Hospitality Upselling: The Sides & Drinks Playbook

Start with the numbersLink

Do not begin by writing scripts. Begin with your P&L.

Identify items that can lift spend without adding significant labour or operational complexity. Focus on drinks with strong gross profit, sides that can be prepared alongside the main, and desserts already in production.

Calculate the value of a small improvement. If 20% of guests at a restaurant serving 500 covers a week add a £4 side, that creates over £20,000 in extra annual revenue. This is tangible money that pays wages and bills, not just theoretical percentages.

• Track average spend per head and per table
• Monitor side and dessert attachment rates
• Analyse drinks spend per cover
• Review gross profit by category

Choose the right itemsLink

Do not ask staff to recommend everything. That creates robotic service.

Select one priority item from each category: arrival drinks, sides or starters, desserts, and after-dinner drinks. Pick items that are profitable, available, and easy to explain. A good upsell suits the order and has a clear reason for being recommended.

Always check kitchen capacity before briefing the floor team. Extra demand is only useful if the operation can fulfil it without damaging ticket times or food quality. A side that takes 20 minutes to prep during peak service is not a good upsell.

Offer drinks before the orderLink

The first upsell moment happens before guests choose their food.

When guests arrive, they are in buying mode and expect a drinks question. Avoid broad questions like 'Would you like a drink?'. Instead, offer two clear options to remove friction, such as a guest pale ale or a classic gin and tonic.

When recommending wine, move guests from glass to bottle based on value or suitability. If two people are drinking white wine, mention that a bottle represents better value. Using food pairing, such as matching an Albariño with seafood, provides a concrete reason for the guest to consider the upgrade.

Pair sides with the mainLink

Make the recommendation while the main course is being chosen.

Do not leave sides to a vague question at the end of the order. Suggest specific additions that complement the main, such as garlic-roasted greens with a steak. The structure is simple: name the item, give the reason, and ask once.

The reason might be balancing a rich dish, popularity, or texture. Avoid listing multiple options, which can feel like a menu recital. Offer one relevant side per order and accept a decline immediately.

Make dessert a planned momentLink

Dessert is often lost because staff ask too early, too vaguely, or not at all.

Clear the plates, give guests a short pause, and return with a specific suggestion rather than asking a generic 'Any desserts?'. Mentioning that the sticky toffee pudding is made fresh today creates appetite and interest.

If a table is full, offer a smaller option like a mini dessert board to share. For items with longer prep times, like a chocolate fondant, mention the wait time upfront to handle objections before they arise. Pick one dessert to highlight rather than reciting the whole menu.

Train for knowledge, not pressureLink

Staff cannot recommend food they have never tasted.

Use short, 10-minute pre-shift briefings to cover specific items, timing, and phrasing. Role-play scenarios to help staff handle declines gracefully—an upsell becomes annoying when a decline is treated as an objection to overcome.

Set targets at a team level to avoid individual pressure that leads to unsuitable recommendations. Track attachment rates—such as side orders divided by main-course orders—to see if the process is working without distorting results with covers or price changes.

• Ensure your upselling strategy
• is backed by data — or book a free audit