Adding Gelato to your business will increase your profit
When it comes to dessert, it can be difficult to decide between the extravagant or the traditional, but one thing is for sure, if it’s sweet it will sell and if it’s done well it will get the town talking.
It’s no secret that gourmet desserts are trending at the moment. Social media is exploding with images of decadent delights; diners are saving room for after dinner delicacies and even venturing out specifically for late night sweet treats. The good news for restaurant owners is that the profit margins on frozen desserts like Gelato, sorbet and ice cream are high and if it’s made in-house they are even greater! For example changing sorbet flavours depending on seasonal fruits will also increase profit margins as the cost of ingredients is decreased.
Up-selling in the food service industry has been a staple sales tactic for decades; taking drink orders before they get the chance to open a menu, selling sides separately to mains and of course offering coffee and dessert to conclude the meal. The practice is all about offering variety while increasing profits and service staff should be trained in how to up-sell effectively. They should be familiar with the menu, excited about the offerings and know the unique selling points of the desserts to entice diners to treat themselves.
Making desserts in-house is a unique selling point of its own and if your restaurant has a commitment to meeting special dietary needs you can even customise your dessert menu to suit your audience. Gluten free, dairy free, all natural, sugar free, vegan… whatever your intention you can make it happen.
It seems that these days the more outrageous the flavour the more people are going to want to try it, discuss it and hopefully recommend it. Recently Cadbury™ introduced a limited time only flavour to their range that may sound horrible to some; Vegemite chocolate. However, comments from the daring suggest that people would rather try it and make up their own mind than take someone else’s word for it. More often than not they would state that “somehow it just works” and it seems that giving their opinion is the most valuable part of the whole experience. The combination of sweet and savoury is intriguing to consumers and with the success of the salted-caramel movement it’s no wonder why others are trying their own crazy combinations. Ginger choc fudge, lavender and rose water, chilli chocolate, green tea custard… but the question remains; what will be your creation?
Another advantage of making your frozen desserts is being able to have an ever-changing menu with limited edition flavours. This concept creates a sense of urgency and intrigue. Your loyal customers may order the same meal time and time again, but if they’re aware that an interesting gelato flavour may not be available next week they may be more likely to impulse-order just so they don’t miss out!
Making your own desserts from scratch allows you to play with ingredients, experiment with textures and try something unusual. However, if you prefer traditional then that’s great too, so long as you do it really well. There is still nothing like a basic Affogato made with creamy vanilla ice cream and a rich hot espresso! With innovative equipment such as the Staff gelato range now available in Australia there is now a way to do traditional or unique frozen desserts well with very little effort or training. In fact a whole range of desserts such as mousse, parfait, semifreddo, cakes and sauces can also all be made in the Staff multi-function units
Whether you chose to release your creative flare with outlandish talk-of-the-town creations or keep it real with back-to-basics flavours it’s important to use the right equipment, chose your ingredients well, know your audience and effectively up-sell. Give your diners an experience, a talking point and something to share on social media to make their friends jealous. If your customers are too full from their main meals then perhaps you could offer take away tubs of delicious Gelato as a memento of a wonderful dining experience. As for home delivery services such as pizzerias it still remains a mystery why home delivered tubs of gourmet ice cream aren’t the norm!
When you make your own frozen desserts in-house the options are endless!
Read more about the Staff Multi-function machines or view the Staff range now available in Australia.
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