We're back with another QOTW...
What is your least selling product, and why do you think it doesn't sell?
Looking forward to reading your replies! 🌟
I still tend to think they are a very vocal minority.. however there is a definite upswing. With a clever chef we have GF and VEG options for many of our dishes now.. our most popular cake (a decadent brownie) is GF. We use no gluten based products in our fryer so everything from there is automatically GF.
In terms of our worst item - it was a vegan cheese 😄
It resembled modeling clay, not remotely like cheese, cost a fortune, and I don't think we ever sold any...
Even the chickens wouldn't eat it.
I think the food alternatives and allergen driven stuff may be a repeating theme in this topic
Bruce
I've been vegan for 12 years and as bad as many vegan cheeses are (and they're still pretty bad), they have come a long way since 2010! 😂 If anyone is curious, the Violife Mexican Shreds and the Daiya Mozzarella shreds melt well on burgers, the Daiya cream cheese is good, the Whole Foods 365 brand shredded parmesan is pretty good on pasta. 😊 We use the Daiya cream cheese and Mozzarella Shreds at our cafe and people seem to like them!
This is so interesting! As a vegan, I wonder if it's because we tend to find places where we know we'll be able to find options. I am sometimes hesitant to try new places when I'm not sure that they'll have something I can eat. But, as a restaurant, I know how hard it is to cater to every dietary preference. We used to have a really wide selection of GF pastry, but we've had to cut back because the ingredients are so expensive and the interest seems to fluctuate a lot.
Hmmmm…. Like @Lovewell thankfully I don’t have inventory that only works for one item, so the dogs just get consigned to the “good idea, but…” pile.
I will say that for me it’s all about what flavors (I have 80) and toppings (I have close to 50) aren’t selling well. I give them a year, and if they don’t rise above a certain threshold, I replace them. For the 2023 season, I’ve identified around 10 toppings that will go away and be replaced. There are plenty of options in the world so why take up valuable prep-table space. Some that are going away — Jolly Rancher Crunch, peppermint crunch and Buttermints, And based upon requests, we are adding more than we are removing!
And @KevinBICR I feel your pain. I will say that vegetarian/vegan AND gluten-free require a pretty consistent commitment. When I had food, it took a few years to build up my following. But, but the time I decided to give up food service, I was rated in “Find Me Gluten Free” and was known as a place that had innovative, changing, and best of all flavorful vegan food, including an amazing vegan burger. Still, trying to cover all of the diet things will drive you crazy for minimal returns. Unless you really want to court those markets and make a name for yourself with them, I’ve never found it to be worth it.
Right now, my least selling items are face mask and that's because the pandemic has died down. I keep them on hand because I do have customers that come in and get them because of their job or because they have weakened immune systems.
Beer & Wine is currently our lowest selling category. We used to be open until 10pm every night, but with the pandemic we shortened hours significantly. We're currently operating more like a breakfast/brunch/donut place (closing at 2pm), which has made a dent in those beer & wine sales. It still does well on weekends (especially mimosas) and for special evening events though, so we've been keeping the option around. Who doesn't like a nice sparkling rose during Saturday brunch?!
