The numbers say fewer people are going out for sit-down meals, but that doesn't mean there aren't those who still want the convenience of a healthy prepared meal at home.

Summer is a very busy time for families. That's why it makes sense to offer simple meals that can be ordered in advance and picked up on the way home. The key is to offer convenient and attractive meals that will be sure to draw in hungry customers on-the-go. The best marketing strategy is to have signage in plain sight advertising takeout options.

The National Restaurant Association says 38 percent of tableservice restaurant operators anticipate takeout to represent an increasingly larger portion of their total sales. Add to the fact that 37 percent of consumers have used curbside takeout from these restaurants and it's easy to see that carryout meals are a growing business.

The following are some tips on how to increase the benefits of takeout orders:

Encourage those who answer the phone to be salespeople rather than just an order-taker. If the person manning the phone appears to be overly busy or distracted, you'll lose business.

Remind staff to begin all phone conversation with a warm welcome, take the order, and then go the extra mile to suggest items to complete the meal. An additional important step is to repeat the order back to the customer to make sure nothing has been omitted.

Double-check the order before the customer or the delivery person leaves. No matter how good the food is, a bad taste is left in the customer's mouth if they get all the way home only to find out they didn't get everything they ordered or they have someone else's order.

If you know the food is for a special occasion, add a personal touch by having small cards on hand to drop in with the order offering congratulations on behalf of your business. It's really that personal touch, along with complete accuracy in filling the orders, that's going to win over customers and keep them coming back.