3 ways to sweeten dessert sales

Restaurant customers might not have room for dessert after a big meal, but no matter: Americans’ all-day appetite for sweet treats, especially the grab-and-go variety, is strong.

The main reason: Snacking. Snacking accounts for half of all eating occasions today, according to The Hartman Group. Nearly everyone (94%) snacks at least daily, and half of consumers grab mini-meals two to three times a day. Sweet treats account for about a third of the snacking market, says IRI in its How America Eats: 2016 State of the Snack Food Industry report. Sugary snacks fulfill a key driver behind snacking: a desire for pleasure, comfort, indulgence and reward.

When it comes to sugary snacks, portability rules. According to Technomic’s 2016 Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report, consumers tend to prefer snacking on cookies, ice cream, brownies, frozen novelties and cupcakes—all portable-friendly options.

Regardless of when they are enjoyed, consumers love desserts, with 63% indulging at least weekly, Technomic reports. With 58% of those sweet treats bought on impulse, operators have an incentive to wow the guest with something craveable and out of the ordinary. Traditional choices such as cookies, cakes and pies continue to have the most fans, but many restaurant patrons are seeking something novel that will catch their eye.

In addition to featuring portable dessert menu options to accommodate all-day snacking, several strategies can encourage stronger sales:

Customization—hands-on desserts, such as tabletop s’mores and skewered bites served with dips, feed into consumers’ desire for a personalized (and fun) dining experience.

Shareable plates and varied portions—feed into the desire for a taste of something sweet to wrap up a meal without feeling overly full. A third of consumers in Technomic’s 2015 Dessert Consumer Trend Report said they would prefer dessert menus that provide a variety of portion sizes, and smaller portions are conducive to snacking occasions as well.

Premiumization—It’s worth the trouble to call out premium and high-quality branded ingredients on menus. According to Technomic’s 2015 Dessert Consumer Trend Report, 29% of consumers strongly agree that they like to order desserts with brand-name ingredients at restaurants, up from 24% in 2013.

Prepared baked goods such as bars, brownies, cakes and pies can set the stage for stronger dessert sales throughout the day. The Bistro Collection® Gourmet Desserts line of gourmet brownies and dessert bars, for example, provides a labor-saving head start to building both snack sales and a robust dessert program. These products need only be thawed, cut and served.

Bistro Collection® brownies and bars redefine indulgence with premium ingredients, such as Baileys® Irish Cream, Ghirardelli® Chocolate and rich salted caramel. The latest additions to the line include the Baileys® Dark Chocolate Swirl Brownie, studded with chocolate chunks and topped with Baileys® Irish Cream-flavored ganache swirled with a chocolate drizzle; as well as the Brown Butter Bourbon Bar, S’mores Brownie, Pecan Carmelita and Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Bar. Two brownie products in the collection—the Double Chocolate Decadence Brownie and the Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownie—are made using Ghirardelli® Chocolate.

Because most of the prep with pre-made desserts is already done, adding signature touches is a relatively simple extra step that makes the difference. Creative plating, fresh fruits and herbs, whipped cream, house-made fudge, caramel and fruit sauces and other additions turn a convenient, delicious product into something extra special.

Bistro Collection® Gourmet Brownies and Dessert Bars

Bistro Collection® Gourmet Brownies and Dessert Bars meet the demand for unique flavor pairings consumers look for when buying dessert.* Their decadent ingredients and dreamy flavors are perfectly paired and hand-finished to imperfect perfection.
*Proprietary 2015 Technomic Dessert Bar Report

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