If your restaurant focuses solely on sit-down service, you are leaving money on the table. Takeout food is big business in the U.S., and whether you choose to advertise online or with printed business materials, boosting takeout service benefits your bottom line. It requires no wait staff, no table bussing, no cleanup, and no additional seating space. Below are some tips to help you boost your restaurant's takeout business.

3 Tips to Increase Your Takeout Service

1. Supply Printed Menus

Your menu should be your most important printed business material. Keep plenty of them on hand for distribution. That way, customers can call you from home so you can have their order ready when they arrive. It is also a terrific advertisement. Many people scan through their carryout menu file and choose whichever option appeals to them when they're hungry. Add yours to their collection by including a menu with every order. You can even add one to doggie bags from the sit-down side. Include them with your payments to suppliers for good measure.

2. Create a Dedicated Takeout Area

Direct all takeout orders to a "takeout window" or an area dedicated to carryout food service. Create a staging area for to-go orders, along with a separate cash register and order station. This helps you avoid confusion by keeping dine-in and carryout customers separate, it speeds up order fulfillment, and it lets visitors who may not realize you offer it know about your carryout service.

3. Offer Coupons

More than 90% of respondents said they would revisit a restaurant that offered discount coupons. To take advantage of this, offer a coupon or other discount that applies to your takeout service—and add it to the back of your menu. You can afford to drop prices a bit for takeout, since it increases turnover, reduces the amount of service required, and limits the amount of seating you need to provide. Be sure to track coupon effectiveness and adjust discounts or products as necessary to figure out what works most effectively. 

For menus, flyers, and other printed business materials to promote your business, contact Millprint LLC, an experienced printing company in Cincinnati, OH. They have served the tristate area for more than 20 years and offer everything you need to maximize business. They provide full-color printing of brochures, business cards, posters, and print media advertisements. Learn more about them from their website or call (513) 489-3000 to arrange for menus and other printed business materials.