I need to vent my frustrations (I apologize for the length) and ask for some friendly advice from those of you that have had a store for years. I've been a chef for 7 years and had my own business for 2 years, but I just got my first store location. And it's so different! I'm VERY far in debt (after the construction and all the delays), so I need to bring in customers fast!

Here's the problem: Everyone expects me to sell to-go stuff, but I wanted to just do special occassion cakes, cookie baskets, etc (stuff you order in advance). I have a refrigerated display case for the incoming customers to see the pretty cakes that will be picked up today. But, until there are orders...it looks pretty empty. And, to make matters worse, I'm in a shopping center with 2 other fast food places, so that's the crowd we get.

It's tearing me apart to see people walk in all excited and curious then their faces drop and they say "Oh, you don't have anything." or "You're not open yet, or what?"

So, my question is this: Do I give the people what they want (and waste a lot of time and money making cake slices in styrofoam containers for the 3 or 4 people a day that gripe about it)...or do I stick to my desire to do only pre-ordered stuff but lose valuable income dollars. If I offer it now, then change later, everyone will be just as mad. I can't please everyone and please myself...and it's killing me. HELP!!

You have GOT to have things on display or you're shooting yourself in the foot. Just my opinion, but if I walked into a bakery or shop with specialized baked goods, I would walk right back out if there was nothing for me to see. You need to REEL them in before you can get future orders! I understand completely what you'd like to do-make everything personal, but you can't get it if people are unable to see what you're capable of.

Why not have a couple kinds of cookies and cupcakes to offer. Cookies like chocolate chip can be made ahead of time, frozen and just pulled out and cooked in about 15 minutes. Cupcakes can be frozen after they are cooked. They defrost fast and can be iced quickly. If you have a store front in a mall, most people would assume you are selling something-not just taking orders.

Sandra

I suggest that you just make like 2 different cakes that you sell that day and when they are gone you are out if you find you need more then go to three but This a great advertissment and you dont want future customers to go away mad and the best way to build a business is work of mouth.

I agree with the others completely! You need to have something for the crowd to get them in the store to begin with. And even better if they can taste what you are making (i.e. cookies or cupcakes). I think this is the best thing to do... and don't worry if you have to charge and arm and a leg for them, you are in a shopping center and i think people will expect that anyway...

I have pictures and cake dummies, but no pieces of cake. These people don't want to order cakes in the future, they just want a quick snack. I tried samples the first few days, but people didn't come or they wanted a diffferent flavor (I tried really simple flavors--chocolate, vanilla)...they still weren't pleased. You know that saying....you can't please everyone. How do I learn what they want...and FAST? I tried asking them, but they just all just shrug and say they "just wanted something." I'm still trying to figure out what "something" is.

I agree with the selling cookies and cupcakes. It will give everyone a taste of your work and they will keep you in mind when they need a cake. I think that if they go in expecting something that you dont have, they will walk away with a bad impression.. Also maybe you could display pictures on the wall or in a photo book of all your cakes.

I do not have a business "yet". But I do have a plan. I too want to do specialty cakes but I know I have to have a daily income as well.

Our plans are to do a coffee/bake shop. Offer cappucino, latte, iced coffees as well as daily baked goods. People don't always come in looking for a cake but they will look for small pastries. I use to visit a bakery once a month (it was an hour away) just for their special items.

This will bring in customers and daily income as well as you can show items such as dummy cakes to promote the specialty items.

My friend opened an icecream shop. She offers the coffees as well. Since she did she now has 3 stores (only open 4 years this month) and if she sells she can sell for over 1 million for all three stores.

It can be done you just have to offer what will bring people in.

what is the name of your business? If it's something that is general (for instance, Pat's Sweet Treats) they maybe expecting a variety of things, including candies, cakes, cookies, etc. ??? Have you made any cookie bouquets for display? How many cake dummies do you have? I'm no expert, but I know what i would expect if walking into a cake store or something similiar...

You need to be true to your dream but what harm is there to have some TO GO CAKES in your display case?

You can do small, 6 and 8 inch dessert cakes that are nicely decorated.

and I have another suggestion for you, if you don't want to have anything to go, you should bake a SAMPLE CAKE.

Every day...like STARBUCKS does when they want to push a new product.

This way, you can say these fast food people..

No I dont' have anything to go, but please feel freet o sample my delicious cake! Give them a sample and you could even do a teeny cup of coffee..talk to them..and give them your card.

Add something to your card like...

Think of us for your NEXT special ocassion!

if you want to do cookie bouquets you can sample your cookies too.

at first you will not sell your little cakes, but, as people come by...you can always train them..

you can say..

I usually don't have anything on hand, today is your lucky day..I have ...( such and such cake in my display case...) and I can let you have that...let me write something on that for you!!...

Why not? you are giving them what they want and training them that you are more geared to preorders!..

If you have any questions...you can pm me any time...

If you have a storefront and are open reg business hours (not just by appointment) then you should have something to sell those people who just stop by. That is how you will build your customer base.

Even if it's just cookies and cupcakes, whatever you want to do. But you need something.
: )
Best wishes to you,
Amy

I would definitely have some kinds of cookies or something out, you could do those cake ball things that everyone always talks about! Maybe donuts? I don't know how long donuts take though...but just a few quick things to satisfy a few people ..maybe have some plain celebration cakes out for people who need a quick cake? Then you could have your specialty cake dummies on display with photos, maybe a few samples just in case. I also want to do speciality cakes but if I had a store, I'd feel like I need to have other things there...hopefully though I can just do it from my home

I tried the cookies and cupcakes (because I knew they'd freeze and be quick and easy), but they said they wanted "something else"....no idea what.

I'm not in a mall, just a little strip center of businesses.

Wow - I don't have a store yet either but I would agree that you should put up as much display stuff as you can! Pictures on the walls - little displays everywhere of cookie baskets and cakes.....

Then yes, if you have a refrigerated case, you should probably have something in it.... especially b/c you are in a mall. A mall store is a tough location b/c people ARE looking for something small and quick to go - they're usually not in the mall for high quality food products..... however places like the Cheesecake factory exist in malls and I think they're pretty pricey so it CAN work....

I think you should have a couple of cupcakes and cookies - you don't have to have them out all day.... maybe a few scones in the morning or just muffins - you can do the same thing w/ muffins - just freeze them and then re-heat them a little in a microwave or something- who doesn't love warm muffins?? Plus the smell coming from your shop may bring people in as well.

I'd also suggest some large signage about pre-orders and having books of your cakes on display that people can flip through - like they do at the grocery store..... maybe a big sign that says "We do Wedding Cakes!".... if you do wedding, people will probably think you will also do birthday, etc..... and once they see your cake portfolio maybe they'll understand more of the work you do.

I think you can still focus on your cakes - just have something there to lure them in too! RisqueBusiness had some great ideas as well!!! Good luck! Wishing you the best!

I guess you guys are right. I don't know why I'm fighting it so hard. I guess it's the idea of making a pretty cake and then serving hacked up slices in ugly little boxes...I like the pretty part. I worked in hotels for years, so I know all the individual dessert tricks. I guess it's just the idea that they didn't like my original concept...I thought that's what made me special. There's a lot of stores in my town that just sell wedding cakes or just special occasion cakes...I wonder if they all have this problem, or if it's just my neighborhood.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice. I just love having a forum where we can get some other opinions. I work by myself for myself, so sometimes I lose all prospective.

Offering my suggestions:

1) You could do a few cakes each day, cut into slices and ready to go out the door. You could do something similar to bake sale style where it's pre-sliced and on a paper plate with a plastic fork wrapped up in plastic wrap priced from $2.~ - $5.~ depending on what type and stuff.

2) You could continue with the bake sale style of things and bake up some brownies, and cookies, and cupcakes... have them in your display ready to go in boxes or little plastic trays or on paper plates wrapped as above.

3) You could do as suggested above with the small 6" cakes, have them iced and ready to go similar to what the grocery stores do, with border and flowers and when bought offer to write something on it. With these you could promote them by having a sign that says "Cute Cake for 2!!!" or something like that.

4) You could offer coffee, tea, juice, soda ect. to go along with your treats.

I'm not sure on your company name, mine is Oh My Goodies!! Co. and I planned from the jump to do just CAKES. But once I chose the name I had to incorperate other things into it. I now offer cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, candies and fudge. I don't have a store I'm currently still working from home but what orders I do get are mainly for cakes. I plan to promote sales and orders and clients by baking cookies and stuff for Christmas gifts and offering in advance to make their holiday treats for them as well for a fee to be determed at time of ordering. Hope this helps!

Becky

well if they wanted something else, that is their own deal... sounds to me like they didn't know what they wanted! I would just do like you were doing, keep cookies and cupcakes and maybe cake balls on hand, up your displays... sounds like you are doing everything right. maybe make some flyers and have some "cake specials" with lists of items you offer in your store. tell them when they come in, this is what we have available right now (cookies, etc) and give them a flyer to keep so they know what you are doing

Seems to me your location is all wrong for the concept you have in mind. Otherwise you shouldn't have set-up shop in a shopping center but like Duff Goldman did and occasionally even he has drop in clients. Client expectations have been honed over the years for that type of shop. If you are locked into your shop than you better switch your format quickly until you get your solid base of repeat customers! Get your signature item and build rapport before you lose anymore money and become a statistic!

To start pulling in the customers, you need to have things cash and carry. Have a few smaller cakes in the display with generic decorations and maybe a sign that says you will customize while they wait. This is also a good opportunity for a sign advertising your preorder services. Have cookies, pastries, pies, cupcakes etc that people can buy when they come in and get a taste of your work. I would also get some flavored coffee. That seems to be huge these days. Just make sure you're a bit cheaper than Starbucks or whatever happens to be down the street. That should satisfy the fast food crowd. It may not be your true love, but for now it will pay the bills. Gotta work your way up the ladder somehow. But starting small and capturing the crowd's attention is number one at this point.

I would also put up a fancy display somewhere very prominent (front window?) with some cake dummies--do a display that captures the season and if you have room another display for weddings. That's where you want maybe a nice table where you can consult with your customer and a photo album with more of your work and a big advertisement that says this is what you really do. Make it shine and that will grab the attention of those coming in for a quick bite. They will remember that awesome display and hopefully will have a business card and give a call for that special occasion.

Also, with the holidays coming up, now might be a good time to market yourself to various businesses in the the area. You may be able to offer them a great deal on a unique way to thank their employees at an upcoming Christmas party. Wouldn't one of your fancy displays look great as a centerpiece and a dessert? This is where you get their attention and add, "I have a display set up at the store, why don't you stop at the mall and have a look and we can go over some details to finalize an order for you?"

And a few advertising dollars may go a long way. It's possible not many people know about your preorder services. Hit them over the head with it! If you have a flower or bridal shop in town, that may be a great new best friend to have. You can ask for some of their business cards to pass out, and give them some of yours in return.

Also, I used to work behind a deli counter. A wise boss once told me you never ask if you may help someone. You say, "What can I get for you?" This opens a much wider door. If the answer is, "Just looking," you start feeling out your customer. Something for the kids? Treating yourself today? Sweet or salty? Special occasion or just something different? If they still walk out emptyhanded, a gracious, "Thanks for stopping. Come back and visit" can go a long way. Even if you are disappointed, try hard not to show it.

Hope business starts to take off for you. Good luck!

Hi sweetchef,
I also have worked in a hotel up until june this year when we moved to the states.
Have you thought about buying some pvc pipe and making indivdual layered cakes in bulk same flavours of the cakes you want to sell. Freezing them and pulling out a few each day decorating them up and selling them. that way you can have something on hand maybe 3-4 flavours that people can buy thus profit but also advertising as well.
If you make 50 each flavour at a time it can keep you ticking over for a while.
The pastry kitchen I worked in OZ used to do this for our coffee shop. We called them petits did them in 6 flavours all a little different and made in bulk it only maybe took a couple of hours to do each month.
just an idea.

Maybe you could have a special of the day. Monday- mini cakes, Tuesday- cookies, etc.

everyone has given you such great ideas. i like the idea of cakeballs, you could do those from your scraps from the prebaked cakes and have them set up on display like when you walk into a chocolate shop, people could buy them by the piece, that way, they could mix and match flavors. you could get really cute boxes, like those chinese to go containers or something. also, your premade cakes, you could decorate so that each slice has a little decor on it. you could go crazy with that- doesnt just have to be a rose. like on certain holidays, each slice could have little shamrocks on it, in the fall it could be leaves/pumpkins, see what i'm saying? that way you aren't sacrificing "the pretty" part. also, can you blow up some pics of your cakes to put on the walls? that may get their attention that way. keep us posted, remember it takes time to turn profits

you can make pretty cakes and hopefully sell them from your fride whole////I too would make cakes without the decorations to go.. by slice.Are you doing this on your own....I think I would definetly need help if I bought a shop and I am a loner and love to do everything by myself......no company thank you good luck though. this way people if they love the taste will be back for the celebration cake.

At the smaller cake shops around here they have a small display case where they sale things like chess squares, lemon squares, cupcakes, cookies, pecan tassies, etc. Mostly things that do not require a fork and that can be wrapped in a sheet of wax paper and placed in a bag. It is a great calling card and it does get people in the store everyday!

If you make cakes for your case each day, and they dont' sell, you should find a food shelter in your area to donate to every other day or so. It benefits the homeless and it's also a tax write-off. Just a thought.

my first 6 months i had dessert bars...cupcakes...and whole cakes...and assorted brownies and cookies...

in addition to my orders.

after 6 months i cut the brownies, cookies, dessert bars and the cupcakes...

after 2 years the pre made cake went.

i don't know how many people you have on staff...but after my partner ducked out i am a 1 man show (except for the cleaning help)...

it takes more time than you think...packaging and checking out people for a 3 dollar item...took too much time from my decorating.

now i'm strickly orders...when they poo poo that...i say i do it so they'll get a fresh cake that day...not one thats been sitting in the case for days...(they liked that idea).

there is so much waste at the end of the week when you have a full case...i always donated to the local womens shelter.

anyway....maybe you could just do it for awhile till they get a taste of your stuff?

eventually the orders will overtake all your time i bet.

i still sometimes feel funny when a new person comes in and theres nothing but orders in my case......

but i tell em...i can have you a fresh one if you wanna come back in an hour.....i have lost a few customers...but i still got all the work i can handle.

i know you'll find out what works best for you!

Everyone has such great ideas!

I really like the idea of small take-home cakes. Ganache-covered chocolate cakes are really eye-catching and decadent. They are also easy to decorate--lots of impact for your time. Any kind of desserty-looking cake would be good. You can decorate these with nuts on the sides, whipped cream rosettes and other easy things like that.
Have a sign saying something like, "Take one home for dessert tonight!"

Individual slices of cheesecake are neat-looking and tempting. Cheesecakes freeze very well, too.

Brownies are a terrific choice for single-servings. They are sooooo easy to make and you can do a lot of easy variations: German chocolate, chocolate chip, white chocolate chip, rocky road etc. They are easier than cookies because you don't have to take the time to shape them individually.

These things may not be what you want for your main product, but they will lure people into your shop. Do you have room for a few small tables where people could sit to eat a cupcake and have a cup of coffee? On each table you could have a laminated flip book (kind of on a stand--have you seen these in restaurants?) with pictures of your cakes. That would generate interest in your custom work.

Good luck!