How much notice?

[bripastryguy]

I seem to be having a real problem ( I guess it's not as much a problem as it is a dilema)

I used to be able to do custom cakes with just a 48 hour notice, now that we have gotten busier and my wholesale is even busier I am planning on posting a sign in my store that we now require 1 weeks notice on all custom cakes. (How should this be worded)

Do you think this is unreasonible? Will I be cutting off my nose to spite my face (meaning will I lose orders?) More and more people seem to wait until the last minute to place their orders, even though the birthday is the same day every year or the graduation day is planned months in advance or the christening has been planned for weeks. Why is it that they wait to the last minute and dont seem to understand that I'm booked and I unfortunately dont have the time.

I have other bakeries in my area, I really dont know their advance notice policies and I know that the quality of my work is far superior to theirs. All of my cakes are hand decorated, no photo images or pop ons. Look on my website to see that all the cakes are airbrushed or hand drawn by myself and I do take extra time and care into reproducing pictures and themes.

I try and explain to my partner(wife) that it's not cost effective to me and our business to stop my bakery and her start a new batch of cake for a last minute $20 or $30 cake after she just finished a batch of that same cake (yes, she does make extras...)

How do I handle this tackfully w/o pissing anyone off?

[sugarseattle]

Yes, that's always a problem with me as well. You will not make money if you have to drop everything just for one silly cake that you can only charge $40 bucks for.

My husband has an audio mastering business and he simply puts a general turnaround time on his web site, and as his calendar fills up, he is simply not available to take on any new projects. Period. So in your case, you could have a similar calendar or recommended turnaround time for custom cakes, and as the orders flow in, you could put them on the schedule, and once it's full, you'll have to explain the situation to your customers that you're booked for the date they want. Explain that your cakes are made fresh and you do the work personally to ensure the best quality. I believe it's the only way you're going to make money doing custom work. You can say you require at least 48 hours notice, but you have limited space on your calendar so it's important to book their custom cake early to ensure availability and best quality. Always turn it into a positive.

I think it's really hard for food professionals who want to feed the world to turn away business, but I think my husband's strategy can work to your advantage, and may even create a few extra orders. Dentists, doctors, and everybody in the professional world have appointments. It simply helps them ensure the best possible service to their patients!

But turning away customers must be done with finesse because you don't want to lose them altogether. Perhaps you could mail a coupon to the customers you have to turn away. Also, if you can refer them to any other bakeries, that creates excellent karma.

[gfron1]

On my recent trip to Chicago when I was in Vanille Patisserie a customer walked in and said they needed a cake. It sounded like a pretty fancy cake that I assumed would be hundreds of dollars. When they told the staff that they needed it in 2 days, the staff said that wasn't possible - I laughed because I had watched enough episodes of Ace of Cakes to know that the request was unrealistic.

I would word the signage in a way that doesn't deter business because there will be times when you can do a cake on short notice. I would also use this as an opportunity to market yourself. For example, "Due to the artistic nature of our services, we request a minimum of one week's notice. We will not be able to acommodate all requests as a result. Please ask and we'll let you know if we can do it." Much longer than I would use, but you get the idea...

[emmalish]

You can say you require at least 48 hours notice, but you have limited space on your calendar so it's important to book their custom cake early to ensure availability and best quality.

←

I like this suggestion. There's a bakery near me that has a similar sign. I always thought it was very clearly and sensibly worded. No one should be offended, and as sugarseattle says, it emphasizes the positives.

[Trishiad]

Our pastry shop has a new online venture

www.letthemmailcake.com

they use this wording:

We encourage advanced ordering to eliminate disappointment during holidays

[chefpeon]

Since I specialize in custom cakes, this has been my "battle" for years. It never ceases to amaze me that people seem to think I can just pull a custom cake out of my ass on a moment's notice. I used to feel bad about turning customers away.....now I don't. If they don't plan ahead, it's their problem, not mine. By turning them away, I feel that I'm educating them. Maybe they'll be more on the ball next time Mom's birthday rolls around.

The above advice and wording is sound, and similar to what I say. In this world of instant gratification, there are just some things you can't get in an instant.

[FistFullaRoux]

I wouldn't put a hard and fast rule in place. There may be days when you can squeeze an extra in without upsetting the whole operation. Some weeks, turnaround may be 48 hours. Sometimes it will be 10 days. High end shops can have a 2 month waiting list or more. There's a reason you are busy. You must be good at what you do.

I'd go with a statement like "Special orders require special preparation. To keep our quality standards, we require notice as far in advance as possible." and leave it at that, dealing with things on a case by case basis.

Don't be afraid to say no, and charge a rush order fee (up to 50% of the cake price). It's their emergency, not yours.

eta: The above was paraphrased from the well known statement, "Your failure to plan does not constitute an emergency on my part." I wouldn't hang that sign in a public place though. I'd frame a small print of it in my office.

Edited June 1, 2007 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[bripastryguy]

sound advice and really was my thinking as well. Chefpeon-my wife thinks i can pull a cake out of my ass too, I guess i have proven to her that I can pull it out when the occasion arises. I guess she doesnt understand that I dont want to have to do that and I would rather educate my customers to plan ahead and stop using me as the old fall back, treat me and my shop with respect and please plan accordingly.

[ermintrude]

Depends what you mean buy a custom cake.......

If I called a restaurant and said could you do a birthday cake with only 48 hours notice I'd expect it to be possible (basic sponge with some fruit/cream/chocolate and made to look great) , but if they told me I should have given 7 days notice I would not be offended ).

If I wanted a fruit cake (or even sponge) with the works then I would aim to give at least a months notice but would chance it at 14 days before as I know the work involved.

FYI My mum used to make cakes as a hobby (sugar flowers, Concord etc) she stopped doing it, although only for friendst hey could not appreciate how much (Ingredient wise) a cake like that cost, silly time scales - but it was for a 'friend' and the stress (what if they don't like it). If doing it as a business while you can do things quicker and in bulk and have things in stock the one thing really costs is time and resources.

Edited June 1, 2007 by ermintrude (log)

[Trishiad]

Funny, one might say that my ass is made of cake.