Looking to increase your average order value and profits? One way to accomplish this is by raising menu prices. In these times of rising food costs, it’s tempting to reflect higher ingredient costs in your menu prices. However, your customers are seeking great food at good value, so raising prices may not be the best option. Instead, try reaping the benefits of adding unique, delicious and easy dessert options to your menu to raise sales and increase profits.
Here’s a plan of action to offer desserts, like brownies, cookies and cake slices, that can pay off with increased incremental sales and profits at your operation:
1. Product Quality Comes First
Create menu innovation by finding reliable suppliers that are a good match with your business and customers’ appetites for flavorful desserts. Most importantly, look for vendors that offer delicious baked goods made with simple ingredients, with the capability to produce products with varied flavor profiles, product types and textures. For instance, a quality brownie vendor can supply variety, like incredibly tasting fudgy brownies, in addition to blondie varieties that feature cinnamon and vanilla too, in a range of cakey, chewy and fudgy varieties. In the cookie world, seek suppliers that can offer innovative variations on the traditional chocolate chip cookies. And when it comes to cakes, everyone loves a sweet, flavored frosting on top, and special inclusions, flavors or marbling.
2. A Celebration of Innovation
Try pairing innovation with seasonality – a comforting snickerdoodle cinnamon blondie in the cooler fall months, a dark chocolate peppermint brownie in December, or a lemon cranberry cookie in springtime is a great way to match your dessert menu to the current or upcoming season. And when it comes to your customers’ dietary preferences, don’t forget to match seasonality with innovation, like addressing kosher, vegan or gluten free preferences.
3. The Price Is Right
Remember the game show where you had to guess the price of an item – should you go high or low? When it comes to desserts and profits, go higher priced with premium quality desserts to match. There is a place for all price points in the foodservice arena, but if you are offering premium products, then get a price that matches that quality. So go gourmet, charge appropriately, and don’t forget to communicate that premium quality to your customers so they know what they are paying for and what to expect.
4. Upselling and Cross-selling
Train your staff to ask customers if they’d like to add a dessert to their order. If using tablet-type ordering, add an automatic upsell pop-up to the order screen. When appropriate, try offering samples of the dessert to entice your customers and encourage the sale. To enhance this strategy, create a combo deal discount by adding a dessert, such as a brownie or cookie, and a drink. The mere suggestion of a delicious dessert by your staff (“Would you like to try our all-natural brownies?”) may be enough to sweeten the deal! A combo deal allows you to provide a quality dessert AND value to your customers, while still maintaining a healthy margin. And even without the deal, suggestive selling can only help your bottom line and improve customer satisfaction. Adding quality desserts to your menu is good for your business and creates a sweet experience for your customers.
If you’d like to learn more about what Greyston Bakery has to offer for your dessert menu, please contact us. Since 1987, we’ve been the brownie supplier to Ben & Jerry’s for their delicious Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, among other flavors. So that, in combination with our foodservice, retail and DTC experience truly makes us brownie experts! Our brownies bring smiles to the faces of everyone who enjoys our products – we can bring smiles to your customers, too.
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