10. Don’t let the dessert be the low point of a dining experience. So many restaurants fail to recognize that a bad dessert can kill the experience, that’s why having a pastry chef or securing top-notch desserts to serve is so critical.
9. In pastry competitions, mise en place and cleanliness are just as important as the dessert presentation. Translation, cleanliness and organization will make or break the perception of your business. Self-serve froyo – it’s imperative to have an employee wipe the machines frequently; cafes with croissants – love the flakiness, not the mess it leaves on tables and floors; gelato cases with drips and messy pans, not so artisan; disorganized counters with clutter, dishes and stacks of random items not so pleasing to the eye.
8. Websites or social media pages. I know time is not readily available in the world of desserts, but if you aren’t online, how do you expect people to find you? The first thing people do when they hear about a new shop or restaurant is go online. In lieu of a website, at the very least a Facebook page will do and you can get both for FREE!
7. You may cringe when I tell you I frequent Starbucks a lot, but even though I know the pastry case by heart, I still look and review time and time again. The thing that makes me cringe is when pastry cases, gelato cases, and even in some cases, froyo shops don’t have labels! Sure it looks like a scone but consumers want to know for sure, so don’t make them guess!
6. Like many of you, the first time I encountered the word Arabeschi® I could not pronounce it nor wanted to attempt to, but PreGel is my company and I needed to know the lingo, and perfect it. And your employees need to know the ins and outs of your business too. I think we can all appreciate when we walk into a store and the representative of that business is very knowledgeable, passionate and informative.
5. Did you know that based on the breed of the dog, you can determine how many times you need to repeat an action for them to learn it? Humans tend to catch on a bit faster, but repetition and consistency are the key to your brand, so you should create a great recipe and stick to it. The pistachio your customers crave today is the same one they’ll crave tomorrow.
4. Listen! Ah, the word we hated hearing from our teachers time and time again in school, but don’t you hate they were right all along? Listen to what your customers tell you. Sure some things are outlandish and silly, but most are constructive and worth making changes for.
3. “Things just aren’t made like they used to be anymore.” Well, I can’t argue with that, but do you want your customers saying it too? Cutting corners is not the answer to increasing your revenues. In the long run, it will kill your business.
2. Research. Trust me, I know the hardship of finding adequate time to do this, but I have to do it to better myself, my job and my company. You need to analyze your sales and customer buying habits, understand your patrons and their needs – bottom line, you must allocate time to research, analyze and better your business to ultimately grow.
1. All of the styles of gelato are lovely, but the secret to the aesthetic is to keep it uniform. Peaks, sculpted, flat or designed with spatulart, whatever the case, keep it one way and patrons will continue to “ohh” and “ah” over the beauty in your artisan gelato.
