Western European consumers – across Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany – rarely pass up a chance for something sweet, according to Datassential’s Desserts in Europe report, which surveyed approximately 500 consumers in each country. In fact, almost all consumers surveyed across all five countries say they eat dessert – ranging from a bowl of fresh fruit to pastry or cheesecake – at some point every day.

Excluding breakfast and dinner, most consumers prefer having desserts during afternoon and evening breaks. However, in Italy, dessert is most commonly consumed at breakfast.

When it comes specifically to those who are most likely to order a dessert at a restaurant or other foodservice operation, French consumers rank No. 1. They are most likely to order a dessert at least a quarter of the time they eat lunch or dinner at a restaurant or other foodservice operation, followed closely by Spanish consumers.

Overall, when asked how often they enjoyed a dessert when dining out, Italian consumers reported the most, at 2.2, on average, in the last week, while Brits claimed the fewest, at 1.1.

And when they are tempted to order dessert, nearly all consumers surveyed say they get a dessert most frequently when dining at a sit-down restaurant. A quarter or fewer would opt for a dessert with delivery or take-away.

Sweet Motivations

When eating in a restaurant, the top qualities that Western European consumers expect in a dessert are freshness, premium quality and being homemade. A gourmet dessert is of prime importance to French consumers, and premium ingredients also rank highly in terms of importance for consumers across the board.

The majority of Spanish and Italian consumers in the survey say they are motivated to try a new dessert if it is made from quality ingredients. In France, highlighting an innovative variety or flavour would spur many consumers to give a new dessert a try.

Sweet Choices

Cheesecake was the most popular choice in restaurants and other types of foodservice outlets in the UK, Spain, and Germany when asked what they selected on a recent foodservice visit. It ranks 3rd in Italy.

In France, this is most often crème brûlée, tied with fresh fruit, chocolate mousse, and fondant au chocolat (chocolate lava cake.) In Italy, classic tiramisu dominates all other desserts.

But overall, across those desserts that are consumed at home, fresh fruit and yoghurt are by far the most popular.

And even when looking at what sweet treats consumers indulge in at home, most choices have been purchased at local grocery shops. In France, home-made desserts are more common in comparison with other European countries, but there are still plenty of ways for foodservice operators to market their desserts for takeaway.

Sweet Takeaways

Want to put these insights into action? Here are some survey findings to focus on: 

PREMIUM REIGNS SUPREME: Consumers across these countries are in general  motivated at least in part by premium quality ingredients, although freshness and being home-made are critical as well.

FLAVOUR INNOVATION: Two other strong motivators for Europeans in choosing dessert are those that have a flavour they’ve never tried before, or an innovative variety or flavour. 

And while fruit and yoghurt led European dessert preparations at home there are plenty of other sweet treats that are included in consumers’ top picks, including ice cream, pastry, chocolate mousse, and of course, cheesecake.

While many consumers are loyal to simple and familiar flavours, there is a lot of room to spur more frequent visits and draw new customers through flavour innovation.

Samantha Des Jardins is the Content Marketing Manager at Datassential. 

Want more insights on how and when European consumers indulge. Read about eating habits during break times, and about European burger and sandwich innovation. 

Plus, curious to know what U.S. consumers want for dessert? Check out our article on U.S. dessert trends.