Foods across the board are trending towards indulgent. Bakeries and bakery cafes are looking for ways to make their products stand out, so taking something considered a traditional breakfast food and turning it into a snack item can generate interest and be an inexpensive way to make a profit.

Waffles are one of those items in the spotlight recently. This versatile food makes for an excellent treat, and why not? Waffles include many of the same ingredients as cake. In fact, you can use cake mix to make a tasty dessert waffle.

Waffles can be dressed up in many different ways for a sweet offering. They can be topped with fresh fruit, powdered sugar, or chocolate chips. They can also be stuffed with any number of various fillers between two waffles for a delectable breakfast sandwich.

Portability is a category of increasing importance when it comes to bakery offerings, which is why retailers are looking at ways to make waffles an on-the-go option. One of the more unique concepts in recent years came from Sweet Combforts in Irvine, California. Sweet Combforts provides a twist on the traditional Belgium Liege waffles. In its version, the waffles are designed in a honeycomb pattern and are made with pearl sugars, which give a nice caramelized texture that is unlike anything else. The Instagram-worthy waffles are served on a stick in a variety of toppings and drizzles such as fruity pebble, Oreo, animal crackers, and “plain jane.”

Summer is a great time of the year to pair waffles with ice cream. Waffle cones have long been an excellent companion to the creamy dessert, so serving waffles with a scoop or two of ice cream will certainly satisfy during warm weather months.

This summer, Dallas-based Press Waffle Co. introduced a Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich. The unique concept features vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two of Press Waffle Co.’s Liege waffles. Guests can also select one sauce of their choice, including Nutella, cookie butter, or caramel, to top off their sandwich.

Sweet is not the only way to go with waffles, though. Savory can also be an interesting avenue for them. The trend of extending breakfast hours throughout the day has become something more retail food outlets practice regularly. With breakfast consisting of many consumers’ most loved comfort foods, it makes perfect sense. Waffles can be turned into a lunch or dinner item by topping them with cheeses, meats, fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices.

Regardless of whether you prepare them sweet or savory, waffles possess the potential to be an everyday addition to the menu and the choice to offer them is a step toward taking advantage of this popular comfort food.