Steal This: Tiny Desserts, Big Profit

“Sweets for My Sweet---Sugar for My Honey” I remember when the Drifters released this song in the summer of 1961, as I was about to enter my junior in high school. The song was never one of my favorites, but who doesn’t favor sweets. For some, sweets are the reward for finishing your veggies. For others, they are the perfect ending to a fine meal. For caterers, sweet endings can mean the difference between good profits and great profit as they sweeten the bottom line.

We all know the dining out query from the server, “Did you leave room for dessert?” In today’s health conscious society, the common answer from most of us is, “Thank you for offering, but we’re full.” In the back of our minds our brains are computing the calories that we just consumed and now we’re being offered anywhere from 300 to 3,000 extra calories. Sounds good, but it’s not worth having to exercise all of those hours to burn them off.

But if we have menu items that are bite-size and not laden with calories in the four figures, then we have a chance of upselling our clients. Most of us want to have a couple of bites of sweets at the end of the meal, but we don’t need plates full! Another 100 to 200 calories won’t hurt. That’s only an extra mile or two on the treadmill.

I am working on my menus for the coming season, and perhaps you can get an idea or two from some of my top sellers. The first one is fun and you can choose how many calories you wish to imbibe.

Interactive milkshake martini station

Four ounces of milk shake in a martini glass contains not that many, but you can go overboard if you wish to turn your milk share into a candy counter. And for more fun, you can even offer various cordials and after dinner drinks with this station for a few extra dollars.

Chocolate and Vanilla Milkshakes Served in a Martini Glass

Toppings to include:

Crushed Heath Bars • M&M’s • Oreo Cookies • Rainbow and Chocolate Sprinkles

Malted Milk Balls • Reese’s Pieces • Maraschino Cherries

Whipped Cream • Fresh Strawberries

Afterglow dessert station

I love “Afterglow” as a descriptive term for a dessert station. The warm afterglow of an amazing and awesome meal deserves just a few bites of sweetness to end the evening, or perhaps rev guests up for dancing with a sugar high?

Key Lime Mini Tarts with Graham Cracker Crust and Whole Raspberry Garnish

Red Velvet, Apple Cider, and Chocolate Donuts with Dipping Sauces

Crème Brûlée in Hollowed Citrus Cups or in a Spoon

Individual Deconstructed Tiramisu

Mini Tarts: Fruit, Berries, Apple, Key Lime, Mango

Profiteroles

Petit Fours

Pralines

Éclairs

Baklava

Mousses in Mini Cups: Chocolate, Passion Fruit, Coconut, Strawberry, Yogurt, Tiramisu, Key Lime

Three chocolate mousse dessert station

Or how about a station with only mousse? It’s light, yet sweet enough. Here’s one using three different mousses with a choice of toppings.

Milk Chocolate Mousse • Dark Chocolate Mousse • White Chocolate Mousse

Toppings

Rainbow Sprinkles • Chocolate Sprinkles • Chopped Peanuts • Shaved Nestles Chocolate • Mini Marshmallows • Crushed Butterfingers • Sno-Caps •Buncha Crunch • Fresh Whipped Cream • Fresh Berries

Butler passed desserts

And what’s wrong with passing desserts? We’ve found that three to four pieces per person is more than enough. Here are few ideas:

Strawberry and Chocolate Gelato Passed in Glass Espresso Cups

Mini Skillets with Warm Peach Cobbler Topped with Pistachio Gelato

Dessert Shooters

Strawberry Compote with Champagne Mousse • Vanilla Bean Chantilly

Dark Chocolate Mousse with Praline Crunch and Crunchy Pearls

Bananas Tres Leches • Key Lime Pie Parfait • Coconut Dream • Tiramisu • Apple Pie • Carrot Cake • Mango Passion Fruit

So, my sweet ending to this trip through sugarland is this. Light and small is much better than large and heavy. Little bites can provide big bites of revenue to help you build your top and bottom lines.

Key lime pie in a shot glass shooter from Arthur’s Catering, Altamonte Springs, FL is perfectly sized.

Savory Chocolate Macaroon, Foie Gras Torchon, Toasted Cocoa Nibs, Valencia Orange Compote, Micro Mint from Blue Plate, Chicago, IL

Mini Grasshopper bombe: Mint chocolate, Bavarian chocolate, dark chocolate glaze from Blue Plate, Chicago, IL

A smores bar from Royal Fig Catering, Austin, TX; photo by Jenny DeMarco

Bite sized cupcakes from Scranton’s Catering, Pascagoula, MS

Blueberry cupcakes and whoopee pies from Bar Harbor Catering, Bar Harbor, ME

Mini crème brulee served in an Asian spoon from Bar Harbor Catering, Bar Harbor, ME

Get Fresh July 2015