I want to talk about selling ala carte desserts and sweet tables

My new position involves focusing on wholesale vs retail at this moment. With that in mind....
Country clubs in my area all do at least 1 weekly buffet. Usually a week night buffet, then seasonally they'll do something on the weekend too during golf months. Plus they do buffets on holidays.

I know:
cost is their first interest
taste and sales have to be an improvement to move people to change product lines
etc....

Same thing with ala carte desserts....cost.... and other hurdles exist, but I believe there still is a dessert need going unforfilled. Profit opportunties never saught when they serve ice cream or sorbet to all their parties as dessert.

In ADDITION to traditional bakery items (mini pastries, breakfast items, etc) I'd like to set up a monthly or bi-weekly changing dessert menu to offer everyone from clubs to hotels and conference centers. I'm mean more then a seasonally changing menu...a menu designed for buffet service (specificly items that can sit out for 4 hours or more) and ala carte desserts that are upscale, contemporary YET easy to plate. Time permiting I'd like my menu to show a photograph (black and white for faxing) of each item plated and easy dessert sauce recipes or some cleaver dessert tips for chefs.


I'm thinking about 4 ala carte desserts (meaning individual portion sized)and 10 tortes per menu...Fax over the menu, make a contact call, hope to pick-up other orders of our reg. product line.

Basicly it's what I've done for the past several years as a club pastry chef....just increasing the volume and offering delivery with min. orders. Typical bakery ordering rules....typical misen place at the shop nothing to outragous or tooooo customized (unless the market shows a willingness to pay for this).

So, why aren't there tons other businesses/bakeries offering this?

Too much work? I've been doing this for years and have menus and books to lean on when time is tight.

Not enough demand?...well I'm looking for a nitche...maybe it won't be for everyone....but the upscale client would be nice.

Just wondering if any of you think this might sell or want to kick around any ideas based on this????? have you ever seen any place doing this?

Sorry, I didn't explain my thoughts very clearly.

Trying again:

I'd like to be everyones pastry chef, so I'll offer ala carte desserts and sweet table items that will change on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. I'd send out my menu in advance (about 1 month) to their chefs and banquet cordinators, so they could sell it to up coming parties. This would include items they would not typically find from a bakery. Commerical product lines become boring after awhile because their product line doesn't change much and they don't have alot of individual item selection, no? (that's what I've heard)

I was thinking of a rounded ala carte menu just like I'd provide if I worked on their premise as their pastry chef:

1. Creme brulee's
2. Individual Cheesecakes
3. Individual Pies
4. Individual Tarts
5. Granites
6. Sorbets
7. Puddings (bread, etc...)
8. Individual Cakes, Tortes, Charlottes etc...
9. Shortcakes
10. Molten Cakes...
11. And so on....
Frozen Souffles....cobblers...

Many items I could provide on a frozen basis so they could defrost as needed with-out have too much waste.

I could also like to sell sauces for plating, maybe a cordinating garnish like a tuile or stencils for plating. Or perhaps I should include sauce recipes for chefs to make on their own...as a freebie.

I'd only offer a limited selection (aprox. 4) each time I put out a ala carte menu so I'd be making more volume and less selection back at the shop.

If they came across an item they wanted to keep selling past the menu date...they could special order it, making me their comercial supplier. Or maybe offer them a menu for their banquet desserts (volume priced). All the banquets around here only sell ice cream, sorbet or non-baked square of cheesecake at their parties, WHY not sell a more upscale dessert? They wouldn't sell hamburgers as their main entree, why sell ice cream after a nice meal?

A changing menu might kill me....I don't know, that's my question. Is there a need, has everyone tried this already and I just didn't see it fail?

I've heard complaints about there not being much of a dessert selection out there. And it's really true about items they can put on their weekly buffets. They need assortment and change...

I would offer pre-sliced items (one of their biggest complaints about waste with unsliced products) and gear these items to be desserts I know hold up on a table for 4 hours with-out melting out.


Does this make more sense? I'd make items the way they need them to be....the way most bought fresh product doesn't come from other places (pre-sliced, individually portioned, selections you'd never get at a bakery like brulee's, souffles etc...).

My experience is not with bakeries. Given that, I've told you the front end of this bakery isn't gang busters (yet) busy due to location. Do you have any ideas or imput as to what I'm suggesting to do? Is this crazy? Will I kill myself running in circles, should I simpilfy this more? Do you agree with me that there is a need like this? Or has everyone already tried this and it just won't work?

I know some of you are down on wholesale work...limited profit... this has to be sold to upscale clients....I know the average restaurant doesn't fit that....but there are many "upscale" places in Chicagoland who don't have pastry chefs, that print up their specials daily.
I'm not sure about "building a reputation" on a specific dessert....this is geared to build a reputation for the place...that they "always have fabulous desserts".

Well, this is why I'm asking. It's better to think ahead and work out bugs before I find them the hard way. The only part I visualized as complicated was actually taking the time to fax out menus and make follow up calls. But you have to do that anyway to keep the sales moving.

I was looking at this as components. Just how I handle my misen place as a pastry chef. Have my mousses, ganches, curds, frostings, cakes, etc... and assemble large and small. Some for the front end some for out the door. I'd rather carry out 100 shortcakes then 100 decorated sugar cookies.....no? To me the labor is in the detailed work that non-skilled employees can't really do. Where as, I thought they could help me assemble tortes etc... vs. handing someone a recipe and letting them go to town on their own.

Help me, I don't see how this is harder? It's like the difference between assembling mini pastries vs. individual portions, no? I was thinking of doing most items in full sheet pan components and cutting to shape then assembling. Also thought I'd package in full sheet boxes for most things.

Product ordering.......well yes, this is new ground for me. Please spell out how this is too complicated? I've never had very complicated ingredients at clubs... sb and rasp. purees, frozen fruit, can fruit, chocolates, shells and base ingredients like flour, butter, etc...

Help? Please explain what I'm missing?

You have to remember that theres' really nothing happening up front and their may never be, in this location. But I thought if we got wholesale accounts flowing we might then open another higher profile location (and keep the first to bake from).

I'm looking at making things in volume rather then a birthday cake here and there. So Cindy and I wouldn't need skilled help for a while. Where as if you have a ton of mini orders, like cakes and decorated personalized items...you need help right off the bat. Less custom work, more volume work.

Yes, I was visualizing becoming everyones personal pastry chef, with-in limits. I can't do customized items per order. More like here's our specials this week (using up what's on hand) order it with x amount of notice, this size min. order, we deliver on this day only....just like every other vendor.

I was hoping that this way I wouldn't have items stuck sitting in the freezer for long (that's what I saw at regular bakeries). Just like I work at clubs...I would figure out how to use up this component I have extra of, into my next dessert.....so nothing sits too long.

What happens if I run into saying "no" when a chef sells something that's not on this weeks menu? I thought somewhere down the line a few desserts would be come to light as winners and be a main core of product both in front of the house and back.

I'm not doubtful my market really needs this, I'm more worried that I can get enough volume to keep my costs down (because until they know my product and love it, they might be scared of change and just might stay with vanilla ice cream out of fear).

Jeff, I see you as Mr. Positive....I'm Mrs. Negative! I'm just trying to figure out what to do out the back door that's profitable and interesting that people will want. I know from talking to people that they'd buy my sweet tables for holidays and special events. But that's too much work on just a couple days a year. I also have put out feelers on centerpiece desserts, before. There's a market for those too. But they require skilled labor to help me....so I've place that farther back on the burner, for now. Everytime I see a new bridal magazine I dream about doing exclusive wedding cakes too.

Help, I need to look at the bottom line. What's needed (to some extent only time will tell), what's most profitable and achievable?

How would you work smart out the back door?

P.S. Partner Cindy is a skilled pastry chef and cake decorator! Totally quality and profit driven...like myself... and she's a much better speller (thank-goodness)!

Those are just standard business items. Cindy is already set up. She's a great purchaser....really good at finding deals. Dad's an accountant, hubby in refridgerator business, I'm graphic artist. Most bases are covered....


I've got our first CLUB customer yesterday (Cindy has other wholesale accounts). My last club wants me to continue working for them. She wants me to do all their important members parties. We will hook up to do their wedding cakes too. If she comes thru...... it will be great.......also happy to be a reference/referral for other clubs for me.

It's looking like a "go".

Great, then he basicly agrees too and I'm learning a consistant product line is a must.

A couple more items to ponder....

We're getting together a wedding cake brocure for a mailing to country clubs. As we enter data for a mailing list of WHO we want to contact....the question becomes how far of a range (in a BIG city) do we want to drive to with deliveries.

It seems to me that you mail to all the wealthy areas plus all the local ones. I know that it will be a huge drag delivering a cakes across town regularly, but it seems to me if there's money to be made you go there. YES we have Min. order amounts! I think we make the sacrafice of taking the time to deliver, until we build enough business to hire a driver. What if our best customers turn out to be on the other side of town?

Or is that spreading ourselves too thin driving an hour each way for a delivery? Should we focus close to home and not venture further until all sources are explored and exhausted?

Anyone have any opinions on this? Anyone familar with hiring delivery persons?

Product line is another big question. I tend to not want to make the same things everyone makes. I'd rather do a twist on them and stand out from the crowd. I'd still keep familar products like lemon bars or brownies, cheesecakes. But I think something like a thin layer of raspberry preserves under my lemon filling is cool or do brownies topped with items like caramel, ganche, toffee bits, mint, or a two layered brownies like cinnamon chocolate, mint and chocolate etc... Make things higher end, higher design.

Or do you think you have to stay with traditional items the made the way people are familar with them as you CORE products and do your "twists" as an addition?

Jeff, I didn't understand some of what you wrote.....?

Min. $$ amount for delivery is 200., anything less isn't worth the drive.... .