Sweet Profits from Desserts

Your restaurant can enjoy sweet profits from Desserts, but first we need to be honest – there are some potential sour notes about desserts. They typically offer the thinnest margins. It’s hard to get customers  to spend a lot on dessert; creating them requires quality ingredients with high food costs to taste good;  and if you’re a sit-down restaurant, you might slow down your table turns if guests hang out to eat dessert. However, done right desserts are an opportunity to build your check average and increase your profits. Here are some tactics you can use to enjoy sweet profits from desserts.

• Meet the Cravings – Everyone has that one item that they just can’t resist. If it’s on your dessert menu, it’s calling their name.  For a lot of people, it’s chocolate. Other’s can’t stand chocolate. For me, it’s crème brulee.  But the profit point here is that your dessert menu needs to cover the main flavor profiles.  You don’t want to have 4 chocolate items and nothing else.  Create a well-rounded dessert menu built around the main dessert flavor categories.
  • Cakes – From wedding cakes to cupcakes to Tiramisu, cakes in all shapes and sizes are guest favorites.
  • Confections – Think caramel, fudge, chocolate!
  • Custards – Here’s my creme brulee!… or items like pudding or Flan.
  • Frozen Desserts – I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!
  • Gelatin – More than just Jello. Panna Cotta is a gelatin thickened creation.
  • Pastries – So many tasty items like croissants, pies, cobblers, shortbread.
    
• Tap into Quality – The easiest way to show that your desserts are made with the finest ingredients is to feature the names of the manufacturers.  When you say Haagen-Daaz Ice Cream, customers know that says high quality. The proof of quality is in the description – Ghirardelli Caramel, Authentic Key Limes, Madagascar Vanilla, and Godiva Chocolate, names like these add a premium that customers are willing to pay for.
  
• Follow the Trends – Sales success comes naturally when you offer the guests items that they want.  That’s why it’s best to be guided by the trends.  Here’s the items that have risen most in popularity in the last couple years.
  • Apple Pie
  • Hot Fudge Sundae
  • Caramel Crème Brulee
  • Italian Ice
  • Chocolate Chip Cannoli

Do you see some similarities in this list to the cravings categories?  There’s a pastry, a frozen dessert, a custard, a pastry with confection.  There’s really something to the concept of building your dessert menu around all the different dessert categories.

• Small is Big – One of the frequent objections to ordering dessert is, “It’s too large. I’m don’t have room for that.”  That’s one of the reasons smaller portions and mini-desserts are popular. Research firm Technomics found that 33% of those surveyed said they would be more likely to purchase a dessert if it was available in a smaller portion.  Whether it’s a small dessert or a sampler size presentation of a variety of items, mini-desserts can reduce guilt, are eaten quicker, and often have a better profit margin.
• Alcohol is Dessert – Whether it’s after-dinner drinks or dessert wines, the serious profits are in the alcohol.  From Port to Digestivos to Irish Coffee, drinks with dessert or even as dessert can produce sweet profits for your bottom line.
• Enjoy it Later – “No room for dessert? Then let me pack it up to-go so you can enjoy it later!” This is the perfect scenario. You build the check AND turn the table quicker. And in this world of online ordering and delivery services, your dessert menu needs to be mobile-friendly. Make sure you have the correct to-go packaging so the at-home dessert experience is equal to the quality of dessert served in the restaurant.
• And finally, WOW your guests!  Even a routine dessert can be turned into something special that impresses your guests if you dress it up. Add some whipped cream; add a sprig of mint; drizzle platescaper syrup around the plate – create a dessert that becomes a wonderful, memorable, emotional experience.