For better or worse, the customers have been conditioned by the Big 3 to ask for tonights specials whenever they call. Though you may not want to be a heavy discounter and compete with them, you should take every opportunity to have to maximize you sales. Pizza is unique among other products you can sell, because the customer is conditioned to have to speak to a live person to make a purchase. You can go to Walmart and purchase anything without talking to a soul, but you can’t buy a simple cheese pizza from a pizzeria without talking to your phone person (unless they order online). TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FACT!
I am the first to acknowledge that you don’t want to devalue your primary product by offering your single pizza at a lower price. (in fact, you have already established the fact that garlic knots have so little value to you that you will give them away for free, just for asking!) However, when you bundle pizza and other items together at a slightly reduced priced, you are not devaluing any single item, and are giving your phone person an easy opportunity to upsell. Find a high profit item, like garlic knots, or breadsticks, and offer the combo at $1 or $2 off. Or offer a couple bucks off when they buy 2 pizzas. Especially 2 x 2 topping pizzas…then you are probably only giving away a topping! Or, at least go the way Nick suggests…have a limited time item, with a blind retail (the regular retail has not been established).
They key is, quite often, your special will not fit the customers exact needs. They just wanted to see if you had one that did. So they will order their intended order at full price, and everyone is happy.
Try to go with the flow, my friend. People want to buy from you…make it easy for them.
