While bagels are a mainstay on the East Coast, they aren't big sellers in the Northwest. House-made granola and vanilla yogurt to go is popular at Zov's Bistro, but it's not exactly flying out of bakery cafes in New Orleans, which Karamardian recently visited. Regional preferences may determine size preferences, but items that are too large may be self-defeating. Kamaradian says she sells more breakfast treats when they are of traditional size. I have found that if you offer a giant scone, it will get shared.
People buy more if the items are regular size.
Operators are also seeing a shift in what customers order. Indulgence is back but with some restraint. But we sell gobs of pastries. To strike a balance, Mackie offers pastries made with puff pastry dough instead of a yeast dough. The result is a crispier and flakier product that is also lighter in texture but not necessarily lower in fat and calories.