Consumers are pinching pennies, but they’re willing to part with a few cents every now and then to treat themselves to dessert. Dessert often functions as an affordable indulgence, a moment of bliss (that doesn’t break the bank) for an increasingly stressed population.
But people aren’t always turning to restaurants for their sweet kick. At-home baking has stayed strong after the pandemic, and more varieties of confectionaries are hitting the grocery shelves. Foodservice has to provide an escape that consumers can’t get at home through more adventurous dessert creations.
For the first time, Dot Foods has teamed up with Datassential to showcase menu trends and products. These Datassential trends will have diners making room for dessert at restaurants.
Regional Treats
Several Datassential data points indicate a growing interest in different desserts from across the globe and the United States:
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Mexican chocolate, Texas sheet, and gooey butter (St. Louis) are all cake flavors in the adoption stage of the menu cycle.
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Gen Z has shown a strong interest in Asian desserts, such as mochi.
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Basque cheesecake is one of the fastest growing desserts on menus.
Pulling inspiration from these regional specialties can heighten the sense of escapism. The growing popularity of global varieties also opens the door to more flavors and textures, such as the combination of warming cinnamon with chocolate in Mexican chocolate cake or the uniquely chewy texture of mochi.
Colorful Flavors
It’s not all about taste. The visual appeal is part of the fun of dessert. Some of the growing dessert flavors on Datassential’s radar have vibrant colors:
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Ube, a purple yam from the Phillippines, has been the fastest growing dessert sauce/flavor on menus over the past four years.
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Citrus ingredients like watermelon, passion fruit, and blood orange are in the adoption stage of the menu cycle, adding both color and tartness to desserts.
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Floral ingredients like rose, hibiscus, and lavender are in the inception stage of the menu cycle. They add fragrant notes to sweets and can inspire some colorful, flower-like creations.
Colorful flavors add whimsy to the dessert experience. They also serve as great subjects for social media content, an important factor for young consumers who are increasingly online.
Your Sourcing Solution
When it comes to dessert, you can’t lose sight of what the consumer really wants—joy. Fun new flavors and playful visuals can put an extra pep in diners’ steps and bring them back for more.
Deliver on-trend menu items with Dot Foods and Datassential. Datassential delivers the data, and Dot Foods has the solutions and products to bring them to life. Together, we’ve put together insights and products for trending desserts.
Dig into our dessert products and Datassential insights.