Miniature plated desserts were all the rage at Europain 2008.

Trends in foodservice are as visible as a trip to a couple of the national chains. Armed with a full complement of market research tools, these chains have a good idea of what's coming down the pipeline. But comprehensive knowledge of specific markets, coupled with the agility to quickly address trends, gives foodservice bakeries an edge in deciding which to implement.

Never too cool for school

Classes and events can engage your customers with what you do and expose them to you and your product. Now, more than ever, people are curious about food. “Thank God for the Food Network effect,” says Slade Grove, owner of Wicked Witch Bakery, Phoenix.

“Classes are a great way to reach out to your customers and stay in constant contact with them,” Grove adds. “It also helps to reinforce your brand image and to put your skill in the kitchen on display.”

Grove taught classes in his original bakery before increased production demand precipitated new equipment that ate up the space for classes. He plans on resuming the classes in his new facility opening next month and built a show kitchen to ensure a reserved spot in which to hold them.

Bakers who want to offer classes have to ask themselves a few questions. “I asked myself, ‘Do I have the social skills? Do I have the ability to convey what I need-not to culinary students, but to the average customer?’” he says. Patience and an engaging personality are important.

For Sonia Newton, owner of online bakery Love My Cake Boutique, Morristown, N.J., it was important to establish a physical presence. She teamed with a local winery to host a wine and pastry event that offered new customers a chance to try her products.

“Learning new things about food can excite people and inspire them to buy,” Newton says.

Tiny is huge

Bigger isn't always better. Miniature versions of popular baked products are flying out of the showcases, and bakers are packaging several of the minis together to maximize profit on the minimally-sized treats.

Paul Conforti, cofounder and president of Finale Dessert Co., Boston, says sharability has a lot to do with the success of the trend. “Instead of each person having their own individual dessert, people interact over a sampler platter. People just like to have a sense of variety,” he says.

Finale now offers a new “Girls' Night Out” menu, available from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, in an effort to bolster the evening daypart. That time of day is associated with social interactions, common for happy hours, and Conforti is capitalizing on sociability by headlining the special menu with three-piece miniature dessert trays for $7.95 Finale also offers trays of nine or more miniature desserts designed for sharing and sampling. The desserts can be purchased individually as well.

Conforti believes price point and customer awareness of portion size also have added to the miniature boom.

“In this economy, people appreciate the fact that they can share a crème brule and drink ice water, or buy miniature pastries for $1.25 a piece. A customer can customize what they want based on their mood and their budget for the evening,” Conforti says. “We were probably at the forefront of portion sizes shrinking when we started 10 years ago, comparing a big slab of cake to an individual plated dessert. With miniatures, customers customize their portion sizes, too.”

Home is where the heart is

Consumers are becoming more aware of where their food originates, and are increasingly willing to give the hometown team the nod. Panera Bread Co. and Einstein Bros. Bagels have advantages as large, national chains, but some consumers are clamoring for similar options from their own communities. Enough of these people exist to merit a term; a localvore eats only locally produced food.

“I think locality is first on the list of trends around here,” says Josh Allen, owner of Companion Bread Co., St. Louis. “We are certainly seeing an interest piqued in who is baking people's bread and where it is produced, who is roasting their coffee beans and where they are roasting it. Really, it's a well-educated clientele trying to understand where their food is coming from.”

Allen believes this trend is a natural outgrowth of the organic trend. He thinks organic is wonderful, but fears that larger companies are co-opting the term and it is losing its appeal as it gets watered down. In response, he has made it a goal to differentiate himself from large national chains. He joined the Collaborative, a group aimed at getting people to eat locally, hire locally, and get involved and support local charities and community-driven events. Bulletin boards can help too.

“One of my difficulties is that I'm also a chain; but I'm a three-unit chain,” Allen says. “That allows me to be sure that I have an ownership presence at my stores every day and that makes a big difference. Other than that, it's a lot of little things; buying packaging locally, hiring local artists to design logos. All of that's of interest to a growing portion of people.”