Shrinking dessert menus highlight the increased need to optimize the product mix

Dessert is a dining mainstay, with 41% of consumers eating dessert after a meal at least once a week, according to Technomic’s 2019 Dessert Consumer Trend Report. Operators continue to streamline menus across all meal parts though and, as such, dessert menus have shrunk over the past two years in terms of number of items offered at both limited-service and full-service restaurants.

According to the report, consumers say that more than half of their dessert occasions are an impulse purchase. Additionally, Technomic found that 31% of consumers say they are more willing to try dairy-free desserts than they were two years ago. The main reason consumers abstain from dessert—fullness. Most (64%) say they rarely or never eat dessert because they are usually too full from their meal.

“As dessert menus continue to shrink, identifying an optimal product mix that can still maximize consumer satisfaction will be key,” said Bret Yonke, manager of consumer insights at Technomic. “Moving forward, expect those who are truly looking to provide innovative dessert offerings to increasingly experiment with toppable beverages, such as milkshakes and hot chocolate, as well as spicy flavor profiles and dairy-free desserts that don’t compromise on taste.”

Press release