Home ‘Most restaurants see 30-40% dessert orders. At SPOT, we’re at 60-70%.’

‘Most restaurants see 30-40% dessert orders. At SPOT, we’re at 60-70%.’

Discover how SPOT turns dessert into a visual selling tool, using a shareable dessert board concept to boost orders up to 70% while staying flexible, efficient, and accessible.

Positioned right at the harbour of the Frisian village of Langweer lies SPOT, a bohemian grandcafé where guests drop by all day long, and boats moor up in good weather. This popular restaurant recently won the Entree Award in the Best New Dine & Drink Local category. Pascal Hoogenboom, a local Langweer native, realized his dream here last year with an all-day waterside concept that’s both stylish and relaxed. With warm wood tones, Indonesian furniture, and oak flooring, SPOT feels like a summer escape year-round.

Accessible for everyone

‘Langweer is a real watersports village’, says Pascal. ‘That calls for an establishment that appeals to many different people.’ This philosophy formed the foundation of SPOT. The target audience is deliberately broad: locals, watersports enthusiasts, and tourists. ‘We wanted to create a place where everyone feels at home.’ At SPOT, this translates into an accessible concept in atmosphere, menu, and price. ‘You can walk in for a burger and beer under 25 euros’, explains Pascal, ‘but equally enjoy an elaborate dinner with multiple courses, fine wines, and oysters.

The dessert board revolution

Chef Jetze van der Valk developed a dessert concept that perfectly matches SPOT’s accessible character: no traditional dessert menu, but a large board with smaller desserts presented tableside. The board features mini versions of cheesecake, trifles, and glass desserts, partially made with Debic products including Parfait, Cheesecake, and Cream Plus Mascarpone. ‘Many guests think they don’t want dessert, but as soon as that board arrives at the table, that changes’, Van der Valk explains. ‘I use Debic Parfait as a base for mousses. By adding fruit purées or other flavours, I can quickly create variation. Since it’s not on the menu, I can easily adapt the concept.

Many guests think they don’t want desserts, but as soon as that board arrives at the table, that changes.

Seeing is selling

This approach is not only creative but also efficient. Working with established base recipes means anyone on the team can prepare them while maintaining consistent quality. The results speak for themselves: ‘In many restaurants, about 30 to 40 percent of guests order dessert’, concludes Pascal. ‘At SPOT, that’s closer to 60 to 70 percent. Seeing is selling. When you spot such a board at another table, it’s almost impossible not to join in.’