Some chains have become very adept at creating “Monster Desserts” or desserts that have everything.  They may be viewed as excessive by some, but usually they end up being shared by two or more diners.  Monster Desserts are somewhat equivalent to appetizer sampler platters and they fall into the same class as four cheese pizzas and triple decker burgers.  Good examples of Monster Desserts are Friday’s Brownie Obsession, Red Lobster’s Fudge Overboard and Bahama Breeze’s Bananas Supreme.  Each layer represents a different taste certainly and also a different texture, creaminess and mouth feel.

Monster Desserts include four or more ingredients.  They usually contain an ice cream or yogurt or a whip topping or filling.  A cake or brownie or cookie layer or crumble is also essential.  Add to this either a candy or nuts for texture and then top with chocolate fudge or chocolate sauce or a fruit sauce.  Branded candy and cookie names are widely touted in the menu item description of monster desserts.

Popularity of Desserts by Market Segment

Three of every four foodservice operators (73%) lists a dessert item on the menu.  However, some restaurants offer desserts, but neglect to list them on the menu.  It is estimated that 75% to 80% are in the dessert business.  Most market segments menu an average of 7 to 8 desserts according to MenuMine, a database of menus from over 1000 foodservice operations.  Exceptions are Ice Cream Chains, which list an average of 30 items and Midscale Chains, which list an average of 11 dessert items.  Desserts sell for an average of $3.95, but Cutting Edge Independents (fine dining) are able to command a $6.75 price and Casual Independents a price of $5.95.  Investing in desserts has paid off for restaurants.  On average dessert menu prices go up 11% per year.  Since 2000 Dessert prices have gone up 55%, according to the  Foodservice Research Institute. 

Base: 1066 Operators

Dessert Menu Item Classes

There are 12 Dessert Menu Item Classes that appear on restaurant menus.  The one that dominates is Cakes and Cheesecakes, which accounts for 19% of all dessert listings on the menu.  This dessert class, which includes Applebee’s Dulce de Leche Cheesecake and Bob Chinn’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake as well as Big Boy’s Hot Fudge Cake Ice Cream, sell at a very respectable average of $4.95. 

Ice Cream Sundaes, many of which incorporate either cake, brownies or cookies, make up 17% of all desserts.  Creamy Dessert Drinks such as Culver’s Turtle Malt, Bakers’ Burgers Cappuccino Blender and Bubba Gump’s Forrest’s Dr. Pepper Float account for 16% of dessert items menued.  Generally, Creamy Dessert Drinks sell for an average of $3.49, but, if one drink is on the menu, more than likely there are five varieties listed (see 4.9 in the table below, column 4).

Cake Dessert Platforms

Out of all the desserts using cake as an ingredient, the vast majority (63%), are stand alone cakes, either gourmet cakes or layer cakes or sheet cakes and they sell for an average price of $4.75.   Ice cream or whipped cream are added to cakes about 20% of the time and fruit tops 5% of cake dessert items.  Cake as a hand held snack makes up 9% of all menu listings and sells for only $1.95, however, fast volume sales from the service counter may help hand helds account for maybe 15% of actual dessert unit sales.  Bennigan’s Brownie Bottom Pie and Topolabampo’s Pastelito de Manzana are representative of this type dessert.

Ingredients Used with Cake or Cookies and Ice Cream Desserts

Signature desserts to be successful need to incorporate two or more layers or components.  Chocolate Cake is an excellent choice for a dessert, but the addition of a raspberry sauce topping will be more memorable and will justify a slightly higher price.  Shown below are the leading sauces and toppings and ice cream flavors and fruits and nuts that go into desserts with cake or cookie and ice cream platforms.  Items are ranked by popularity going down the page and thus strawberry is the leading sauce and vanilla the leading ice cream.

Leading Cake Desserts (with or without ice cream)

Based on menu mentions, Cheesecake (plain) is the number one cake dessert on restaurant menus.  Second is Chocolate Cake, then Carrot Cake, Cheesecake with Fruit and New York Cheesecake (#5).

Cookie Dessert Platforms

A single cookie, wrapped or otherwise, is a remarkable bargain on the menu at $1.49.  Topped with ice cream, this same cookie almost triples its menu price to $3.99.  Lou Malnati’s Pizza uses the cookie and ice cream duo in its Chocolate Chip Pizza and Cheddar’s does the same with its Cookie Monster.

Ice Cream Desserts

Diners willing to spend a little more for an ice cream dessert will find Baked Alaska on the menu at the Rainbow Room or Bananas Foster & Ice Cream at House of Blues or Mile High Ice Cream Pie at Champs Americana.  Most of the time, an ice cream dessert is simply a sundae such as the Hot Fudge Sundae to be found at California Pizza Kitchen.  But the offering may get more dramatic and more costly such as the Holy Cow Sundae offered by Newport Creamery or the Mount Olympus Sundae offered at Kent State College or the Turtle Sundae on the menu at Embers America Restaurants.  Ice Cream Dessert Drinks include malts and shakes and smoothies.  

Hot Beverages on the Menu at Leading Chains

Coffee, tea and hot cocoa complement or even replace desserts as the meal’s final note.  Restaurants serving dessert, particularly signature ones, frequently make available a variety of specialty coffees and hot beverages, such as those shown below.