Cake Central › Cake Forums › Cake Talk › Cake Decorating Business › Cust. serving another cake and not my ordered cake at party
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Cust. serving another cake and not my ordered cake at party

post #1 of 33
9/25/12 at 3:07pm
Thread Starter 
need some advise please...

A customer has ordered a cake from me for the 2nd week of Oct. Today I found out that she intends to cut the cake that I made at her son's birthday party and thereafter save the cake for her family get-together a day later. All the kids at the party will recieve a supermarket cake in their party bags.

I am concered about this because i feel that the kids and their parents will see my decorated cake which will be cut at the party but will receive and eat a supermarket cake thinking it is mine!! Not sure how to handle this situation. Cust is also a friend. I am just starting out with my cake business and dont want people to have the wrong idea about my cakes...

Any advise on how to handle this situation? Sud a clause be added in my terms & conditions?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 33
9/25/12 at 3:22pm
Well you must be pretty close to this customer to hear such detailed plans. I think that she wants to save the good cake for her own family, and you can understand that.

The best idea that you can float informally, would be that cake in goody bags is going to get messed up. Maybe it would be a better idea to put something else into the bag that will survive the trip home.

I can't think of any sensible addition to your terms and conditions. You would do better to actively market items like simple cupcakes to match the birthday cake. Don't say what they could be used for, just say "matching-cake-batter swirl cupcakes available $xx per dozen"
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 33
9/25/12 at 4:04pm
You can't really control what the customer does after you deliver the cake, so unless you can sell the customer on buying a cheaper sheet cake or cupcakes from you for the goodie bags, you are better off declining the order.
.
The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
Reply
.
The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
Reply
post #4 of 33
9/25/12 at 4:07pm
Regardless if you have a close personal relationship with this customer or not, why does this even show up on the radar? The mother seems to be having two parties for her small child which is common - one for friends and one for family. She has opted to have the nice custom cake for the family party.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 33
9/25/12 at 4:12pm
The parents will see that the cake they get isn't iced the same as the cake that was cut, surely?

And it's fairly unlikely that your name will even come up in conversation, to be frank. I've never gone to a party and asked who made the cake.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 33
9/25/12 at 4:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcaulir

The parents will see that the cake they get isn't iced the same as the cake that was cut, surely?

And it's fairly unlikely that your name will even come up in conversation, to be frank. I've never gone to a party and asked who made the cake.


If the OP designs a nice cake to be displayed at the party, I could see people asking who made it. And If the cake is no longer displayed when they receive their goodie bags they will probably assume they got pieces of the same cake and not a different, cheaper cake.
.
The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
Reply
.
The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
Reply
post #7 of 33
9/25/12 at 4:31pm
If she's a "friend," be honest with her. Tell her your reservations. You may even offer to bake a small plain cake for the family.

www.VeryDeliciousDesserts.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Delicious-Desserts/207874222593145

 

It's never "just cake!"

 

You may get a cake for $way to little but you won't get this cake!

Groom's Cakes
(1 photos)
Other / Mixed Shaped Wedding Cakes
(3 photos)
Retirement
(1 photos)
Reply

www.VeryDeliciousDesserts.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Delicious-Desserts/207874222593145

 

It's never "just cake!"

 

You may get a cake for $way to little but you won't get this cake!

Groom's Cakes
(1 photos)
Other / Mixed Shaped Wedding Cakes
(3 photos)
Retirement
(1 photos)
Reply
post #8 of 33
9/25/12 at 4:41pm
If the cake is going in the goodie bags for the kids, the parents may not even taste it.
I tend to agree with Jason, if people are going to serve a different cake, there's nothing you can really do other than decline the order or offer something different.
I also agree that it's not that likely that people will ask who made the cake....though it is definitely possible!
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 33
9/25/12 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft

Quote:
Originally Posted by mcaulir

The parents will see that the cake they get isn't iced the same as the cake that was cut, surely?

And it's fairly unlikely that your name will even come up in conversation, to be frank. I've never gone to a party and asked who made the cake.


If the OP designs a nice cake to be displayed at the party, I could see people asking who made it. And If the cake is no longer displayed when they receive their goodie bags they will probably assume they got pieces of the same cake and not a different, cheaper cake.



Would they not remember how it was iced?
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 33
9/25/12 at 4:59pm
I personally would turn down this order. I don't want there to be any chance of my cake getting mixed up with a grocery store cake. Plain and simple. And I would tell the mom exactly this.
Tact is telling someone where to go so nicely they can't wait to take the trip!
Reply
Tact is telling someone where to go so nicely they can't wait to take the trip!
Reply
post #11 of 33
9/25/12 at 5:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcaulir

Would they not remember how it was iced?


Probably not, most people (other than cake decorators) don't really pay close attention to those types of details. I would assume that the customer will be buying a grocery store cake that matches the flavor of the display cake anyway.
.
The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
Reply
.
The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
Reply
post #12 of 33
9/25/12 at 5:18pm
There is a member who stated once that she has a clause in her contract that she has the right to cancel the order if the customer buys her cake, but serves someone else's cake (like a grocery store) I don't remember who it was... icon_sad.gif

Anyway, I would decline this order too or speak to her. I would not want someone to ask the customer who made her beautiful cake, and she gives my name but the cake served is crap. It's your call. But I agree with some of the other members to either cancel the order.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 33
9/25/12 at 5:38pm
To me the real issue here is cutting the cake but not serving it. Is she just making a cut mark or actually taking a slice out of it? I would be more worried it's not covered properly for the 24 or whatever hours. People swap cake all the time. I wouldn't worried since you're still getting paid for it.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 33
9/25/12 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibeeflower

There is a member who stated once that she has a clause in her contract that she has the right to cancel the order if the customer buys her cake, but serves someone else's cake (like a grocery store) I don't remember who it was... icon_sad.gif

Anyway, I would decline this order too or speak to her. I would not want someone to ask the customer who made her beautiful cake, and she gives my name but the cake served is crap. It's your call. But I agree with some of the other members to either cancel the order.



There are quite a few of us who have this clause in their contracts. I am one of them.
Tact is telling someone where to go so nicely they can't wait to take the trip!
Reply
Tact is telling someone where to go so nicely they can't wait to take the trip!
Reply
post #15 of 33
9/25/12 at 5:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibeeflower

There is a member who stated once that she has a clause in her contract that she has the right to cancel the order if the customer buys her cake, but serves someone else's cake (like a grocery store)


That's fine if you find out well in advance (as is the case here) but usually customers will not go into this kind of detail with you. If a customer is determined to serve another dessert at the event they will find a way to do so.

If you find out about it while you are delivering the cake, you have a dilemma: you can take the cake back and guarantee a severely negative experience for everyone involved, or you can deliver the cake anyway and take the risk that someone will associate your name with a different product (a risk that can be minimized with proper labeling). This type of clause is basically a bluff.
.
The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
Reply
.
The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cake Decorating Business
Cake Central › Cake Forums › Cake Talk › Cake Decorating Business › Cust. serving another cake and not my ordered cake at party