Upselling in a restaurant: what it means and how it works online
Updated October 20, 2026
Upselling means suggesting something that makes an order worth more: a larger size, a better version, or an extra that goes with it, such as fries with a burger or a dessert after dinner. In a dining room the server does it ("would you like to make that a large?"). On an online or QR menu, the menu has to do it, at the moment the dish goes into the cart.
In short
- Upsell = trade up ("make it a large"). Cross-sell = add something that goes with it ("add fries").
- The goal is a higher average order value, not a pushier one: a suggestion should help the guest.
- Online, the best spots are the dish's own options, a "goes well with" suggestion when it's added, and a free-delivery threshold at checkout.
- On Menuthere you pick the dishes to suggest when an item goes into the cart, on every plan.
Upselling vs cross-selling
| Upselling | Cross-selling | |
|---|---|---|
| What | A bigger or better version of the same item | A different item that goes with it |
| Example | Medium coffee to large; house wine to a better bottle | Fries with a burger; naan with curry; a cookie with a coffee |
| Online, it lives in | The dish's sizes and options | Suggestions shown when the dish is added |
In restaurant talk both are often called upselling or "suggestive selling."
The arithmetic of a small upsell
A burger shop takes 1,000 online orders a month at an average of $18. It starts suggesting a $3.00 side of fries whenever a burger is added, and 1 in 4 burger orders take it.
- Extra revenue per order: 25% × $3.00 = $0.75
- New average order value: about $18.75
- Extra revenue a month: 1,000 × $0.75 = $750
If the fries cost $0.90 to make, the extra food cost is 250 × $0.90 = $225, leaving about $525 a month of gross profit from one suggestion. (Illustrative figures; your take rate will differ.)
Where upselling works on an online menu
- Inside the dish. Sizes and paid add-ons ("add bacon +$2") are upsells the guest chooses for themselves. See menu modifiers.
- When the dish goes in the cart. A short "goes well with" list of two to four items: a drink with a main, a side with a burger.
- At checkout. A free delivery threshold ("add $6 more for free delivery") gives a reason to add one more thing.
- With an offer. A BOGO or a free dessert above a set spend rewards bigger baskets.
Keep suggestions relevant: a dessert suggested with a dessert, or ten suggestions on a phone screen, does more harm than good.
How Menuthere handles upselling
- Suggest dishes that go together. In the dish editor, Add recommendation lets you pick other dishes to suggest "when this one goes into the cart." Customers see them under a heading, "You will love pairing it with."
- Two-way by default. Suggesting a soda on the burger also suggests the burger on the soda; removing one removes the other.
- Your order. Arrange the suggestions with the up and down arrows. Any dish from any category can be suggested; two to four works best on a phone.
- Offers carry through. A suggested dish on a live offer shows its offer price with the usual price struck through.
- Sizes and add-ons are respected. A suggested dish with sizes or add-ons opens its options sheet instead of adding a default.
- Sold-out and off-hours dishes. A suggestion that is switched off shows greyed out and can't be added; one hidden by a schedule is dropped while it's outside its hours. See 86.
- On every plan, Free included. Help: suggest dishes that go together.
What it doesn't do: suggestions are picked by you, not generated from past orders, and Menuthere doesn't report how many suggested items were added. Compare your average order value in Analytics before and after.
Build "fries with that?" into your online menu. 0% commission.
Related terms
- Average order value: the number upselling moves.
- Menu modifiers: sizes and paid extras inside a dish.
- Free delivery threshold: a checkout nudge to add one more item.
- BOGO: buy-one-get-one offers.
FAQs
What is upselling in a restaurant?
Upselling is suggesting something that makes an order worth more, such as a larger size, a better version or an extra like fries, a drink or a dessert. Its goal is a higher average order value.
What is the difference between upselling and cross-selling?
Upselling is trading up to a bigger or better version of the same item, such as a large instead of a medium. Cross-selling is adding a different item that goes with it, such as fries with a burger. Restaurants often call both upselling.
What is an example of upselling?
"Would you like to make that a large for a dollar more?" is an upsell. "Would you like fries with your burger?" is a cross-sell. Online, the same suggestion appears when the burger is added to the cart.
How do you upsell on an online ordering menu?
Use paid options inside each dish, show two to four matching suggestions when a dish is added to the cart, and add a free-delivery or free-item threshold at checkout. On Menuthere you choose the suggested dishes for each item.
Does Menuthere suggest dishes automatically?
No. You pick the dishes to suggest for each item, and the pairing works both ways. Menuthere shows them when the item goes into the cart, on every plan.
Sources (1)
- Menuthere help: Suggest dishes that go together, updated 7 Oct 2026 (Add recommendation; "Suggest other items when this one goes into the cart"; "You will love pairing it with"; two-way; order with arrows; any category; no set limit, 2–4 best on a phone; offer price shown; sized dish opens size sheet; switched-off suggestion greyed out; scheduled-off dropped): https://menuthere.com/docs/menu/suggest-dishes-that-go-together (accessed 20 Oct 2026)