They lied? - Page 6

WELL SAID.

WELL SAID.

Yes, bakeries will flat out lie about this issue. I remember being amazed, the first time I saw a similar post, at how many CC'ers said they would flat out lie and basically told posters who suggested honesty was a better policy that they were busybodies and had no right to be the "moral police". To me, it has nothing to do with scratch vs mix vs doctored and everything to do with honesty in business. If I hired a roofer and he told me he would haul away the old roof instead of just covering over it with the new one, and I later discovered that the old roof was still there, underneath the new roof, you can bet this would be an issue. I don't care if your business is roofing, or baking cakes, or teaching ballet. If I ask a specific question and you flat out lie to me, I have a problem with that. It's not about being any kind of "moral police". It is about deciding who gets my business. If you lie and I have no tangible proof, I will spread the word to everyone I know. If you lie, and I have proof, I will be expecting my money back and I will be reporting you to the better business bureau, in addition to telling everyone I know. I just don't tolerate it. If you have a business you should be proud of your product or service. If you have a business that uses box mixes, for whatever reason, then be proud of your product!!!!! If you're not proud, change your business. Don't lie about it.
OK. Getting off the soapbox now. Proceed with your regularly-scheduled discussion.

That's odd...all those posters must have left CC since then, as no one has defended flat out lying in this thread.

Not sure if they are gone or just inactive, but being told to lie about baking from a mix was quite common a few years ago.

I think the best answer would be to just say you do both. Customers will ask for different reasons and if the reason is that they want to avoid certain ingredients found in mixes you could easily help by informing which cakes are all scratch.

Where I grew up "house" anything meant "whatever you've got on hand" or whatever they bought in bulk. It NEVER meant special or gourmet or made from scratch in any way. You could get "house" or you could get "the name-brand-slash-good-stuff". House-Ranch; House-whiskey; etal.

I have a friend who is a head chef of a very nice place and house meand made in house with their exclusive recipe. But if I was talking about TGIF's or Redlobster, then you would be right. In fact, I know a few people in the food industry and this how they would also describe it.

I feel sorry for anybody who goes to TGIFriday's or Red Lobster and expects fresh homemade dressing.

Fixed it for 'ya

Your question was, specifically, "Do ya'll bake from scratch?" and the reply was, "yes.".

Even if your cake was from a box, it's still possible you were not lied to since the question you specifically asked really wasn't that specific if the bakery offers things other than the cake you ordered. "Will the cake I ordered be made from scratch or from a mix or mix base?"

I think the bottom line...... If someone asks if you bake from scratch or use a box mix, you tell them the truth. Period.

I agree that as a paying customer if I ask a direct question regarding services that will be provided to me, I want a direct answer.

PS - I am a from scratch baker and to me that means I buy flour, eggs, sugar, ect and mix that together. I think that qualifies me to say that I bake from scratch

This topic has come up so many times and everytime it becomes a battle of who gets to call themselves a "scratch" baker versus a mix baker. It still always comes down to, why did you even ask if they made their cakes from scratch or not. The implication is that a scratch baker is somehow superior to a non-scratch baker. Wrong!!!!!! If the cake taste great isn't that what you are really paying for? Asking if it is made from scratch really makes no sense. I've had box mixes that tasted wonderful and scratch recipes that I fed to my dog. Who cares whether scratch or box, make and sell me a wonderful tasting cake.

I totally understand why you asked.

I worked in several bakeries both family owned and larger volume, and having been asked the same question you asked when ordering your cake many MANY times, over time, I began (and ultimately returned to) answering that question exactly as she did. Because the one, family owned, made so many things, some from scratch and some from a mix (most were from scratch but there were a few items offered that were made with a mix...very few...they even made their own pie crusts...thousands of them...from scratch), when a person asked, I would answer either yes or no depending on the item they ordered but thought I was being unfair to the owner and decided to answer something like, "yes, this ___ is" or "no, not this ___" which got me a reply something like, "Oh? you mean everything isn't made from scratch?" or "Oh? well, what IS made from scratch?". After discussing, again, with the owner, it was agreed that when asked if we bake from scratch the answer would be yes...period. If they asked particulars, by all means, tell them particulars all the way down to a list of ingredients if that's what they were asking.
I was just sayin' that that may have been the case with the bakery in your scenario.