Some restaurants, especially in the mid-priced range, find desserts to be less advantageous for the bottom line, as they incur expenses to produce yet generate less income and profit than other money makers like alcohol.
Some restaurants may not be so enthusiastic when their diners choose to indulge in that meal-ending sweet treat.
Desserts tend to offer lower margins in a business that often times relies less on food and more on alcohol to boost profits.
And while this may be helped if diners ordered a dessert wine or cocktail with their pastry, they generally do not.
There is also often a cap on prices restaurants can charge for each component of the meal, and desserts tend to be in one of the less expensive categories, regardless of the costs to make it.
This last course is not only less profitable, but it causes patrons to linger longer, keeping valuable, revenue-generating tables from being turned over to the next group.
Many establishments have tried to mitigate costs by forgoing a dedicated pastry chef, and either outsource the process or have kitchen staff make simpler items.
Dessert may be most problematic for very busy mid-priced restaurants, though they will probably continue to remain on menus.
Places that are less busy may appreciate any extra sales, and those on the high-end may be able to charge their deeper-pocketed customers more.
