Personalized Menu Recommendations: How AI is Increasing Average Spend Per Customer
Every restaurant wants customers to spend a little more. A few dollars extra per diner makes a big difference at the end of the month. Artificial intelligence (AI) achieves this goal by recommending dishes customers actually want. It learns their tastes, remembers what they enjoyed last time, and suggests complementary items to make each meal more satisfying—and more profitable.
Here’s how I’ll explain this:
-
How AI learns what your customers really want.
-
Effective ways AI upsells dishes customers will love.
-
How restaurants using AI see higher customer spending.
-
Why these methods work—and how to apply them with Hospitality AI.
1. AI Learns What Your Customers Really Want
Humans like feeling understood. A server who remembers your favorite wine or dessert makes you feel special. AI does the same thing, but for hundreds of diners at once. It records past orders, tracks menu interactions online, and notices patterns humans might miss.
For example, one pizza restaurant found its customers regularly ordered pepperoni pizzas with garlic knots. Instead of guessing, the AI system recommended garlic knots automatically every time someone ordered pepperoni pizza online. This simple recommendation increased average online orders by over 15%, compared to previous sales without AI.
2. Effective Ways AI Upsells Dishes Customers Will Love
Customers often overlook items they'd genuinely enjoy. AI solves this by suggesting relevant additions at exactly the right moment. If a customer regularly chooses vegetarian dishes, the AI won't recommend the steak special. Instead, it might suggest adding a seasonal salad or roasted vegetables.
Another tactic AI employs is anchoring—showing diners a slightly higher-priced item first, making the next choice seem more affordable. For instance, diners browsing desserts online might first see a premium cheesecake. Next to it, the slightly cheaper chocolate mousse appears like a great deal. AI systems that use this technique help restaurants consistently increase dessert sales by 10–20%.
3. Restaurants Using AI See Higher Customer Spending
AI-driven menu recommendations consistently increase average checks. One casual dining restaurant implemented AI recommendations in their ordering app. The restaurant found customers spent 12% more per order than before they began using AI. Diners didn't just order more—they enjoyed their meals more because recommendations were tailored specifically to their tastes.
Additionally, AI learns quickly from every order. If it sees diners consistently ignore a recommended dish, it stops suggesting it. Over time, the system hones its suggestions, becoming increasingly accurate and profitable.
4. Why These Methods Work—And How to Apply Them with Hospitality AI
People often don’t make decisions based on logic—they make them based on instinct, context, and timing. The smell of bread, the visual of a limited special, the phrase "people also ordered"—these small signals shape choices. Hospitality AI understands these behaviors and uses them to guide customers gently toward higher-value decisions.
This isn't about manipulating diners—it's about helping them make better, more satisfying choices. A customer who discovers a new favorite appetizer through a well-timed recommendation is more likely to return. A guest who feels understood is more likely to order again.
Hospitality AI takes the science behind what influences people and builds it into a system you can use daily. You don’t need to be a tech expert. You just need to connect your menu, your customer data, and your goals. Hospitality AI does the rest—recommending, testing, learning, and adjusting to grow your revenue without adding pressure or noise.
When restaurants use Hospitality AI, they’re not just adopting software. They’re embracing the psychology of how people choose—and turning that into profit, one dish at a time.
|
||
|
|