When dining out, there’s no better treat than getting something sweet at the end of a meal. Sometimes, swoon-worthy sweets can be the main attraction of a dining experience, as well as one of the menu items most likely to inspire social sharing. When asked what they think dessert is, 62% of consumers said they define it as anything sweet eaten after lunch or dinner, and 71% say they define dessert as something traditional, like cookies, pie and cakes, according to Technomic’s 2017 Dessert report. With so many people viewing dessert as something familiar, it only makes sense for restaurants to menu classics such as cake and pie. Because all modern restaurants deal with time, waste and labor concerns, pre-sliced pies can’t be beat as a top option. Beyond convenience, there are several reasons pre-sliced pie is a winner in restaurants.
Saving on labor
Slicing pie might not seem like it would take that much time for a worker to do. But considering the time it takes to slice and serve one pie, multiplied by the number of slices ordered on any given day, the truth is, the time it takes slicing up desserts can add up fast. With pre-sliced options, staff can simply place a portion on a plate or in a to-go container and move on to their next task. This means no time is spent cutting and slicing evenly portioned pieces, and there are no worries over damaged slices from uneven cuts. Using pre-sliced pie can cut slice-and-serve time in half.
Thaw-and-serve variety
With whole pies, it can be complicated to serve up much variety without planning for a lot of waste. After all, there are only so many pieces of pie sold in a day, and not selling out of every pie could add up to a lot of waste. For that reason, restaurants serving whole pies often only offer two or three options. But with pre-sliced pies, restaurants can simply thaw and serve slices as needed. That means instead of just apple, cherry and French silk, for instance, more options such as Coconut Crème de la Cream, Peach Lattice, Banana Crème with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Salted Caramel with Chocolate Peanut Butter pies are all a go for the menu. With a wider range of flavors, restaurants can reel in repeat customers who want to come back and sample all the choices.
Minimizing waste
It’s happened to just about anyone who’s ever tried to cut a pie—the crust breaks, or the filling spills out onto the neighboring slice. Whatever the problem, manually cutting pies means having to plan ahead for waste. Even though less-than-perfect or “damaged” slices still taste just as delicious, diners want to have a slice that looks flawless. Serving pre-sliced pie not only minimizes the waste from broken crusts and unusable pieces, but it also frees up time in the back-of-the-house for other necessary activities and prep work. For perfect slices that help save on labor, pre-sliced pies are the ideal solution.
Offer diners the variety they’re looking for without sacrificing time and profit—from classic Dutch Apple to Blueberry with Lemon Meringue to Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Mousse and Dark Chocolate Ganache. As an industry-leading provider of restaurant quality pies, Chef Pierre® Pre-Sliced Pie has everything restaurants need for a knockout dessert menu. What’s more they feature a variety of naturally sweetened pies all with no artificial flavors or colors.
This post is sponsored by Chef Pierre®