Manhattan bakery
I want to open a bakery in lower Manhattan. Any advice as to what are the next dessert trends, or what the area needs?
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9 Comments:
very good coffee will help carry a lot of your business. i've worked in a few places, and even the ones with fairly odd or unfamiliar offerings got people in the door with coffee, then made steady customers out of them with the quality of the products.
what seems to sell the most - and this is partially conjecture - in the bakeries i've worked in isn't heavy pomp and circumstance. something simple - or even something that looks simple - will draw people in. especially if it's far more decadent than it seems. don't worry about piling on gold leaf or organic marzipan - make it look simple and delicious.
as for the next dessert trends - all i know is that they'll be free of trans fats. unfortunately.
but what do i know.
(and hey, if you want to hire a barista with lots of experience at premium rates, i'm your man)
onthestereo at 4:49PM on 03/18/07
I agree completely with the great coffee comment. As far as trends, cupcakes are hot, or you could do a Mrs. Fields and feature cookies, brownies, muffins and scones - my personal favorites!
biscuitbaker at 6:20PM on 03/18/07
I agree with the comments about sticking to the basics, but then even better is really good twists on the basics. For instance, I love cupcakes, and a really good plain choc or vanilla cupcake is good. But, I'm still looking for more flavors to pop up, like chocolate mint, or ones with lemon curd, or things like that. There are so many awesome possiblities in the baking world
missmicker at 6:42PM on 03/18/07
(as for the next dessert trends - all i know is that they'll be free of trans fats. unfortunately.
hells to the no! free of artificial trans fats, maybe—there are natural trans fats too, and they come in everything delicious from milk to meat.)
Lia Bulaong at 9:00PM on 03/18/07
I'd like to see a bakery that offers fresh, crisp and flaky turnovers. The fillings could change with the seasons, be sweet (like a chausson aux pommes) or savory (like a Cornish pasty.) Imagine a trendy new (possibly warm from the oven!) portable bakery treat! It's sort of my fantasy, but then I'm kind of over the whole cupcake thing. And frankly after sampling dozens of different cupcakes from diff. bakeries, the only ones I'll eat now are the ones served up by Sprinkles in Beverly Hills. I, too, agree with the others that good coffee is essential to the success of your bakery. Good luck!
MLT at 10:43AM on 03/19/07
What kind of bakery experience do you have? Is there any kind of bakery treat you really love? I think it's important to focus on your passion and experience, rather than trends, if you want your bakery to be successful.
Meg Hourihan at 11:31AM on 03/19/07
one word: breadpudding!
lilbro at 12:39PM on 03/19/07
I'm a sucker for a homemade donut, personally!
I'd also love to see more places that lend themselves to lingering - not coffee shops, but nice bakery cafes where you can get a cup of tea and a sweet at four pm without having to do a full "high tea" thing.
sadie at 4:12PM on 03/19/07
Why don't you come up with your own ideas?
Are you really a baker or a marketing major? If you're a true baker, then you would have a grand passion to introduce your customers to your discoveries, your inventions, you re-working of old traditions; things like that.
What this city does NOT need is another cupcake, or another copy cat.
Deb07 at 5:07PM on 03/19/07