Podcast Summary: Restaurant Strategy – "How to Increase Check Average with Dessert Sales"

Host: Chip Klose
Date: November 17, 2025
Episode Theme: How independent restaurant owners can use dessert sales to significantly increase their average check while still maintaining efficient table turnover.

Episode Overview

This episode addresses a contentious topic in restaurant management: whether servers should actively sell desserts to guests, especially in the face of common arguments about slowing down table turn times. Drawing from his 25 years of experience in the industry, host Chip Klose debunks the idea that focusing on table turns means you must skip pushing dessert sales, and instead provides a practical playbook for increasing average checks and turning tables efficiently.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Myth-Busting: "Don't Sell Desserts"

• Chip’s Position:

  • Dismissing advice against selling desserts as "100% bad advice."
    Quote:

    "Whoever is telling you not to sell desserts is wrong. It’s 100% bad advice. And I'm going to show you how to do it right." (00:00)

  • Data and a concrete plan are necessary before dismissing desserts as part of the sales process.

• Common Objection:

  • Restaurant owners fear that selling dessert delays table turn, preventing them from seating the next party and thus earning more.

2. Table Turn Times: The Real Issue

• Table Turning Happens Early:

  • The critical time for turning tables is the first 15 minutes of service, not the last 15 minutes when dessert would be served. Quote:

    "Tables turn in the first 15 minutes, not in the last 15 minutes. So if not selling a dessert for 15 minutes...is gonna make or break your profitability, you're already sunk." (06:04)

• Solution:

  • Set the meal's rhythm and pace at the very beginning to avoid guests lingering later.

3. The Power of Authority and Setting the Pace

• Greeting with Authority:

  • Servers should establish themselves as the leader of the table from the start, setting expectations for the meal’s flow. Quote:

    "A great server understands that greeting with authority brings confidence to the table and showing them that I'm in charge, that I am going to show you the best possible way to experience this restaurant." (08:40)

• Hosting the Experience:

  • The goal isn’t to rush but to guide guests through the meal efficiently and enjoyably.

4. Case Study: Increasing Check Average and Improving Turn Time

• Chip’s Track Record:
  • He consistently outperformed in check average ($18 higher per cover), and turned tables 15 minutes faster than the team average. Quote:

    "I sold $18 in extra check average...and my table turn times were about 15 minutes shorter than the average, meaning I could sell more and I could turn the table faster." (10:31)

5. Dessert as a Sales Engine, Not Just a Marginal Upsell

• Why Sell Dessert?

  • The true value isn’t the dessert itself, but the add-ons: coffee, espresso, dessert wine, after-dinner spirits. Quote:

    "I am getting the $12 dessert on the table so I can get the three $3.50 espressos, the $5.50 cappuccinos, the $18 glass of dessert wine or scotch." (15:02)

• Goal:

  • Not just $12 for a dessert, but $40–$50+ per table in additional sales.

6. Effective Dessert Sales Tactics: “The Turnaround” Playbook

• Step-by-Step Approach:
  1. Clear Entrees with Confidence:
     • Even if guests say they’re too full, recommend the restaurant's signature desserts for the center of the table. Quote:

       "I know you said you're stuffed, but we're famous for two desserts that you really can't leave without these two. What I always recommend is just throwing one of each in the center of the table." (19:13)

  2. Mark for Dessert, Set Up Drink Orders:
     • Before the kitchen actually starts the dessert, prompt the guests for coffee, cappuccino, tea, or after-dinner drinks. Quote:

       "Kitchen's working on the desserts...Who'd like a coffee or cappuccino or espresso or maybe a dessert wine or an after dinner drink or a bourbon?" (20:39)

  3. Condense & Control the Experience:
     • Cut out the dead time of “dropping dessert menus and letting them think,” moving efficiently to the sales step. Quote:

       "I've condensed all of that. I've taken that five or ten minute consideration time and taken it away and just gotten them going." (22:07)

7. Impact & Results

• Per Table Gains:

  • Selling two desserts plus a few drinks can easily add $40–$50 to a table’s check, or $10+ per person. Quote:

    "If I add another $40 to the check at the end of the meal on a four top...I've increased the check average by $10, $10 per person." (16:31)

• Big Takeaway:

  "Whoever says not to sell desserts is an idiot. They don't know what they're talking about, and they've never done it right." (22:47)

8. Encouragement & Resources

• Strategic Playbooks:
  • Chip mentions that this exact “server playbook” is available in his Restaurant Foundations membership, reinforcing the need for tactical training and ongoing education.

Notable Quotes

• "Tables turn in the first 15 minutes, not in the last 15 minutes." (06:04)
• "A great server understands that greeting with authority brings confidence to the table." (08:40)
• "I do not care about the $10 dessert... I am getting the $12 dessert on the table so I can get the three $3.50 espressos, the $5.50 cappuccinos, the $18 glass of dessert wine or scotch." (15:02)
• "I've condensed all of that. I've taken that five or ten minute consideration time and taken it away and just gotten them going." (22:07)
• "Whoever says not to sell desserts is an idiot. They don't know what they're talking about, and they've never done it right." (22:47)

Segment Timestamps

• [00:00] Opening & Main Theme: Debunking advice against selling desserts
• [06:04] Table Turn Time Myth: Where operators go wrong with timing logic
• [08:40] Authority & Table Control: How servers set the meal's pace and boost sales
• [10:31] Case Study: Chip’s figures on check averages and table turns
• [15:02] Real Value of Dessert Sales: Stacking desserts with coffee/after-dinner drinks
• [19:13] The Turnaround Playbook: Step-by-step guidance for the upsell transition
• [22:07] Eliminating Sales Friction: Streamlining the dessert proposal process
• [22:47] Closing Reinforcement: Why selling dessert is essential for profits

Conclusion

Chip closes the episode emphatically: successful dessert sales are not just about the dessert, but about creating an elegant, efficient finale to the meal—and driving significant incremental revenue through proven sales techniques. Selling dessert, when paired with drinks and delivered as an orchestrated experience, is a high-leverage tactic every restaurant should be using.

Rather than “either/or,” Chip demonstrates how to do both: turn tables efficiently, and increase average check through expertly led dessert and after-dinner drink sales. His step-by-step approach gives restaurant owners and their teams a practical blueprint to implement tonight.

Resource Mentioned:

• Restaurant Foundations Membership—Includes playbooks for sales techniques like those discussed in this episode.