How many desserts, and which kinds
A dessert menu is short for a practical reason: one station makes all of it, at the end of the night, when the kitchen is tired. Four to six desserts is enough to give every table something. Build the list by the job each dessert does, not by what the pastry cook likes most.
| The slot | For example | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | A cake, a budino, a tart | The dessert a table asks for by name |
| Fruit | A crisp, a galette, a poached pear | Changes with the season; lighter after a big meal |
| Creamy | Panna cotta, crème brûlée, cheesecake | Made ahead, holds well, plates fast |
| A scoop | Ice cream or sorbet, two or three flavors | The easy yes, and often the dairy-free option |
| To share | Cookies from the oven, a large sundae | Gets dessert onto a table that says it is full |
| Cheese | Two or three cheeses with bread and honey | For the table that wants to keep drinking wine |
Not every room needs all six. A pizzeria does fine with three; a tasting room might plate one dessert and a small sweet after it.
A separate dessert card, or part of the main menu
In a sit-down room, a separate card helps. The table read the main menu an hour ago and skipped the bottom; a fresh card after the plates are cleared makes dessert a new decision. It also lets dessert change on its own clock: the fruit dessert moves with the season without touching the dinner menu.
At a counter, in a café, or wherever guests order everything at once, desserts belong on the main menu, near the bottom, where they are seen at the moment of ordering. The printed layout for a separate card, with the sections set in the right order, is the dessert menu template.
Put the drinks beside the desserts
The coffee, the dessert wine, and the amaro are sold at the same moment as the dessert, so list them on the same card. A guest who does not want dessert often says yes to an espresso or a glass of port, and that yes happens only if it is in front of them.
- Coffee and tea: espresso, cappuccino, a decaf, two or three teas.
- Dessert wine: by the glass, with the pour size (for example, “3 oz”) in the description.
- Port, amaro, digestifs: four or five, each with its pour and price.
- A dessert cocktail if your bar makes one well; for building a cocktail list, see how to make a cocktail menu.
For listing wines by the glass and the bottle, the wine list guide covers the format.
Pricing desserts
Price each dessert from its plate cost, the way you price mains, then look at it next to the rest of the menu. A dessert priced like an appetizer is a normal sight; a dessert priced near a main stops people. A shareable dessert can carry a higher price as long as the name or description says it serves two. Add-ons like a scoop on the side are their own lines with their own price, so the server does not invent one at the table. The menu item price calculator turns a plate cost into a starting price.
On a prix fixe, dessert is usually included in the price. The way a set menu lists its courses is covered in prix fixe and tasting menus.
When to hand it over
- Clear the main plates completely, including bread plates.
- Bring the dessert card with the coffee and after-dinner drinks on it.
- Name one dessert out loud, the one the kitchen wants to sell tonight.
- If the table says they are full, offer the shared plate or an espresso, once.
Allergens on the dessert menu
Desserts carry more hidden allergens than anything else on the menu: nuts in a praline, gluten in a crumble topping, eggs in a sauce. Name them in each description, tag the gluten-free and dairy-free options, and keep one dessert that is easy to make safe, which is often the sorbet. The rules on disclosure are in restaurant allergen labeling.
What Gaslamp does and does not do
In Gaslamp, a dessert card is its own menu with its own QR code and PDF, or a Desserts section on your main menu. Each dish carries up to three labeled prices (a slice and a whole cake, a glass and a half bottle), a description up to 300 characters, and dietary tags. When a dessert sells out, mark it sold out and the menu behind the code shows it struck through about thirty seconds after you save. A separate dessert menu needs a paid plan; the trial includes one live menu.
Gaslamp does not track how many portions are left or tell you when to switch a dessert off; the count lives on the pass. For an Italian-style dolci card with the amaro beside it, see how Italian restaurants set theirs up.