‘So I can just buy 12 chocolate lava cakes for myself?’: Man reveals the little-known reason desserts at restaurants all taste ‘exactly the same’

Customers with a discerning palette might know which dessert is best at their favorite restaurant without having to even glance at the menu.

This may be the case across several restaurants. Even, as one TikToker pointed out, many favored restaurants might have a few things in common when it comes to sourcing menu items.

In a TikTok that has drawn over 176,000 views, educational content creator Jimmy Maio (@notjimmymaio) says many restaurants source simple, easy-to-freeze store desserts from the same bulk retailers.

A well-kept secret

"Did you know that there's a really interesting reason why every restaurant that you visit tend to have the same dessert?" he asks viewers. "In fact, this often includes some kind of cheesecake, chocolate lava cake or simply ice cream."

He claims that you may notice many of them "taste the same across different restaurants."

"And part of the reason why this is, it's because most restaurants don't actually create their own desserts," he says. "Instead, they get it from places like Costco or Restaurant Depot. In a place like Restaurant Depot that's dedicated to restaurant owners, you can buy a pack of 12 chocolate lava cakes for roughly $30."

The cost-effective nature of bulk shopping is one reason he says many restaurants choose this option to supply desserts to customers.

Another way many restaurants choose to offer desserts is by partnering with local bakeries to deliver desserts.

But why not bake them themselves?

"This means that for many restaurants, there's no point in baking your own desserts in-house," Maio continues. "In fact, profit margins for many restaurants tend to be historically low, compared to other industries."

Maio continues that desserts are particularly "hard to fit in into many restaurants."

"Making them is one thing, but making them well is another challenge," he says. "Baking good desserts take up much more space than what many restaurants actually have and this means that many restaurants actually outsource the dessert portion of the menu. This includes buying from local bakeries, as well as buying it simply from Costco or Restaurant Depot."

The strategy clearly works to help restaurants keep costs of offering desserts low. However, he says the strategy and sourcing is so common as to leave customers across the country with few options for desserts.

"The reason why so many restaurants have a similar dessert menu is simply because they buy from the same place," he says. "It's also the reason why they taste exactly the same from one restaurant to another. It's the reason why so many dessert menus across the country is generic as well as boring."

The Daily Dot has reached out to Maio via TikTok direct message regarding the video.

Who can buy from Costco and Restaurant Depot?

If you're a lava cake enthusiast or a cheesecake connoisseur, you might want to see about purchasing these items straight from the source.

However, it might not be so straightforward. While Costco has a fairly low threshold for entry—a basic membership is $60 per year—Restaurant Depot is only accessible to those who own a business or nonprofit.

Many were already aware about restaurants outsourcing

Several viewers shared that they were well aware of restaurants bulk buying food for their menus from warehouses like Costco.

"The amount of restaurants using the Costco French fries has gotten insane," one commenter wrote.

"The kitchen I just quit fired their pastry and banquet chefs," another said. "(why I quit) When I worked Garmo, all our desserts were made in house. They'll be switching to Sysco this year though."

@notjimmymaio Maybe it’s better to get dessert elsewhere #greenscreen #restaurantdepot #costco #dessert ♬ original sound - Jimmy Maio

"Yall didn't know this?" another asked. "Y'all really out here thinking chilis is making lava cake in house be fr."

Others wrote that they had stopped getting dessert at the same restaurant they went to for dinner years ago.

"Makes sense," one commenter wrote. "I never order dessert at a restaurant. I go down to the local bakery or panderia for my sweets."

"That’s why you ask if they make their desserts themselves and say no thank you if they don’t," another commenter wrote.

"One more reason to not order desserts at a restaurant!" a user said. "They're usually boring ordinary desserts and over charge anyways. Creme Brulee is so easy and cheap to make and they charge $$$ for it."

Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.

The post ‘So I can just buy 12 chocolate lava cakes for myself?’: Man reveals the little-known reason desserts at restaurants all taste ‘exactly the same’ appeared first on The Daily Dot.