new here, question about desserts

[cobblestonepizzaco]

Hi, we’re opening in a about 2 months and I’m wondering what some of you do for desserts and if they do very well?? we’re going to have homemade tirimisu and carrot cake, is it worth it to have many more?? where we have worked before they didn’t have any desserts but I want to have a couple at least. also, I’m having problems searching the archives, any tips on this??? thanks…

 

[Daddio]

I sell New York and Chocolate Truffle cheese cakes as well as 4 kinds of fresh bakes cookies. They account for about 5% of overall sales and the food costs are at about 20%.

 

[NicksPizza]

I offer baklava, vanilla cheesecake, fried brownie bites, tiramisu, Cinnamon pizzas, an sometimes Moon Pies . Food costs run me 20% to 25%, and I cannot tell the percentage of gross sales.

I can tell you that the shelf life for all of these is great, since they mostly freeze. Space taken up is minimal, and it is always a welcome surprise for new customers to be able to get sweets from us. We are going to try the dessert pizza Tom Lehman suggested, and maybe something else later. These sweets allow for some extended bundle offers of complete meals, appetizer to dessert. As we build our dine-in business this fall, having the sweets to upsell will be imoprtant to our top line.

Gotta watch the top line as well as the bottom line . . . . almost always for me, the top is easier to manage than the bottom.

 

[sweetp1265]

We offer desserts - brownies all the time and a cake that changes weekly (ie, carrot cake, death by chocolate, mousse cakes, etc)

We buy them from a local vendor who makes them fresh and then we mark them up.

We have been in business for 13 months and our customers are getting to know about the desserts and ask us what we have this week.

Sometimes we throw a few pieces out here and there , or give them to staff, but for the most part they do well, but definitely not a money maker. Just a nice touch!

 

[system]

thanks!! I like the idea about the local vendor, we like to get things local when possible, I think we’ll add 2 more to our menu. This is a wonderful site by the way!!!