| This formula is already successful. For example, Starbucks has introduced mini bites to its line-up. Now, when you are purchasing your six dollar special coffee, the barista is verbally up-selling you to agree to purchase a mini bite dessert to be paired with your coffee at the till. Genius! They have now increased the bill sale without a second thought; you feel comfortable spending an extra $1.50 (not hard on your wallet) and you feel less calorie guilt about one bite (which may lead into a second or third dessert item). Other franchises that are on the mini dessert train are Dairy Queen with their downsized mini Blizzards, and Moxies with a one-bite brownie. Offering mini indulgences, less expensive than the regular sized choices, also brings out creativity within your kitchen. Starting with a base of cake lollipops, brownie bites, mini crème brûlée, French macaroons and cupcakes, the flavour profile choices are endless. Envision caramel sea salt brownies, Skor cheesecake pops, and raspberry white chocolate crème brûlée tartlets. Here at the Petroleum Club, we have been serving one-bite desserts for a number of years. In our signature wine cellar room, we serve a mini confection plate. This is a dessert plate offering six different “bites” that change as per the pastry team’s creative creations. This dessert has proven itself as a popular choice for the past four years amongst our membership. It’s the small bite, no-guilt feeling at the end of an indulgent meal. Dessert sales at lunch are lower, but the offsetting of lesser portions and prices of desserts will prove to increase sales. On our new lunch menu, we just launched two mini dessert choices: Cookies & Coffee (mini cookies and a hot cup of coffee) and Grand Marnier Crème Brûlée Petite. In the footsteps of savoury tapas’ popularity, we welcome the new kid on the block: mini bite-size desserts.
About the author:  Liana Robberecht, Executive Chef, Calgary Petroleum Club, began her training with the Professional Cooking Program at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (Edmonton), passing the Red Seal qualifying examinations in 1995. Chef Liana is passionately committed to regional cuisine, and a farm-to-table philosophy pervades the three kitchens and staff of 45 under her leadership. She has a number of professional memberships under her belt, including the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Board and the SAIT Advisory Committee for the Professional Cooking Program.
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