Although the main focus of restaurants should be on their services and meals, adding more revenue streams can help them become more profitable and aid during turbulent times. One of the most popular additional revenue streams for food service businesses is to sell restaurant merchandise. This can also help their restaurant marketing efforts by improving customer loyalty and providing additional brand awareness. In order to sell restaurant merch successfully, business owners need to invest time and money in picking the right products and sales channels. In this post, we’ll share some restaurant merchandise ideas and how food service businesses can benefit from this approach to guarantee restaurant success. If you operate a coffee shop, food truck, or another similar business in the food service sector, you can also benefit from selling branded merch.
Key takeaway: Selling restaurant merch can add an additional revenue stream to food service businesses. It can also increase their brand awareness and help restaurant customer acquisition.
What Is Restaurant Merchandise
These are branded products sold by food service businesses or given away as part of marketing campaigns. Thanks to merch goods, businesses can improve their customer loyalty and turn the interaction between customers and the restaurant into an experience. Restaurant merchandise can come in various forms. Apparel products like t-shirts, hats, and aprons are the most common types. However, it’s important to sell merch that is in line with your brand identity and goals. For example, an eco-friendly restaurant can sell products made of natural materials with a focus on sustainability. On the other hand, a coffee shop can sell branded accessories such as manual coffee grinders or reusable to-go mugs.
Benefits of Selling Restaurant Merch
There are many reasons why restaurants should consider selling branded products. Let’s examine the main ones.
- This adds an additional revenue stream and makes the business more diversified;
- Restaurant merchandise promotes the brand and increases brand awareness;
- These goods can be bought not only by customers but also by their friends and family and used as gifts;
- Having restaurant merch has the potential to improve customer loyalty and satisfaction;
- Selling branded products can also help a restaurant promote its brand across eCommerce platforms like Amazon;
- Apparel, utensils, cookbooks, bottle openers, and other traditional examples of restaurant merchandise can be purchased at wholesale prices. They usually have a low cost of goods sold and can be very profitable;
- Restaurant merch can boost other marketing channels such as email marketing, social media, and eCommerce.
Restaurant Merchandise Ideas
Food service businesses that wish to sell merch should focus on products that fit their brand image. Below are some examples of the most popular categories of restaurant merch.
Apparel
Naturally, this is the most popular category of merch products. Companies in various niche markets might sell branded t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and other pieces of clothing. When it comes to restaurant merchandise, there are other suitable options as well. Food service businesses can sell branded aprons, oven mitts, or chef hats.
Tools and Equipment
A barbeque restaurant can sell branded utensils or other tools used to grill. On the other hand, a cafe can offer merchandise such as mugs or coffee-brewing equipment. When selling tools or equipment as branded merchandise, keep in mind that the quality of these products is important. Poor quality can be associated with negative brand experiences.
Cookbooks
Foodies and cooking enthusiasts often have a couple of cookbooks with their favorite recipes. Restaurants can sell cookbooks that include recipes of their most popular menu items. In order to follow the latest technological trends (see our post on restaurant technology trends), restaurants can also create eBooks and use them as part of their digital marketing efforts.
Sauces, Dips, Marinades, and Other Types of Condiments
Eateries can sell their most popular or iconic sauces or other condiments. Keep in mind that, as food products, these items are more strictly regulated compared to selling branded t-shirts.
Tableware and Supplies
This category includes mugs, glasses, cutlery, and other tableware used by restaurants. Eateries can purchase branded wholesale restaurant supplies like napkins or to-go cups and sell them on their website or through other sales channels.
Stationery Products
Stickers, magnets, and other varieties of stationery products come at a low price and can be very profitable. As branding is very important in the food and beverage industry, small and cheap stationery items can be included as freebies in every order or as part of other promotional activities.
Other Revenue Streams for Food Service Businesses
If you want to build a recession-proof business or increase the profitability of your food service business, adding merchandise inventory is just one of the ways. Here are some ideas for additional revenue streams.
- Catering services;
- Selling meal kits and DIY boxes;
- Participation in festivals, fairs, and other events;
- Organizing classes, workshops, and cooking events;
- Wholesale sales of sauces, baked goods, or other food products sold in bulk;
- Creating online content on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok;
- Renting out restaurant and kitchen space during off-hours.
Frequently Asked Questions about Restaurant Merchandise
BlueCart is a platform that connects specialized and broadline distributors with other businesses. As such, we aim to help companies in multiple sectors. From tips on how to combat restaurant inflation to advice about proper restaurant inventory management, there are plenty of resources available on our blog. Let’s examine some common questions regarding sales of restaurant merchandise.
What Are the Main Types of Merch?
Although merchandise is commonly associated with categories such as t-shirts, hats, and mugs, there are other types of merchandise that businesses can explore.
- Gadgets and accessories like phone cases or power banks;
- Books (including eBooks) that are related to the business and its niche;
- Household essentials such as towels and home decor;
- Everyday items like water bottles or kitchen utensils;
- Stationery items such as stickers, magnets, calendars, or posters;
- Specialized products related to the niche. For example, a restaurant business can sell cookbooks, cookware, aprons, glassware, and more.
What Are the Cons of Selling Restaurant Merchandise?
Although there are dozens of benefits to selling merchandise as a food service business, there are drawbacks as well. A big reason why not all restaurants sell such products is the fact that this requires additional inventory and storage space. Furthermore, losing focus on the primary revenue stream of a restaurant can lead to poor customer service. Offering restaurant merchandise also leads to additional operational costs such as managing product deliveries, answering additional customer questions, ordering merchandise from manufacturers, and more.
How to Find Merchandise Suppliers?
When it comes to finding suppliers of different goods, most companies consider factors such as quality, price, flexibility, and customer service. A high-end restaurant might choose a supplier that offers excellent quality even if the products come at a higher price compared to other suppliers. On the other hand, a fast-food business may opt for a more affordable option. When choosing a manufacturer or distributor of restaurant merchandise, make sure to also consider their expertise in product design and their reliability as a vendor.
BlueCart: From Wholesale Food Products to Restaurant Merchandise
If you’re looking for reliable wholesalers for your restaurant business, BlueCart’s marketplace is the right platform for you. Thanks to BlueCart, businesses in the restaurant industry can find distributors in various fields. Furthermore, our tools also allow food service companies to track their wholesale orders and inventory. Suppliers can also benefit from the features of our wholesale ordering software in many ways. From easy order management and invoicing to seamless creation of eCommerce catalogs to help boost B2B sales, BlueCart is the all-in-one tool for wholesalers.