Food-to-go pastry trends for 2019

The food-to-go market is expected to be worth a staggering £17.8b by the turn of the year and continues to outperform the wider eating out market with a 5% compound annual growth rate forecast for 2018-2023.

 

Sweet and savoury pastries are part of this growth, and bakery product supplier Lantmännen Unibake UK say that operators can't afford to miss out on such a lucrative offering.

 

Marketing manager Kate Sykes highlights some of the trends for establishments to capitalise on:

 

Savoury snacking

 

World flavours â€" there’s a growing popularity for Scandinavian soft doughs and Portuguese custard tart sales have increased a staggering 458% since 2016. Middle Eastern tastes are also proving popular, straddling both savoury and sweet bakery. New product development plays an important role in growing the bakery category, driving people to try the ‘next big thing’.

 

Capitalising on coffee - with 84% of all sweet bakery occasions featuring a drink, 59.7% of which are hot, cross-promoting high-quality viennoiserie and Danish pastry products with beverages such as coffee or hot chocolate presents a huge incremental sales opportunity.

 

The importance of the core - the top three selling Danish Pastry SKUs deliver 62% of the total category value sales. The Schulstad Bakery Solutions maple pecan plait, cinnamon swirl and vanilla crème crown are the top-sellers in the Lantmännen Unibake Danish pastry range; other must-stock French pastries include the all-butter croissant, pain au chocolat and pain aux raisins.

 

And finally menus: in addition to the breakfast basics, snacking, mid-morning and mid-afternoon are key incremental selling times, so having freshly baked goods ready for these periods is crucial. During the week, some consumers favour a coffee and sweet treat in place of a dessert. Adding a selection of mini viennoiserie and mini Danish pastries or a Portuguese custard tart to your menus can deliver key incremental sales. And on Friday to Sunday, this is a time where consumers look to indulge, so, it’s important to have a range of tempting products available.

 

Finish with a flourish: divine desserts for your menu >>

 

Fashionably late: the latest breakfast trends >>

 

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