If you are the owner of a restaurant, you know that the restaurant business can be extremely competitive. With lots of competition and rapidly changing customer demands and trends, it can be tough to survive and thrive in the restaurant industry.
One major factor to consider is keeping the balance between retaining old customers and acquiring new customers.
As with any goal, the easiest way to achieve them is by aiming at them head on. One of the best ways to meet this goal is to focus on selling appetizers, sides, and desserts, as chain restaurant Milky Lane does. Most restaurants will fail to think of appetizers and sides as important, instead they only pay attention to the main course, and everything else is ignored.
Letโs see how appetizers, desserts, and sides can be essential to your restaurants success:
Appetizers
Overall only 10-20% of people will focus solely on their main course without ordering any appetizers. However, over 70% of people will order at least one appetizer when at a restaurant, the remaining customers are on the fence and can fall on either side depending on the circumstances. This retains to the importance of ensuring you arenโt focusing solely on your main courses.
Apart from increasing profits by selling appetizers, there are other benefits of serving appetizers. Appetizers are small amounts of food that are served before the main course. They tantalise the customerโs taste buds, and it increases the appetite.
So basically, by selling the delicious appetizers, you are also increasing the probability of customers buying more food.
Sides
Sides are a food item that accompanies a main course meal. No meal is complete without a side dish. Would you enjoy a burger without fries? A roast without vegetables? Probably not.
Customers love to have side dishes, and if you, as a restaurant owner, fail to offer sides your customers will be less likely to come back again. Sides also contribute to balanced eating, as they usually are an addition of vegetables or salad; sides have the potential to make or break the meal.
When taking orders, itโs a good idea to let customers have the option to choose what they want as sides for their meal rather than having a set menu that they cannot change. However, you can suggest to customers what would go best with their meals.
Desserts
Desserts are an excellent way to increase the happiness of customers; There is nothing like seeing a customer leave with a huge smile on their face. Many restaurant goers love to see a delicious range of desserts on the menu from thick shakes to doughnuts.
Those who have a sweet tooth or children, are more likely to dine in your restaurant if you have a great dessert menu. Also, desserts containing fruit can make the desserts healthier for kids and it can also help customers to digest their food.
Some restaurant managers look at appetizers, sides, and desserts as any other item on the menu. However, they should be seen as the different courses for people to enjoy, and if you donโt have a separate place for them in your menu, the customers wonโt buy them.
I have been to a chain burger restaurant in Parramatta, and I absolutely fell in love with their menu. Burgers are the real hero of this restaurant, but sides, desserts, and cocktails are no less. They serve some unique sides and cocktails that perfectly compliment the burgers, and the Milky Lane desserts are the most epic way to end a meal.
๐ Making the prettiest damn drinks since 2016 with flavours to match - our June Special bevvy is waiting for you RIGHT NOW ๐
If you havenโt tried the Marvellous Creations Cola Fizz blocks, let us show you the way and break the seal with this EPIC creation showcasing alllll the deliciousness that this choccy holds. A lil bit cheeky and a WHOLE LOT naughty ๐๐๐
Drop a comment on this post for your chance to win a $100 voucher this Thursday ๐๐
Where can you get it? EVERY STORE but only for another couple of weeks - RUN DONT WALK ๐๐
#milkylane #chocolatelovers #cola #sweets #desserttime
๐ YOUR NEXT MILKY VISIT IS OVERDUE - WHAT ARE YOU MISSING THE MOST ๐
Date night, cocktails with the girls, birthday parties or just your weekly cheat meal, whatever it is we got you for the BEST Burgers, Cocktails, Desserts and much more ๐ญ๐ญ
Jump onto our website to get yourself a table or check for your closest location ๐
๐ Mi Goreng Spring Rolls W/ Special MG
Sauce /| Available Now - Booking Link In Bio ๐
With all the crazy hype around the New Specials rolling out, we can now move onto our INSANE June lineup which will blow your mind ๐คฏ๐คฏ
Savoury Spring Rolls are something NAUGHTY and DAMN these things are goooood - each perfectly wrapped piece of love is filled with seasoned and cooked Mi Goreng Noodles, served with drizzles of Sriracha, Sweet Soy, Fried Egg and our house made Mi Goreng Sauce ๐
๐
You know what to do and where to go ๐๐
#foodies #migoreng #springrolls #foodieofinstagram #burger
๐ฅ NEW JUNE SPECIAL - AVAILABLE NOW ๐ฅ
Say hello to your next obsession: Salted Caramel Crunchy Nut French Toast ๐คฏ๐ฅ
Golden, buttery French toast loaded with Crunchy Nut flakes, drippinโ in hot salted caramel sauce, served with a scoop of ice cream ๐ฆ and your own caramel shot on the side ๐ฎโ๐จ๐ฅ
Drop a comment on any post this week and you can win a $100 voucher given away this Thursday ๐ค๐ฝ
Only available this June at ALL Milky Lane stores โ donโt sleep on this one ๐
#monthlyspecial #MilkyLaneMagic #frenchtoastcrunch #sweettoothforever #crunchynut #desserttime #icecreamporn #
โผ๏ธ Name a better sound โฆโฆโฆ โผ๏ธ
Your next Milky Lane visit is overdue so round up the troops for juicy burgers and cheeky cocktails ๐คฏ
๐ Quad Pattie Weezy w/ Pure Dairy โHI MELTโ Burger Cheese
Special thank you to our partners at @puredairy_foodservice @theburgercheese for always delivering the BEST ๐ง๐ง๐ง๐ง
#smashburgers #cheeselover #burger #burgers #milkylane #foodgasm
๐ $12 BURGERS ๐ธ $12 COCKTAILS - WED 28TH MAY ONLY ALL STORES ALL DAY ALL NIGHT !!!!!
BOOK NOW TO SECURE A SPOT OR YOU MAY MISS OUT : Visit Our Website โ
Our FAMOUS burger day just got even BIGGER with $12 Cocktails now part of this HUGE day with MASSIVE savings to celebrate World Burger Day๐ฐ
Bookings are advised as these days have a big turnout ๐ฒ๐ฒ
Burgs : Milky Lane, both Weezys; ChicKanye, Post Malone, Big L, Triple Cheese n Onion, Beyondce (Big Poppa, Parmy & Kevin Bacon +$5)
Cocktails : Bondi Sour, Bubblegum Sour, Hubba Spider, Lychee & Passiona Mojito & Creaming Soda Spider
Let your crew RIGHT NOW ๐๐๐
Best Burgers, Indulgent Desserts and Tasty Cocktails โ all under one cool destination . Located at Newstead, Parramatta, Surfers Paradise, Elizabeth Quay, Curtin, Cairns, Currambine, Adelaide, Canberra, Orange,ย Bunbury & Karratha.
Milky Lane is #1 destination for great food & drinks, cool atmosphere, funky beats and old school street art.
Milky Lane Practises & Promotes the Responsible Service of Alcohol
ยฉMilky Lane 2025