It is hard to believe that some restaurant owners and managers forget how important the dessert and coffee course of a meal is to a guests experience. The presentation, the pace and even the visual appearance of each dessert and coffee being served to your guests plays a vital part of the meal and can make or break a guests perception of a restaurant.
Everyone knows, you eat wit your eyes first and the way a dessert looks is just as- if not more- important as the way it taste. This being said, hiring an experienced pastry chef will play a large role int he importance of delegating the creative/ planning of advanced and creative desserts. Even the simplest try of rustic cookies can holds the potential to be beautiful and leave a lasting impression on your guests.
We can not stress enough the importance of having a trained pastry chef to set your business apart from the competition. One who is able to work with more advanced techniques, making molding chocolate, wrapping it around cake in fondant and forming it into ribbons to adorn the top. Chefs who are willing to experiment with extra-fancy gold leaf and dust and those who will pay attention to every single creme brule, chocolate soufflé, and cheesecake that leaves the kitchen doors.
As we gain a steady clientele base we sometimes become compliant and forget that we still have to impress even our most loyal customers. If we forget, even just once, to properly garnish their favorite desserts or the lemon twist for their double shot of espresso, those guest will look down on the establishment and will may choose to dine else where the next time they eat out. It is crucial to remember the importance of appearance and the importance of the last course served to your guest, it is after all the last impression given.
If your establishment has been found guilty of looking the other way on dessert presentation fear not! There are a few tricks we would like to share to ensure your staff serves only the best to your guests!
1- Take photos of all desserts and coffees - post the imagines near the expo line so all items can be checked prior to service
2- Train your staff on each dessert item - if they don’t know what it is suppose to look like they won’t be able to find a mistake
3- Test your product every shift- taste your dessert and thoroughly look at them to make sure they are up to par with what your guest expect
