Why every restaurant has the same BORING desserts?

When dining out, you might notice a trend depending on the restaurant. The entrees and drinks can vary widely, but when the dessert menu arrives, the choices often feel repetitive. Cheesecake, chocolate lava cake, fruit pie, sorbet, or ice cream – these familiar options dominate the dessert lists at many establishments. Desserts in restaurants tend to feel uninspired, but it doesn't have to be this way. Effective menu curation can significantly impact a restaurant's success, as profit margins in the industry are notoriously tight.

Profit margins in the restaurant business are often lower than expected, with many aspiring restaurateurs entering the industry under the misconception that it's glamorous. Katherine Gordon, who teaches restaurant and culinary management at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York, explains that revenue primarily comes from food and beverage sales. However, expenses such as ingredients, staff salaries, rent, and utilities can quickly eat into those profits. After taxes, the remaining profit can be quite minimal. Therefore, the menu plays a critical role in maximizing profits, but pricing is a delicate balance. Charge too much, and customers may be deterred; charge too little, and profit potential is lost. Entrees often deliver the most profit, while drinks – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic – are relatively inexpensive to make and can be upcharged significantly, contributing to a substantial revenue stream.

However, beyond drinks and entrees, turning a profit becomes more challenging. Appetizers, for example, have an average profit margin of just 22%. Savvy restaurateurs can find ways to offset costs through strategies like cross-utilization of ingredients. For example, purchasing a whole chicken is often cheaper than buying individual parts. The chicken can be broken down for various menu items: breasts for salads, thighs for dinner dishes, and scraps for chicken tacos at the bar. The bones can be used to create a stock for soups and sauces, maximizing the use of every part of the ingredient.

Desserts, however, often don't fit neatly into this profit-maximizing strategy. Crafting high-quality desserts requires a different skill set than the rest of the kitchen, along with dedicated space for preparation, which many restaurants cannot afford due to high rental costs. Ingredient costs can also be steep, with items like cream cheese, chocolate, and nuts not commonly used in other dishes. The global market further affects pricing. For example, in 2018, vanilla prices surged due to a shortage in Madagascar, while cocoa prices have fluctuated due to poor weather conditions in West Africa. These factors contribute to desserts sharing one of the lowest average profit margins with appetizers, making them difficult to justify on a tight budget.

When restaurants face financial strain, in-house pastry chefs are often the first to be cut. To lower costs, many establishments outsource desserts, leading to the repetitive options seen on many menus. However, this approach overlooks the marketing potential of a well-crafted dessert experience.

Recent data suggests a shift in dessert preferences across generations. While only 11% of Baby Boomers order dessert when dining out, over 30% of Gen Z and Millennial diners indulge. At Bad Roman, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan, that number climbs even higher, with nearly 40% of guests ordering dessert. Chef Craig Koketsu and pastry chef Lucy Blanch have capitalized on this trend by emphasizing the importance of visual appeal and marketability. Chef Lucy's viral lemon cheesecake exemplifies this approach. Shaped like a lemon and served on a lemon plate, the dessert encourages diners to crack its shell before enjoying the delicious treat inside. The playful presentation, combined with outstanding flavor, makes it memorable and shareable on social media, driving more customers to the restaurant.

So, the key to a successful dessert menu is creating a complete dining experience. Desserts offer a unique opportunity to leave a lasting impression since they are the final part of the meal. A standout dessert can make the entire dining experience memorable, encouraging repeat visits and word-of-mouth promotion. When every course works together harmoniously, dessert becomes the perfect finishing touch that elevates the meal and leaves guests eager to return.

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