Any way you slice it, almost everyone likes pie. In fact, 78% of consumers love or like pie, according to Datassential. Plan for dessert-worthy occasions and satisfy customer demand with this pie guide.
Happy Pi Day, where the relationship between circumference and diameter can be fully appreciated. Adding to the circular theme, 43% of restaurants say pie is #1 of their top 3 bestselling desserts per Datassential, so it’s beneficial for restaurants to consider adding it to menus. Grab a bigger slice of the pie and satisfy guests’ sweet tooths with these menu ideas.
Sweet Seasonality
According to Datassential’s 2021 Dessert Keynote, 51% of restaurants currently offer seasonal desserts. Following what’s in season will not only help keep costs low but appeal to diners’ appetites. Consider light, bright pies like Chef Pierre® Lemon Meringue Gourmet Pie or Strawberry Rhubarb for spring, and key lime, apple, or cherry pie during summer service.
Chocolate is King
Chocolate on dessert menus is a given but get creative with the chocolate pies you offer to appeal to traditionalists, chocolate fanatics, and those who may normally go only for a fruit pie. Keep it simple with a classic like Chef Pierre® Chocolate Meringue Gourmet Pie, or step it up with a decadent Nutella, fudge brownie, or salted chocolate caramel pie.
Global Goodness
Break out beyond the traditional pie flavors to attract adventurous eaters. Consider adding the well-known savory pie hailing from Greece, spanakopita, with spinach and cheese, or a crostata, an Italian pie made with cheese or cream, along with cherries, berries, apricots, or peaches to menus.
Or mix it up and offer a taste of the tropics with flavors like pineapple cream pie (a flavor profile up 28.6%), Chef Pierre® Coconut Meringue Gourmet Pie, or trending fruits like yuzu, blood orange, pitaya, dragon fruit, or guava.
Don’t Sleep on Savory
Savory pies not only offer something fun and intriguing for guests, but you can put it on appetizer or brunch menus to utilize ingredients you already have. Consider a pork and peach BBQ pie, goat cheese & sun-dried tomato, or spinach and Gorgonzola. Plant-based pies like vegetable curry or potato and portobello are great savory options to add to include those with restrictive diets.
Flyin’ Pie
Even with people returning to dining rooms in force, curbside, delivery, and takeout are as bustling as ever. Increase off-premise pie sales by offering handheld pies or flavors in easy-to-handle dishes like empanadas, pastries, mini pie tarts, or pie-in-a-jar to entice customers to order it. And ensure you have the proper packaging for the pie to travel well. Consider pie-shaped boxes with your logo on a sticker for slices, and for whole pies, a see-through display to tempt customers picking up takeout to add on.
