Stand Out with These Indulgent Menu Ideas from Kraft Heinz

If you’re a restaurant owner, chances are you’ve noticed the enduring popularity of chocolate hazelnut and cream cheese from breakfast to dessert. Whether it’s a savoury bagel topped with a rich layer of cream cheese or classic French toast topped with delicious chocolate hazelnut spread, these flavours have a special way of tantalizing taste buds and satisfying cravings.

With over half of restaurants featuring hazelnuts on their menus pairing them with chocolate[1] and over 25% of restauranteurs offering cream cheese on their menus, it’s clear people don’t want these trends to go anywhere anytime soon.

If you’re looking to elevate your menu and capture the hearts (and taste buds) of your customers, look no further. Wholesale Club and Kraft Heinz have teamed up to bring you some tasty and trendy ideas to incorporate Kraft Chocolate Hazelnut Spread and Philadelphia Cream Cheese into your menu!

Popular Rich Desserts

Desserts are on the rise in 2023, with an impressive 83% penetration[2] rate across Canadian menus. As more and more customers indulge in sweet treats, restaurant owners need to stay ahead of the curve. Some of the fastest-growing dessert options include flavoured cheesecakes, milkshakes, cakes, and doughnuts.

Classic options like cheesecake and chocolate cake are always popular choices, but why not elevate them? By adding flavours like Kraft Hazelnut Spread with Cocoa, you can create truly unique and irresistible dessert offerings that will have your customers coming back for more.

Try mixing chocolate hazelnut spread into your favourite cheesecake recipe with Philadelphia cream cheese and combine these two amazing flavours!

Sweet Breakfast Combos

The combination of chocolate and hazelnut is perfect for adding some decadence to your morning offerings. From creamy chocolate hazelnut spread on warm toast to rich, indulgent lattes, there’s no shortage of ways to incorporate this classic flavour combination into your breakfast menu.

Hazelnuts, in particular, have seen a staggering 40% growth in popularity as a drink topping over the past year[3], making them a hot commodity in the breakfast industry.

Try mixing chocolate hazelnut spread into a latte or coffee for a special chilly weather treat or mix it with iced coffee for a refreshing summer option. You can even add hazelnut syrup to some of your favourite chocolate items, like pancakes with chocolate chips! Curious about how to mix cream cheese into your sweet treats? Consider a cream cheese custard with caramelized bananas or raspberry cream cheese muffins to offer a sweet and rich flavour to your breakfast offerings!

Savoury Breakfasts and Mains

Between dessert and the many sweet breakfast offerings available, you may have some customers looking for something salty or savoury to dig into at brunch. Never fear! Philadelphia cream cheese blends perfectly across all flavour profiles.

Using ingredients like Philadelphia Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese helps to elevate standard dishes; for example, adding it to this creamy herbed cheese omelette adds a rich, creamy texture to the eggs making it an absolute favourite for omelette lovers. Try taking a standard dish like waffles and making it something totally new by using cream cheese and mashed potatoes together to create this smoked salmon & chive cream cheese crispy mashed potato waffles recipe.

Curious about adding some lunch offerings to your menu? Cream cheese can help with that, too. We love mixing cream cheese with added flavours like spices and herbs to create elevated spreads to serve on sandwiches, like in this recipe for a grilled sirloin bistro sandwich with herb and garlic cream cheese. Try adding different seasonings to make the sandwich entirely your own – with spicy flavours seeing an increase of 33.3% in popularity[4], that would be a great place to start!

Ready to get cooking? We’re here to help! Check out the blog on the Kraft Heinz Foodservice website for more ideas on how to add Kraft Chocolate Hazelnut Spread and Philadelphia Cream Cheese to your menu, and shop in-store or online with us today to make your menu come to life!

[1] Technomic 2022 Hazelnut Menu Trends Report
[2] Technomic Ignite Menu data, Q2, 2022
[3] Technomic 2022 Hazelnut Menu Trends Report
[4] Technomic 2022 Cream Cheese Menu Trends Report