What Are the Best Restaurant Merchandise Ideas?

Restaurant merchandise has evolved significantly in the last couple of decades. Gone are the days when restaurant merchandise used to be an afterthought. Nowadays, owners consider visual merchandising an integral part of their restaurant design and restaurant marketing strategy. After all, selling restaurant merchandise helps you strengthen your bond with your customers and generates revenue as well. More importantly, a well-planned merchandise corner in your restaurant instills curiosity among guests and can be a crowd-puller, especially during the festive season.

The idea of creating restaurant merchandise might appear a herculean task in the beginning. However, with plenty of e-commerce platforms and design services around, creating a brand image for your restaurant has never been more economical or easier.

What Are the Most Popular Restaurant Merchandise Ideas?

1. Branded T-Shirts and Sweatshirts

Big restaurant chains have a global brand value and strong connection with their customers, and apparels like T-shirts and sweatshirts are one of the most popular restaurant merchandise ideas. After all, clothes provide an identity to the customers. So, what better way to show allegiance than your customers wearing your restaurant T-shirt.  

2. Restaurant Cookbooks

If your restaurant has a famous chef or dishes, you can consider curating a cookbook that showcases your lip-smacking dishes. Even if you don’t employ a world-famous chef in your restaurant, you can still collaborate with renowned chefs to compile a theme-based set of recipes.

3. Sauces & Marinades

If people are raving about your sauces or other toppings, you can sell bottles of sauces and marinades to your regulars. Moreover, such bottles act as a great souvenir for your out-of-city guests who enjoy dining in your restaurant. These merchandises are extremely helpful for barbeque restaurants.

4. Mugs & Glassware 

Mugs and Glassware with the restaurant’s logo are one of the most hot-selling restaurant merchandise, especially for coffee shops and bars. More importantly, mugs and glassware are favorite gifting items during the festive season.

5. Tote Bags

Big restaurants worldwide have become a lifestyle brand for their customers. Capitalize the trend by offering merchandise like Tote bags. Why tote bags? Well, tote bags are probably the most practical and economical option for any diner. Further, you can consider natural materials having a minimal carbon footprint for your environmentally-conscious customers.

6. Wine Keys & Bottle Openers

Wine keys and bottle openers with your restaurant logo have a nostalgic effect on your customers. Consider adding a quirky phrase or an insider joke to connect better with your loyal and regular customers.

7. Gifts for Pets

Pet-friendly restaurants can go a step further by extending their merchandise for pets. For example, selling fashionable bandanas or leashes with your restaurant’s name or logo is a perfect way to connect with your customers and their furry friends.  

8. Hats & Beanies

During winters, beanies and hats are other restaurant merchandise ideas you can consider for your customers. As the temperatures drop below freezing point, you can sell beanies to keep your customers warm. Additionally, beanies are great for gifting, especially during the winter holidays.

9. Stickers, Flags & Banners

Since restaurants thrive on the local visitors, you can develop your brand around merchandise. Products like stickers, flags, banners, etc., that represent your locality or highlight landmarks give a sense of belonging to your customers. Also, such products double up as a perfect souvenir for tourists.

What Are the Advantages of Creating Branded Restaurant Merchandise?

1. Additional Revenue Stream

Restaurant merchandise allows you to generate an additional revenue stream. Sure, you would have to work initially in designing your products, finding partners, planning logistics, etc. However, once you have finalized these details, you only need to monitor your inventory and reorder before running out of stock. This passive, regular income can help tremendously in growing your business.

2. Reach More Customers

Typically, the restaurant business thrives on local visitors and has a limited customer base. Restaurant merchandise is a great way to increase the visibility of your business. For example, mugs with your restaurant logo are a great marketing medium to reach out to the family members of your guests. Similarly, you can connect with more customers across different cities or states by accepting online orders for restaurant merchandise. So, you generate revenue even from remote customers who would not be able to dine in your restaurant otherwise.  

3. Stay top of mind with your guests

Merchandise can be a constant reminder of your restaurant for your guests. For example, if someone owns a sweatshirt bearing your restaurant’s logo, it reminds them whenever they see it. Whether they wear it or it just sits in their closet, every time they look at it, it inspires them to revisit your restaurant.

4. Great up selling opportunity

Merchandise offers an unparalleled upselling opportunity in increasing your guests’ spending. For example, a sports bar can generate additional revenue by selling football jerseys or caps of the favorite club of your guests. Further, you can take upselling to a whole new level by adding personalized merchandise. For example, if yours is a fine-dine restaurant famous for romantic evenings or anniversaries, you can consider selling personalized wine glasses, photo frames, or mug sets for the couple.  

5. Customers become your billboards

Ever noticed how shoppers become a walking advertisement for stores by carryings shopping bags? You can use the same tactic to market your restaurant business in public. From t-shirts to hats, from car bumpers to bags, make customers become a walking billboard for your restaurant. With a quirky yet unique design, people might even create social media posts to make your restaurant popular and draw more customers. 

What Is the Most Important Merchandising Tool of a Restaurant?

A restaurant menu is perhaps the most crucial and often underused merchandising tool, and you must use it wisely. Since a customer typically spends 2-3 minutes scanning the menu, use it to impress them and cross-sell your products. A well-designed menu goes beyond only listing the dishes and entices customers with cross-merchandising products and menu items.

Customers seldom have any idea of what they want to eat in a restaurant. By combining relevant items together or offering combo-meals, you enhance their meals and prompt them to spend more as well. For example, a combo meal including a burger, fries, and soft drinks or juices is quite popular across the globe. Another classic example of cross-merchandising is the McDonald’s kids’ meal combo with a toy or action figure. Create a well-designed, attractive flyer for such combo offers and place them strategically on the restaurant tables to increase visibility.

How Do Restaurants Sell Merchandise?

Restaurant merchandise is a great way to connect with your customers, instill brand loyalty, and increase revenue. When it comes to merchandise ideas, the sky is the limit for finding creative products that can become a part of your customers’ lifestyle. So, as an owner, how can you plan best restaurant merchandise for your customers? Here are a few important things you should consider:

• Begin by profiling your customers to understand which items or products would appeal to them.
• Consider selling unique items to stand apart from your competitors.
• Collaborate and research with local businesses or vendors.
• Come up with quirky, fun designs.
• Check the quality of your restaurant merchandise.
• Price your products appropriately.
• Have an online store on your website to promote products.
• Promote your products through social media and email campaigns.

FAQs