My New Pet Peeves...what Are Yours?
Decorating By tcakes65 Updated 19 Jun 2009 , 12:19am by Texas_Rose
With owning a cake business, I try to be flexible and open in my thinking. As we all know anything goes in this business, and you have to be prepared for anything and everything that comes your way. However, there are two things that I find extremely annoying, and they've become my new pet peeves. First, numerous times lately I've delivered wedding cakes only to find that the cake table is not set up and ready for the cake delivery. I arrive two hours prior to the wedding, and everything is in its place except the darn cake table. 
No one seems to be in charge or know where the table is let alone which one is to be used. I stand around for 30 minutes waiting for someone to get a table and prep it for the cake. All the time I'm standing around thinking that I have other cakes to deliver and am on a schedule. I'm waiting for the day when I'm late for a delivery because a venue does not have the cake table ready. One would think that after doing wedding receptions every weekend, they would figure out that they need the cake table ready. 
Here's my second pet peeve. I arrive at the venue to set up the cake, and one or two people decide it's time to decorate the cake table. 
It doesn't even seem to be on the radar until the cake lady shows up. Then all of a sudden it's a priority to get in the cake lady's way to decorate the table. I ask politely for them to wait until I finish setting up the cake to prevent any problems. And so they can get out of my way...but I don't say that...lol. Anyway, they step a side for a moment and then continue the decorating. I've had candles lit while I'm piping a border on the cake. Felt like my arm was getting scorched. 
Anyway, I feel much better after getting that off my chest. Anyone else have any pet peeves they'd like to share?
The only thing worse than waiting for the cake table is arriving to find the cake table is COMPLETELY COVERED with crap! Fanned out napkins, candles, knife, rose petals, plates, the kitchen sink... Do they think the cake is lowered onto the table with a magic crane???
I hate when the table isn't ready, but I always call the contact person the day before or day of delivery to make sure they're expecting me. Doesn't always guarantee anything, but when the table IS ready for me, I assume it's because I called.
I love it when you're told where you can park for delivery only to arrive and find Aunt Martha's station wagon parked right where you need to be! I'm not climbing over your Volvo with a cake so you should either move it or everyone can come out here for the cake cutting on the hood of your car!
The only thing I can think of is when a fairly nice cake is sitting on top of something that looks completely unfinished, tacky, or downright ugly.
(corrugated cardboard-not covered or two plain white ones taped together with tape showing, ugly plain silver aluminum foil especially all crumpled, glass or wooden chopping block, dirty piece of scrap plywood found in the garage, paper/styrofoam plate, still in the pan or worse-on top of an upside-down pan, on a cookie sheet, your microwave glass!!!!!! Argh! The list goes on and on!)
I don't understand why they don't take the time to put it on something presentable especially if they're going to take a photo of it. Whatever happen to planning ahead and buying the right size board or making it from something appropriate???
The only thing worse than waiting for the cake table is arriving to find the cake table is COMPLETELY COVERED with crap! Fanned out napkins, candles, knife, rose petals, plates, the kitchen sink... Do they think the cake is lowered onto the table with a magic crane???
I hate when the table isn't ready, but I always call the contact person the day before or day of delivery to make sure they're expecting me. Doesn't always guarantee anything, but when the table IS ready for me, I assume it's because I called.
I always call the POC, and we coordinate the delivery time. They know I'm coming and when. Why would they have the entire room set up except th cake table? Makes no sense.
- A cake table decorated with those mini lights under the tablecloth. Oh sure ... I can set a cake ON TOP OF little lights! Leave the center clean and flat so I can put the cake there.
- Ditto on the "too much crap on the table". I just move it. I scoot it over and pile it on the side. Not my problem.
- Parking: There are a couple of venues I work at where I can back my van right up to the kitchen door. When I have a FULL VAN of HEAVY EQUIPMENT to unload, I'm not walking it across the parking lot. I walk in and loudly announce, "Will the owner of the blue station wagon please move your car? The caterer is here and needs that space!" It's either move your car or YOU are helping to unload the van! 
- Had a call yesterday. Tight budget of course. Kept telling me how another lady was doing the dinner and "throwing in" the cake. Told them taht was a a good deal and they should probably go with it. The peeve part? They're looking for me to reduce my price for 250 PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!! Can't affod the party? Don't have a big party! Oh ... they wanted appetizers AND dinner AND cake AND drinks.
Slightly off topic, but this couple also told me, before using the term "throwing int he cake" that the lady was going to do an 8 tier cake for about $500. I said, "Wow, $2 a serving, that's a good price." THey said, "Oh she doesn't charge per serving, she charges for the cake." I said, "It's semantics. SHe's doing a cake to feed 250 people for $500. Break it down and works out to $2/person." (big sigh!)
I'm sure I have more....
I love it when you're told where you can park for delivery only to arrive and find Aunt Martha's station wagon parked right where you need to be! I'm not climbing over your Volvo with a cake so you should either move it or everyone can come out here for the cake cutting on the hood of your car!
When I have to deliver to a hall where a family member or member of the bridal party has to unlock the door for me - 9 times out of ten, the door is locked and the person with the key is nowhere to be found. When I tell the person on the phone that I'll be back hours later after I have delivered my other orders, the key shows up magically in minutes.
One time I drove up to a hall in the middle of nowhere 2 hours away from me. It was the middle of winter - thank goodness the roads were good. When we arrived, I had to call for the door to be opened (see above pet peeve!), and when the snarky little bridesmaid got there, she ordered my husband and I to take off our boots when we got inside! Umm, we're carrying a 200 serving, 4-tier cake honey! I threatened to call the bride to tell her that her cake was going to sit on the porch outside because her bridesmaid wouldn't let us in the set it up. She changed her mind quickly... 
I hate to get a really ugly cake topper. You spend all your time making a beautiful cake and they have a monstrostiy waiting for you on the cake table!
Ok so I haven't done as many wedding cakes as most other people on here, but....
so far my only pet peeve is when I go to deliver the cake only to discover that the venue knows NOTHING about me or my cake or that we were even supposed to arrive at all! So then I have to call the bride or groom right then and there and find out what the HECK is going on. I've only done four wedding cakes and this happened TWICE!
Right now, mine biggest pet peeve is people asking "How much does a cake like that cost?"
Aside from being NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, is that a number I just keep in my head while I'm trying to set up the cake?
And it always comes from some random relative that the bride assigned to put out wedding favors or something.
The mother of the groom was screaming loudly to the very French chef that the sherbet (between a course) should be served with the cake and then proceeded to scream at me to make sure that happened. I heard him cursing in French (4 years of high school French paying off) at her what low class b**** she was. I had to get the bride so she would have a dinner that night. Wasn't sure if the chef was going to serve anything at that point. Some people don't get that this isn't a birthday party!
I don't do a lot of wedding cakes but I do other cakes, 5 or so a week and my biggest pet peeve is setting up a delivery time and getting there at the correct time only to find the customer in the shower, or not even home or at the venue.
I have to wait and if it is a Saturday delivery then I most likely have other cakes waiting to be delivered, my day is planned out to a T and I don't have time to waste, Houston is a big city and it takes all day with careful planning to get all my cakes delivered on time.
If I can be on time with your cake why can't you be ready to receive it?
If I say 10am I don't mean 10:10 or 10:30 or even 11:00 I mean 10:00am!!!!
I once even had to give the cake to an unexpecting neighbor to hold until the customer got home, she was getting her nails done, she figured I wouldnt be there until noon or so, she must have pulled that time out of her you know what because 9am was clearly marked on the order form that she agreed to and ok'd!
Oh and one more, I have all my customers review the delivery info (address and time and contact) and sign off on it so I know it is all correct, is this so hard?
I can't tell you how many times the address has been off by one number (9123 instead of 9125) of it has been a Drive instead of Street, this throws everything off and could have been avoided by actually reading what you r signing off on.
I need to have a clause that if the cake is late and/or damaged due to the customer giving wrong information it is not my fault.
I can't be held responsible for driving around for an extra hour with a 3-D sculpted cake in the back melting in the 100 degree weather all because they didnt put forth the effort to check and make sure the address they gave me was correct.
Wow sorry about that, turned out longer then I expected! But those are my pet peeves.
yourstrulytx I completely understand that's my pet peeve also. A girl I worked with was having a baby shower for someone and ordered a 3 tiered cake all buttercream decor. She was going to meet halfway at my parents house for pick up. So I get there and she isn't so cake into the house with industrial fans blowing on it in AC. It was over 95 out and the humidity was crazy. She shows up over an hour late and is a bit vocal about the buttercream starting to melt. Then we go to put it in her car and the trunk is COMPLETELY full and the car inside was TRASHED!! Don't know what happened after but wasn't my problem.
Not to hijack thethread or anything...but jillmakescakes brings up a good point. I get that question all the time: "How much would a cake like that cost?" I'm vrey uncomfortable answering this question for lots of reasons, so what is the polite thing to repond to this query? I don't want to be rude and tell the bride's family member that it's non of her business, but on the other hand, if I tell her, the bride may not want people to know about her financial businesses. So what do you say?
Not to hijack thethread or anything...but jillmakescakes brings up a good point. I get that question all the time: "How much would a cake like that cost?" I'm vrey uncomfortable answering this question for lots of reasons, so what is the polite thing to repond to this query? I don't want to be rude and tell the bride's family member that it's non of her business, but on the other hand, if I tell her, the bride may not want people to know about her financial businesses. So what do you say?
"Go away, I'm busy!", comes to mind! 
Sorry, I've been dealing with indecisive brides all day, and I'm snarky! I would just tell them that if they are interested in pricing to call me and I'll give them a quote, but I don't do that with my "delivery hat' on.
I'm sorry what was the question I was too busy staring at Misdawns avatar...why exactly do you have a picture of my husband?....lol
Not to hijack thethread or anything...but jillmakescakes brings up a good point. I get that question all the time: "How much would a cake like that cost?" I'm vrey uncomfortable answering this question for lots of reasons, so what is the polite thing to repond to this query? I don't want to be rude and tell the bride's family member that it's non of her business, but on the other hand, if I tell her, the bride may not want people to know about her financial businesses. So what do you say?
Just say, "My prices vary depending on on the flavors and fillings and amount of detail. I can give you one of my cards if you're interested."
And then if they're just being nosy, they'll say never mind.
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