What’s Driving Sales this Upcoming Holiday?
Think Beyond the Pie with Seasonal Dessert Offerings
When the holidays roll around, one dessert tends to dominate operators’ menus. Whether it’s pumpkin, pecan or apple, pies are almost always a staple. But limiting your holiday dessert menu to pie alone is a missed opportunity.
Seasonal and limited-time desserts are now the top specialty offerings among dessert-serving operators, with 69% currently offering seasonal desserts on their menus.1 And consumer dessert preferences are shifting to elevated classics, single-serve and sharable formats. See how easy it is to serve what customers want with versatile ingredients from Nestlé Professional Solutions.®
How “Newstalgia” Can Work for Your Operation
Today’s guests crave modern twists on the classics. In fact, 70% of consumers say they enjoy “fresh takes” on nostalgic flavors.2 And when familiar favorites get a refresh, guests take notice.
Operators have also seen the biggest increase in sales for cookies, cheesecakes and ice cream in the past year.1 Consider elevating these classic offerings to hit the sweet spot for seasonal sales:
Cheesecakes: Incorporate trending flavors like red velvet or dulce de leche. individual slices make it easy to indulge (or share), and personal cakes add an elegant touch to this traditional favorite.
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches: Mix Nestlé® Toll House Morsels into seasonal ice cream flavors like pumpkin, churro or eggnog, or roll edges in morsels to create an irresistible chipwich.
Cannoli Two Ways: This holiday fave gets refined with Nestlé® Toll House Morsels mixed into the filling or sprinkled on top for that semi-sweet delicious factor. Or capture the pumpkin-spice audience with LIBBY’S® pumpkin cream filling.
Classics Like a Little Creative Company
If your go-to dessert is pie, consider thinking beyond the basics for innovative upgrades this holiday season. These menu creations don’t have to be complex. And with the right ingredients and back-of-house support, you can deliver indulgence, consistency and efficiency, all at once.
Nestlé Professional Solutions® offers a complete portfolio of trusted high-quality dessert ingredients for operators:
Plan Now to Get Ahead of the Holiday Rush
The holidays are busy enough, so we recommend starting your menu planning now for a smooth season. Exploring new flavors and formats in advance helps get a headstart on prep, sourcing and consistency in your operation. It also gives you more time to create buzz around your new offerings to generate additional interest.
Set Your Holiday Season Up for Success
At Nestlé, we’re here to help you drive seasonal sales. From newstalgic treats to elevated classics, when you move beyond pies, you can build a more dynamic, profitable holiday menu with trusted ingredients from Nestlé Professional Solutions.®
To learn more, visit our desserts webpage.
Sources:
1 Datassential, Desserts 2026
2 Bake Magazine, Dawn Foods to Unveil North American Bakery Trends at IBIE 2025