FSR December 2022

CHEFS & INGREDI ENT S NOW SERVING

Keeping It Short and Sweet BY LEIGH KUNKEL By focusing on a limited selection, restaurants can drive sales and buzz around dessert.

THE GULAB JAMUN AT TAP 65 IS STUFFED WITH HOUSE-MADE CHEESECAKE AND TOPPED WITH THAI WHIPPED CREAM AND BERRY COMPOTE.

TAYLOR HINTON

THE WORLD OF RESTAURANT DINERS can be divided into two groups: dessert people, and non-dessert people. While for some, a meal is incomplete without a sweet bite or two at the end, others are content to finish with a savory main or bitter coffee. In fact, a past survey from Statista found that half of consumers order desserts rarely or never. And restaurant owners and kitch ens have similarly ambivalent feelings. While dessert can be an opportunity to boost a check average, it also requires

precious resources like manpower and expertise that are in short supply in kitchens, particularly since the pan demic began. “Baking is a science whereas with savory items, there can be more twist ing and turning, more experimentation,” says Matt Wilde, chef of Bob’s Pizza, a Chicago mini-chain. “If you want to have a full dessert offering and make it a focus, that usually requires at least one dedicated person, maybe more.” But some restaurants are experiment

ing with a new idea, namely, the single dessert menu. “I have always loved the concept of having one really great dessert and hav ing it be something as classic and simple as cheesecake, but one of the best slices of cheesecake our guests have ever had,” says Jeremy Salamon, chef and owner of Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn, New York, where the menu is inspired by nostalgia for the city’s Jewish deli culture. Cheesecake appealed to Salamon because it’s a New York staple, and his

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FSRMAGAZINE .COM

DECEMBER 2022