Do people really think this??

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hi all, I am a baker in a small cafe and have noticed over the past 3-4 years that people have stopped giving sufficient notice on special orders. It used to be that we would get at least 3-4 days(which is what is best and sometimes actually needed to get the work done) down to the night before and even the morning of. So Recently, I got a phone call from a lady that wanted several of my muffins. The last few times she had just called the morning of and was stuck with what we had available, even though she wanted much more. So she basically wiped us out at an early time of day. I explained to her that she can give us a couple days notice and we will make more for her and have them put aside. She goes on to say that she does not want to do that because she thinks that if a person orders ahead then they get old product. I was shocked at the reasoning and am now wondering if people actually think that now, all of a sudden, and that is why people have started waiting until the last minute. And I would also like to explain how bakeries, especially smaller ones, work. When we come in at 3 am, we start baking what we prepped the day before and start prepping for the next day. We do this because many items need several hours in their process like cinnamon rolls. They need to be made, proofed(risen), baked, cooled, iced. So there is not enough time to do all of that in the morning. So if anyone wants any kind of special order for a bakery, we need to have that order by the time we come in the day BEFORE you want it. So if you want something on Friday, you need to order it by Wed, so I have that order when I come in on Thurs. So do you all think that if you order ahead that you get old stuff?
 

donaldtoo

Well-Known Member
Hi all, I am a baker in a small cafe and have noticed over the past 3-4 years that people have stopped giving sufficient notice on special orders. It used to be that we would get at least 3-4 days(which is what is best and sometimes actually needed to get the work done) down to the night before and even the morning of. So Recently, I got a phone call from a lady that wanted several of my muffins. The last few times she had just called the morning of and was stuck with what we had available, even though she wanted much more. So she basically wiped us out at an early time of day. I explained to her that she can give us a couple days notice and we will make more for her and have them put aside. She goes on to say that she does not want to do that because she thinks that if a person orders ahead then they get old product. I was shocked at the reasoning and am now wondering if people actually think that now, all of a sudden, and that is why people have started waiting until the last minute. And I would also like to explain how bakeries, especially smaller ones, work. When we come in at 3 am, we start baking what we prepped the day before and start prepping for the next day. We do this because many items need several hours in their process like cinnamon rolls. They need to be made, proofed(risen), baked, cooled, iced. So there is not enough time to do all of that in the morning. So if anyone wants any kind of special order for a bakery, we need to have that order by the time we come in the day BEFORE you want it. So if you want something on Friday, you need to order it by Wed, so I have that order when I come in on Thurs. So do you all think that if you order ahead that you get old stuff?

I would have never thought that. I always figured it went pretty much just as you described...I mean, seems to me there is a proper common sense progression of things in that, and a bakery that is trying to pass off “old” product as fresh wouldnt be doing themselves any favors, and might not stay in business very long.
 

DisneyJoe

Well-Known Member
No, I don't think that, but when I hear something like that, as a business owner myself, it makes me wonder if there is something more I can do to educate my clients. For example "custom muffin orders available with 48 hours notice, muffins will be baked fresh for you for that day's pickup so that you have the freshest available product."
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I would have never thought that. I always figured it went pretty much just as you described...I mean, seems to me there is a proper common sense progression of things in that, and a bakery that is trying to pass off “old” product as fresh wouldnt be doing themselves any favors, and might not stay in business very long.

I would think that too, but the amount of people who either order last minute or just come in and say they want to take everything left in our pastry case is crazy. Some come in and want to take everything, leaving nothing for the customers in line behind them and say to the irate people that we will just "make more for them". Like I have a magic wand and can bake more in the next 3 minutes.
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
No, I don't think that, but when I hear something like that, as a business owner myself, it makes me wonder if there is something more I can do to educate my clients. For example "custom muffin orders available with 48 hours notice, muffins will be baked fresh for you for that day's pickup so that you have the freshest available product."

As a the owner of a travel agency who specializes in Disney and other family vacation destinations, we are constantly educating our clients. It is a constant battle.

I totally agree with you that there is nothing wrong with educating customers in that way. Unfortunately the owner, who has never baked a damn thing in his life, thinks that will make customers angry. I say it makes them more angry when they order something the night before and I can't get it done in time. I would much rather tell them when they order that it can not be done by then. I want to institute a 24 (minimum ) hour policy on all special order baked goods. They think that us bakers are just being lazy. People are jerks.
 

donaldtoo

Well-Known Member
I would think that too, but the amount of people who either order last minute or just come in and say they want to take everything left in our pastry case is crazy. Some come in and want to take everything, leaving nothing for the customers in line behind them and say to the irate people that we will just "make more for them". Like I have a magic wand and can bake more in the next 3 minutes.

The self-absorption and presumptuousness of too many people these days is just mind-boggling...!!!🤪:bored:
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
No.

The harsh reality is that some people just are not that bright and will believe anything they are told.
Ain't that the sad truth. Did we always have that many stupid people or are they just front and center now? Instant results from the internet may also have contributed to the idea that it is just a simple motion to conjure up baked goods, since, I would think, people that can do things like bake, do so themselves. Everyone is busy now just trying to keep their head above water, they just expect everything to just happen for them.
 
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NYwdwfan

Well-Known Member
I totally agree with you that there is nothing wrong with educating customers in that way. Unfortunately the owner, who has never baked a damn thing in his life, thinks that will make customers angry. I say it makes them more angry when they order something the night before and I can't get it done in time. I would much rather tell them when they order that it can not be done by then. I want to institute a 24 (minimum ) hour policy on all special order baked goods. They think that us bakers are just being lazy. People are jerks.
That last sentence says it all. Any job where you interact with the general public requires an incredible amount of patience.
 

Ricky Spanish

Well-Known Member
I totally understand what you are going through.
As a former owner of a franchise, I dealt with this on a daily basis.
We sold "fruit bouquets" that were made fresh each morning.
We would make a few extra "arrangements" to put in our display case along with our orders.
I would always have walk-ins that would want something "right now"
When we showed them what was available, 9 times out of 10 the response was something like, " I don't want that. Don't you have everything available?"
When we would tell them we could make anything for them but it would take time, the response was usually negative. They needed it NOW!!!
And most people didn't like to be told that ordering ahead was the best practice.
I pretty much blame McDonalds for the public's way of thinking like this.
What I mean is that people expect to pull up to a speaker and order, then 5 seconds later they have a meal and are driving away.
 

xdan0920

Think for yourselfer
@jaklgreen just playing Devils advocate here.

But I can see a world where people think this. You order Wednesday for Saturday and the bakery tries to cut corners and make your order Thursday rather then Saturday morning. 🤷‍♂️

I wouldn’t think this way fwiw, and if I had a big order I would always preorder.

On a related note, I always wonder about bakeries and how long certain goods stay on shelves.

Donuts/muffins I imagine are daily, but what about cookies and cupcakes?

I have a pretty below average bakery up the street from Me, and it feels like half their stuff is days old.
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
@jaklgreen just playing Devils advocate here.

But I can see a world where people think this. You order Wednesday for Saturday and the bakery tries to cut corners and make your order Thursday rather then Saturday morning. 🤷‍♂️

I wouldn’t think this way fwiw, and if I had a big order I would always preorder.

On a related note, I always wonder about bakeries and how long certain goods stay on shelves.

Donuts/muffins I imagine are daily, but what about cookies and cupcakes?

I have a pretty below average bakery up the street from Me, and it feels like half their stuff is days old.

Yeah, some places do keep things longer then they should. We don't actually do anything day old. So we make everything fresh for that day.
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
I explained to her that she can give us a couple days notice and we will make more for her and have them put aside. She goes on to say that she does not want to do that because she thinks that if a person orders ahead then they get old product. I was shocked at the reasoning and am now wondering if people actually think that now, all of a sudden, and that is why people have started waiting until the last minute.

First of all, I think the woman was rude to you, insinuating that if she ordered ahead, you'd give her stale products. You take pride in your baking, and she never even asked you first, if everything was made fresh--she just came to her own insulting conclusion, without any facts.

Now, to answer your question about whether people nowadays think the way she did, I'd say no. I know I never thought that ordering ahead would make any difference in the quality of the bakery items. That would never even cross my mind!
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
While the old food logic is kind of absurd when you're talking about something like this, I do think that technology and convenience based services are partly to blame. We have so many things now embedded in our culture to make things faster and more convenient that people lose their minds when they come across things that do still require some advance notice/time. I used to see these ladies cursing up a storm on my old community group because nobody could make them them a 2-tier masterpiece for their child's bday with a single days notice.
 

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