KANSAS CITY, MO — Most retail bakers feel the pangs of slow business come January. Whether customers are recovering from gift spending or committing to healthier diet resolutions, the post-holiday blues impact the entire retail baking industry.
While this lull typically only lasts for a month or so, the drop in sales could have lasting effects on business. But don’t fret — there is also a wealth of opportunities to innovate and draw customers back in.
Retail bakers have the advantage of being nimble with their menus, promoting seasonal flavors and offering special items. This is one approach Chris Hanmer, co-owner and pastry chef of CH Patisserie, utilizes to tackle the post-holiday slow season.
Located in Sioux Falls, SD, this Parisian-themed bakery offers a wide selection of treats, including French macarons, petit gateaux, croissants and beignets.
When the blur of winter hit last year, Chris was inspired by the frigid cold to create a dessert that offered customers a tropical reprieve from the shivering temps outside. Aptly named ‘The Getaway,’ he crafted a small coconut lime cake coated with chocolate Cremeux, filled with vanilla bean white chocolate mousse and topped with a mini umbrella.
“The Getaway was a good jolt for us at the time because we started selling it right after Christmas,” Chris said. “I wanted people to have that tropical experience reminiscent of drinking a Margarita on the beach or sitting poolside, and our cake was very well received because of that.”
The vacation-themed small cake generated enough buzz to resume steady foot traffic but also earned a feature spot in Food Network magazine just a couple of months later. The tropical cake boosted sales for the bakery during the January slump and secured a place on the following winter’s menu.
But while the dessert succeeded in enticing customers to make a bakery visit, slow seasons can also be a blessing in disguise, offering bakers the opportunity to look at internal data and reflect on menu items that flew off the shelves vs. the ones that weren’t as popular.
“One major thing that helped us was to recognize — and be okay with — that we’re going to have a slow time,” Chris said. “We learned to take a step back during the slower times and catch our breath. It’s our chance to focus our energy on getting ready for the next busy season.”
CH Patisserie is just one of many bakeries that experience post-holiday dwindling sales. Annika Corbin, founder and CEO of I Like Pie Bakeshop, also understands that January is consistently a quiet month for her California-based bakery.
Rather than letting the lack of business overwhelm her, Annika uses it to her advantage.
“We close for a week in January to give our team a break,” she explained. “Everybody works so hard, and it’s nice to come down from that high after the holidays, close the shop for a week, collect ourselves and come back with a fresh approach.”
Instead of fighting it, Annika acknowledges the reality that the lack of foot traffic in her stores during the slow seasons is beyond her control. After her team opens the shop back up, the bakery maintains business by creating individual pies in an assortment of sweet and savory flavors.
The slow season also led to Annika identifying potential opportunities to gain customer interaction beyond the bakery. Putting her skills to use for the community, Annika decided to hold baking classes out of one of I Like Pie’s storefront kitchen spaces.
The private pie-making classes — hosted by Annika — allow participants to learn how to bake various types of pie from scratch and go home with a fully finished 10-inch pie.
“January is a good time for classes because people want to try something new,” she said. “Our classes are a great way to bring in revenue that doesn’t directly involve eating for the people who adopted New Year’s diet resolutions.”
As she continued hosting the classes, Annika took note of how engaged attendees were, which paved the way for her to market toward corporate team-building activities, executive retreats, birthday celebrations and wedding-related events.
“We’re learning what each group of people likes to do, and we can tailor the class specific to them,” she said. “It’s an immersive experience that shares my joy of baking and drives our sales during those slow seasons.”
Of course, working in the baking industry during periods when potential customers are trying to watch their sweet-good intake can be challenging. Catering to the widespread preference for quality bites of indulgence is a key factor in sustaining business.
Chris’ bakery thrives on its bite-sized menu that offers customers a mini moment to splurge on decadent desserts. Adjusting portion sizes for his cakes and other sweet goods provided a healthier alternative than a full serving of dessert found elsewhere.
“Moderation is what helps people with those resolutions,” Chris said. “Offering customers a mindful serving of the sweets they’re looking for can still promote a bakery’s high-quality menu.”
There’s no denying the impact January has on most bakeries, but meeting people where they are is crucial for retaining business.
Whether it’s hosting a baking class, offering a bite-sized vacation in the form of small cakes, or simply condensing portion sizes, bakers across the US are empowered to think outside the box and retain post-holiday business.
