When it’s designed strategically, a retail food & beverage counter can be a major source of revenue for your store. People need to eat and drink at all hours of the day and night, and quick, affordable food and beverage options are appealing. Whether you are catching a busy mom running errands in the middle of the afternoon, a weary trucker pulling an all-nighter, or a hurried businessman on his early morning commute, you are guaranteed a constant stream of customers IF your food & beverage station is optimized to meet their needs.
So how is your food & beverage counter measuring up?
After 30+ years in the retail service industry, we’ve learned the in and outs of high-performing food and beverage stations. We know what works and what doesn’t, and we’ve compiled a list of strategies guaranteed to help you get the most out of your food counters and coffee bars. In this blog, we’ll lay out ten of the most impactful strategies you can implement and explain why each one works. We’ll also include tips for how to successfully make each change.
Let’s jump right in! Here are the top ten features that consistently boost food & beverage island sales:
- Ensure 360° Access & Visibility
Why It Works:
When you create a 360° display, customers can see high-margin products and make selections from every angle. This strategy not only encourages impulse buys, but also increases foot traffic, directs customer flow, and maximizes efficiency as it allows more shoppers to be at your food & beverage station at the same time without having to wait.
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Keep product displays below eye level for easy visibility.
- Create an open line of sight to high-margin items.
- Install Bright, Clean Lighting
Why It Works:
The right choice in lighting highlights top-priority products, signals freshness, and creates strong visual appeal. There’s a popular saying that goes “We eat with our eyes first,” and this is true whether you’re eating out at a nice restaurant or grabbing an on-the-go meal at a convenience store. Bottom line: when something LOOKS great, customers are more likely to buy it.
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Install LED lighting under shelves and over key merchandise areas.
- Note: LED lights are a fantastic choice because they are cost-effective, last a long time, and provide an attractive quality of light.
- Utilize Clear, Smart Signage
Why It Works:
Good signs inform, attract, and prompt quick decision making in your customers. They’re a powerful in-store marketing tool, telling shoppers at a glance what you have for sale and convincing them that they need to buy it. Investing in quality signage is a great way to meet customers’ needs efficiently and increase basket size!
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Use high-contrast fonts on your signage.
- Be transparent and clear about pricing.
- Offer and prominently feature promotions.
- Update regularly to retain interest.
- Create Cross-Merchandising Zones
Why It Works:
Cross-merchandising is a retail strategy that places related products together on a display or close to one another in order to increase basket size. Utilizing cross-merchandising allows you to create a more efficient shopping experience for customers as they don’t have to hunt through your store to find what they need. It also encourages impulse buys by playing off classic associations.
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Think through your inventory and determine what customers are most likely to purchase together.
- Examples may include donuts + coffee, wraps + cold drinks, fruit + yogurt, hot dogs + beverage, etc.
- Use promotions to upsell!
- Embrace Grab-and-Go Efficiency
Why It Works:
Nowadays, shoppers are busier and more impatient than ever. People are used to getting what they want immediately, and they’ll grow frustrated if they have to spend a long time in your store. This makes it less likely that they’ll return in the future. Remember this: speed is king! Stocking a wide variety of grab-and-go merchandise guarantees that customers can move in and out of your store quickly. Also, the easier it is to grab, the more people will buy.
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Use open-front coolers, angled shelves, and minimal packaging friction for easy access and self-service.
- Implement Sanitary & Clean Design
Why It Works:
We said it earlier, we’ll say it again: “We eat with our eyes first.” Customers won’t buy food from a place that “looks” dirty. Prioritizing cleanliness and sanitation puts shoppers at ease, making it more likely that they’ll purchase today and return in the future.
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Choose countertop and cabinet materials that resist staining and allow fast wipe-downs.
- Train your employees to clean regularly to avoid unsightly messes and to show customers that you take cleanliness seriously.
- Note: stainless steel is an excellent choice if hygiene and sanitation are top priorities for your business.
- Feature Deal Zones or “Hot Spots”
Why It Works:
People love a great deal! By emphasizing deal zones or “hot spots,” you can draw shoppers to spotlight areas and prime them for upsells. This promotes impulse buying and increases basket size.
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Keep things fresh and encourage customers to return regularly by rotating deals daily/weekly.
- Use color or height changes in your displays to visually differentiate “hot” zones.
- Use Tiered or Modular Shelving
Why It Works:
Both tiered and modular shelving maximize product visibility, especially at eye and hand level. As a result, you control what you want customers to see and when you want them to see it by guiding their eyes across the display in a logical sequence. This is useful for directing foot traffic through your store, encouraging impulse buys, and highlighting high-margin items and promotions.
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Utilize adjustable tiers to vary height and keep displays looking full.
- Incorporate Digital Menu Screens or Touch Displays
Why It Works:
While it’s true that incorporating technology into your food & beverage station is a financial investment, it’s one that definitely pays off. We live in a society that is heavily dependent on tech. By upgrading to digital menu screens and/or touch displays, you’ll modernize the look and feel of your store. These features also speed customer choices and allow dynamic updates, streamlining service and moving people through your space more efficiently. All of this results in increased customer satisfaction, and satisfied customers are more likely to come back and shop again.
Tips for Effective Implementation:
- Use tech to promote LTOs (limited time offers), combos, or upsell prompts.
- Prioritize Frequent Restocking & Fresh Rotation
Why It Works:
Have you ever been in a store that obviously struggled to stay well-stocked? If your store is poorly stocked or your merchandise looks old, customers will leave and they won’t be back. In contrast, when displays appear full and fresh, it creates strong visual appeal, prompting shoppers to purchase more now and come back again later.
Tips:
- Train staff to “face” and rotate stock regularly.
- Keep displays clean and clutter-free.
Key Takeaways
- Customer flow matters. Ensure that foot traffic is being guided through your store in a logical, efficient sequence.
- Capitalize on in-store marketing: place bestsellers at the front, high-margin items at eye level, and impulse buys near the checkout.
If you’ve been reading this list and have realized that your food & beverage station could use some work, we’re happy to assist. Whether you need help sketching out an optimal layout, sourcing equipment recommendations, or deciding on a branding strategy, our experienced retail service team is here to offer guidance and support. Let the DisplayMax experts design a food & beverage station that holds up to daily use, attracts more customers, and ultimately increases your sales.
