bakingbuyer - September 2011 - (Page 44)

DESIGN OF THE TIMES your cake. “Sometimes it’s nice to know your work is appreciated as art, and that your customer isn’t saying, ‘It’s just cake.’” Think about it this way: Creating cakes that have a keepsake element can also help your bottom line, if they function as an upsale item. Extra elements—especially those that might require a level of engineering and construction to create—are adding to the time, effort and resources it takes to create the cake. So remember to consider that when you’re pricing the cake. And don’t be afraid to tell your customers that “takeaway” or “keepsake” pieces come at an extra cost. And don’t think that a keepsake the same location and under the same family ownership), he has seen cake accompaniments evolve from the standard Cinderella, ballerina, clown, Roeser’s Bakery in Chicago uses characters, toys and trinkets as a way to not only decorate their cakes, but also to create an upsell with a keepsake piece. Fondant Figurines Make Great Takeaways One way to create extra keepsakes—and a little extra profit—for your cakes is by adding sculpted figurines to the cake. You can create anything from animals to characters or people. At a Deep South RBA workshop in August, noted decorator Bronwen Weber demonstrated easy tips for quick and creative fondant figurines that you can add to a cake design. When done correctly and efficiently, you can create fondant figurines in a matter of minutes and use them as an upsell item. Weber charges about $20-25 per sculpted figure. When customers want to keep the whole cake, a sculpted figurine is an option for them to have a custom piece to keep and still get to enjoy the yummy cake. element has to be cake. You can create a “gift with purchase,” just by adding a character or toy as the cake topper. Just take a cue from John Roeser III, owner of Roeser’s Bakery in Chicago. For his bakery (which celebrates the 100th year in 44 · BAKING BUYER · SEPTEMBER 11 cowboy and race car, to an expansive array of ornaments, characters and toys. “Now, anything that’s on TV has an ornament,” Roeser says. “And there are so many that there’s no room for a row of one theme in the display anymore.” Roeser sees this as the ultimate upsell opportunity by adding on toys for themes like Sesame Street, Thomas, Dora and Winnie the Pooh. In fact, he’s been able to segue that into even larger bundling opportunities, such as a sheet cake that comes with a decal and ornament, along with ice cream and balloons and decorations from his party shop next door to the bakery. If you consider adding toys to your cakes for a gift-with-purchase, companies like DecoPac offer cake kits that include a Spider Man that wishes “Happy Birthday” or a talking Thomas the Train. Whether you sculpt a cake that is just too cool to eat, or you create a themed cake with ornamental add-ons, keepsakes are a great way to make your offerings more than “just a cake.” JOANIE SPENCER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bakingbuyer - September 2011

bakingbuyer - September 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE - See You in Schaumburg
INDUSTRY NEWS - News Bites
INDUSTRY NEWS - Oklahoma Sugar Art Show: Wedding Cakes Rock!
INDUSTRY NEWS - RBA Names 2011 Class of Emeritus
INDUSTRY NEWS - Cakes.com Gives Bakers Online Tool
INDUSTRY NEWS - Barry Callebaut Bolsters European Footprint
INDUSTRY NEWS - “Get Back to Scratch” Contest Winner
INDUSTRY NEWS - AMF Completes Acquisition of BakeTech
INDUSTRY NEWS - USDA Extends Sugar Import Entry
CONSUMER PURCHASING - Discovering America's Bakeries
BREADWINNERS - The Whole Truth About Whole Grains: Installment Three
BREADWINNERS - Team USA Profi le
BREADWINNERS - Why Not Rye?
DESIGN OF THE TIMES - Strokes of Genius
DESIGN OF THE TIMES - Keepsake Cakes
DESIGN OF THE TIMES - Fall is the New June
DESIGN OF THE TIMES - Figure Piping 101
BAKERY BIZ TIPS - Add Business to Add Revenue
CHOCOLATE - Ganache Secrets
FOODSERVICE INNOVATIONS - Food Labeling Fight
CONSUMER PURCHASING - Keep Them Coming Back
CONSUMER PURCHASING - get Social
Social Butterfl ies in the Baking Business
Fighting, Surviving, + Thriving
Allin the Family
EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY - Bakers ON ICE
FEATURED PRODUCTS
LIQUID ASSETS - COOL COMBOS
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
MARKETPLACE NETWORK
AD INDEX
panaderia
CARTA DE INTRODUCCIÓN - La Diversidad de Tampa
INTRODUCTORY LETTER - The Melting Pot of Tampa
PAN Y PANADERÍA - Pan Cubano: Estilo Tampa
PASTELES Y DECORACIONES - La Magia de la Plantilla
PRODUCTOS - PRODUCTOS DESTACADOS DE TRIGAL DORADO
Estrategias de Venta para la Nueva Economía
PERFILES - Moreno Bakery
PERFILES - La Segunda
PERFILES - Florida Bakery
PERFILES - Acapulco Tropical
PERFILES - Mi Patria
TENDENCIAS DEL CONSUMIDOR - Las Necesidades Particulares de los Hispanos
CALENDARIO DE DÍAS FESTIVOS
FÓRMULAS
CONSUMER TRENDS - Unique Needs of Hispanics
BREAD & BAKING - Cuban Bread: Tampa Style
CAKES & DECORATING - Stencil Magic
Sales Strategies in the New Economy
PROFILES - Moreno Bakery
PROFILES - La Segunda
PROFILES - Florida Bakery
PROFILES - Mi Patria
PROFILES - Acapulco Tropical
CALENDAR
PRODUCTS - FEATURED PRODUCTS FROM TRIGAL DORADO
FORMULAS

bakingbuyer - September 2011