If you own a restaurant and are feeling financially impacted by Covid Lockdowns (many of you are forced to offer carryout only), here's 17 ways you can get cash circulating NOW.  

Before we get started there's two things we have to recognize.  The first thing is that we have absolutely no idea when these lockdowns will end.  This crap could go on for another year or more.  Yes, it is destroying (absolutely annihilating) economies.  So, the second thing we have to recognize is that we cannot wait for the government to offer more PPE (if you were even lucky enough to get it in the first place) and we cannot sit around and hope things get better.  YOU MUST MAKE CHANGES NOW OR YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING.  There is nobody who can save you, except for yourself and change.  With that in mind, let's get started:  

1. Push online ordering: "Order online and get a free large pop with each dinner purchase!", hell, give a free cookie with every single purchase of $10+.  If you're an italian restaurant how much do breadsticks cost you?  

2. Immediately get listed on Uber Eats and similar.

3. I would also look into what can I ship? Sites like GoldBelly.com created such an amazing way for restaurants to send their food all over the USA.

4. Loyalty Rewards program.  Check out Red Lobsters new rewards program.  It's super cool.  Loyalty Programs encourage repeat customers.  Heck, here at BigBrandWholesale.com we even use a Loyalty Program.  Last year (2019) we had given away over 5 MILLION loyalty points.  That may sound like a loss but our buyer retention is so much higher due to the Loyalty Program!  If you want to take a peek at how a Loyalty Program works, take a look at ours. Click the blue icon in the bottom of the screen that says Rewards on our site.  If you are using a cell phone you have to click the Menu Icon then scroll down to Rewards.  This program does cost us money but it's worth every cent. 

5. Check out Gold Belly.com!  I have no idea how much it costs to list your food on this site but my family has ordered through Gold Belly many, many times.   

6. Do you have anything that can be listed on Amazon? Do you have your own brand of BBQ Sauce?  Can you sell dried goods?  Even though I don't own a restaurant, I just bought a case of mayonnaise from Amazon for my warehouse staffs lunches.  I also purchased a case of chips.  Do you get items like this that you can sell: 

7. What about eBay?  The same items mentioned above can also be sold on eBay.  

8. Can you team up with another small business restaurant close to you? You are stronger together than dying individually. Can you make a joint menu and also offer free delivery with $50+ purchase (or something like that).  Can you put together a dried goods gift basket to sell for Christmas? If you can't team up with anyone, can you put together $25 and $50 little Christmas gifts that include a small gift card and some other stuff?   You can grab a 10 pack of clear gift bags that even comes with nice ribbons off Amazon for about $10:

9. Sell gift cards!  "Buy $100 and get $25 Free! The perfect gift for your mother and your boss".  

10. Offer lessons on cooking in live courses!  

11. Nail away at social media.  Social Media isn't just Facebook anymore.  SnapChat, Instagram, Twitter and more.  

12.  Make a G.Page (google page for your business) by visiting Business.Google.com.  It is FREE and helps people find you in local searches.  

13.  Structure Online Ordering.  I cannot tell you how much I LOVE ordering online.  The easier and faster you make ordering the more orders you will get!

14. Once your G.Page is set up you can easily run LOCAL Google Ads. VERY SIMPLE!  You can create the ads to target people within 5, 10 or 15 miles of your restaurant.  

15. Since everyone is locked down, offer family feasts that use up ingredients. "TODAY ONLY: Spaghetti Dinner for 4 + bread: Only $25, curbside pickup only! New blowout deal tomorrow!" - Now combine this with online ordering and a rewards program and you can easily see how this will increase your cash flow.  

16.  Have a mega deal every day, specific hours. In my prior life  (many, many years ago) the bar I used to work for did $4.99 steaks on Tuesdays (slowest day of the week). It came with corn and a slice of white bread. They would sell hundreds between 11am - 4pm. Often times the husband wanted the steak but the wife didn't, so she would order the $12 salad. They would both buy a $4 pop (or alcohol). Yes there were many people who only got the $4.99 steak and only came on tuesdays, but the bar bought the steak in such massive bulk that there was still profit. Carryout was an extra 75 cents per order (2 steaks = $1.50). Want a side of A-1 sauce? 75 cents. Two sides of A1 = $1.50.  Want to add mushrooms?  Grilled Onions?  How about some delish blue cheese crumbles?  Boom, another $3 per steak.  Getting a desert to go with your steak? $6 slice of cake.  The $5 steaks ended up coming to $10 - $15 per person.

17.  Speaking of promotions, offer a free appetizer with mailing list subscription or Loyalty Program signup.  Again, check out Red Lobsters program.  We offer "500 Loyalty Points" just for joining.  This is equivalent to a $5 off coupon.  This is a good amount for us to offer because, for the most part, the cheapest thing we sell is $24.99.