know and like the venue.
Who should a restaurant target for lunch?
Start with existing guests based near the venue, such as dinner regulars whose office or home is close by. They already trust you, so a lunch offer is a small step. Office workers nearby who have never visited come next.
How do you know if a lunch promotion worked?
Compare lunch covers and average check for the weeks of the promotion with the weeks before, and check how many lunch guests were new to lunch. Check that dinner covers held steady, which confirms the lunch gain is new trade.