Sugar is America’s most addictive ingredient, yet dessert sales continue to decline each year. This shift may be due to the rise of sweetened coffee drinks, smoothies, and alcoholic beverages replacing traditional desserts.
For today’s Executive Chef, justifying a pastry chef’s position—or even budgeting for a dedicated pastry shop—requires a stronger business case. Industry trends demand a strategic approach, especially when considering reduced demand. Forward-thinking leaders recognize that the future isn’t the past, and those who adapt attract investment.
The Changing Kitchen Landscape
Until the early 2000s, most kitchens followed a traditional layout, with standard stations like Cold, Butchery, Hot, Purchasing, Banquets, and Pastry. These structures persisted due to tradition and the limited availability of prepared products. But as talent and convenience foods reshaped the industry, kitchen designs evolved.
Real estate within a kitchen is costly, making space allocation a constant challenge. The focus initially shifted to butchery, then purchasing and refrigerated docks. Eventually, pastry shops, including dedicated chocolate rooms and bakeries, were also reassessed. Many kitchens built 30 years ago have since repurposed these spaces, as outsourcing became more cost-effective.
I experienced this firsthand in 2004 while working on a project in Tokyo. Tasked with cutting $300,000 in kitchen equipment, I quickly realized that with a single oven costing $35,000, this required drastic reductions in services, square footage, and specialized equipment.
Shifting Eating Habits
Today, members satisfy their sugar cravings through coffee shops rather than plated desserts. Starbucks reports that its top-consumed ingredients are sugar and milk, with sweetened drinks replacing traditional cookies and breakfast pastries. Smoothies, particularly popular with teenagers, have also taken a larger share of the market. Alcohol, too, has become a substitute for classic desserts like pie, cake, and chocolate.
When dining out, guests prioritize appetizers, soups, salads, and entrées. By the time dessert rolls around, they feel full, and a second glass of wine often provides a more appealing form of indulgence.
Even menu placement reflects this shift. Drinks and entrées are assumed parts of the experience, but dessert is an afterthought. How often does a server hesitantly ask, “Does anyone have room for dessert?” The phrasing itself implies excess. If a dessert is ordered, it often disrupts kitchen workflow, further discouraging its promotion.
Talent and Cost Considerations
In 1993, Executive Pastry Chef Tom Vaccaro at the Waldorf Astoria predicted that high-quality, convenience-driven pastry products would change the industry. He wasn’t talking about fully pre-made pastries, but rather versatile components—like laminated dough and short-dough tartlets—that allow chefs to create artisan-quality products more efficiently. Before these innovations, making such items from scratch was expensive and labor-intensive.
By 1999, I was already advising our pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton to diversify his skill set. Even at the chain’s largest hotel, his salary was constantly scrutinized. While his talents were valued, ownership saw labor costs as the key to profitability. In 2000, Ritz-Carlton eliminated the corporate pastry chef position entirely. For many operators, pastry is viewed as discretionary rather than essential when budgets tighten.
This is why, during club chef searches, candidates are often asked to prepare a pastry item as part of their tasting. While they may not have advanced pastry skills, they should at least be comfortable executing basic techniques.
The Convenience Evolution
Convenience isn’t about one-stop shopping—it’s about reducing labor costs. Artisan producers around the world have stepped in to provide high-quality components, allowing kitchens to focus on their specialties rather than producing everything in-house.
As a chef committed to scratch cooking, my pastry chef and I regularly evaluated where our efforts were best spent. We refused to use prepackaged, ready-to-serve products but acknowledged when outside vendors could provide superior ingredients or components. Smart chefs know their best suppliers, understand their products, and apply them strategically.
The key lesson: Don’t buy what you can make better. But if everything is outsourced, talent leaves, and the kitchen loses its identity.
The Role of Pastry in Culinary Identity
Pastry plays a critical role in defining a kitchen’s image. I always valued it because it often bookends a guest’s experience—first with breakfast pastries, then with dessert. Many American kitchens don’t excel in breakfast pastries, yet they set the tone for the entire day.
On buffets, individual portions ensure that every guest gets the intended composition of dessert, sauce, garnish, and finishing touch. This level of precision creates a more consistent and refined experience than slicing from a large cake or pie.
As an Executive Chef, I championed pastry’s importance. But who would support the extra labor costs? That’s the challenge for any chef managing a kitchen budget. The business case must be strong.
Take ice cream, for example. It’s universally loved, yet many kitchens lack a proper plan for it. Most members enjoy sweets—whether they drink them or eat them. Every celebration features them. The emotional case is easy to make, but the operational reality requires commitment.
For every Executive Chef, there is a cost to bringing joy to the table. That cost must be protected and, ideally, reinvigorated.
