Use Holiday Desserts to Boost Sales

Labor day weekend has come and gone. That means summer is officially over and it’s time for businesses everywhere to start preparing for the next big business season: the holidays. And you know what everyone’s favorite part of the holidays is? The dessert of course!

Seriously, we know it’s only September, but the holiday season is going to be here before you know it. Offering holiday-themed desserts is going to be a great way to boost revenue by capitalizing on the season’s cravings. You may have noticed how excited people are about pumpkin spice right now, and that’s something that your business can get in on. You can have a piece of the pumpkin spice pie.

As always, PJP is here to serve you pie. Er… help. We’re here to help. Here are some tips on how to take advantage of the holiday season with your desserts.

Make Your Desserts from Scratch

This may seem like a lot of work that’s not worth the payoff, but trust us. 75% of consumers are more likely to buy desserts that are made from scratch. That’s the vast majority of your customer base looking for dessert that’s higher quality than the frozen stuff they’re used to getting at chain restaurants. A signature dessert can be an amazing way to set yourself apart from the competition. You can take that idea a step further with holiday themed desserts like Pumpkin Spice cookies made from scratch. Or homemade apple pie. Does that require some extra prep time from your kitchen staff? Absolutely, but when you’re tacking on extra cash to every table that orders it, you make up for that labor cost in profit easily.

Put Your Desserts Front and Center

Offering something funky and unique as a dessert can be an amazing strategy to bring in new customers to your restaurant. For example, Black Tap in New York City is a craft burger an beer place, but they take their milkshakes to the next level. This crazy dessert option has gotten them a lot of buzz online, which surely brings customers in the door. It’s no easy task to go viral, but if you make something ridiculously decadent for your dessert menu, it can get you a lot of attention. And you can bet that attention gets people interested in the rest of your menu as well.

Offer Boozy Desserts

Another trend taking over the dessert scene is offering desserts that have a little alcohol in them. Desserts with bourbon in them are up 21% according to technomics. That’s no coincidence. Customers go crazy for alcohol-infused desserts. Guinness chocolate cake, a whiskey-infused chocolate ganache. There are a ton of great options. This also ties in nicely with the idea of making your desserts from scratch. If you’re making your own fresh desserts… just throw a little booze into the recipe and you’re hitting your customers with two different things they crave.

Don’t Forget About Coffee

What goes great with dessert? Coffee. Offering a quality coffee selection isn’t as hard as it seems, and your customers will love enjoying a cup of gourmet coffee after dinner with their dessert. This extra touch will only further increase your profits. A Latte is easy for your staff to make, and you can charge a lot more for it than a regular cup of coffee. Add some pumpkin spice flavoring and suddenly your capitalizing on the biggest coffee trend in the country. You might be tired of the pumpkin spice latte trend, but consumers aren’t. So why not ride that wave as long as you can?

We want to hear some of your great ideas on how to craft an amazing dessert! So, don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments below or on any of our social media accounts. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!

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