This does seem suspicous to me too... but I am glad you are taking it as a lesson learned though. I will remember all of this for myself as well. You just never know.

I would have loved to have seen the guy that helped you...I think he had some frosting under his nails...and maybe on his lips too...

I always take tons of pics before and after I set up.

This way I KNOW for certain if a table has been moved.

Once I deliver the contract states I am no longer responsible for the cake/cakes once I leave the cake and have a signature.

So far so good no disasters.

A caterer I once worked with had the big nightmare wedding and was on premises for the whole reception. She even had the velvet rope/stands up to keep people back from the cake 5 feet all around and would you believe a 4 year old went right under the rope with her mother standing right there and started plucking the icing roses off the cake and eating them. The mother said nothing.

My boss went ballistic.

Nothing has been said about the bride's response to all this. Did she not notice her cake was something other than what she ordered?

The cake on the bottom was 14" square and 12" square these were stacked together so they wern't going anywhere then there were 3 inch pillars in the middle seperating the next two stacked cakes which were 10
' round and an 8" round. These were not heavy cakes on the top. And even if they were we over compensated with heavy duty supports and plenty of them. Now picture this if you can... The bottom square layers were totally smashed the top layer feel all the way on to the floor toward the back and the second to the top layer had minimal damage that actually could have been fixed. How did the bottom layers get so damaged???? Nothing else feel on the botton cakes! Weird!!!!!! They haven't come in for their refund yet I have called and left a message the next day. Not sure what else to do. Should I call again? Should I just send the refund? Should I try to call again? I just don't want to totally get her ticked off. Help Guys, what should I do???

What kind of support did you use. If someone moved the cake just a bit to make certain supports shift at a slight angle, that's possibly all the cake needed to crumble . As far as the way it fell, the 3rd tier could have very possibly fell into the ruble. I've seen buildings fall like that .

I"m sure you were just sick about it but it sounds like, as usual, "no one touched it, no one was around it" The facility is not going to take any respondsibilty.

Being a new business, you may really have to "eat" this one and practically grovel to the bride if it comes up.

I really don't see anything suspicious. The other cake person was probably called because her number was on hand, they knew her work, she came to the rescue to sustain her reputation with the facility.
It truly sounds like someone at the facility knocked into it or moved it and that was the end of it. They aren't going to fess up , that would make the facility have to foot the bill and also get that person in trouble.

I feel horrible for you.
Since you already called, I would now wait until I hear something...no need to upset anyone more by harrassing them.

Okay, firstly let me say that I've yet to do a wedding cake and I consider myself a beginner/intermediate baker. That being said.....I'm a native New Yorker and if it swims like a fish, smells like a fish, and uses gills.....it's fishy. This is fishy to me.

First question: the three inch space for flowers - did you fill it with flowers or was that being left to the florist or someone else to do?

Secondly, have you asked around - other bakers or clients that have used this venue, if they've heard of similar cake disasters? If not, I would send someone there under the pretense of possibly booking this venue for an event and ask for references, etc. then take the time to call and ask those people. Also ask them if they know of others (off of the recommended reference list that the venue uses) who have used this venue too and if they'd be willing to get in touch with you or your "spy" to find out their experience.

IMHO, the best case would be finding that this is an ongoing problem for this venue and that it has happened before. That would leave little doubt that they destroyed the cake in order to have their on-site baker get the business instead.

Hope this makes sense. Also, really I'm not a vindictive person, but I do hate when certain people mess with the work of others to get ahead themselves.

I always take a picture of the cake and person signing off on the cake together. I also ask that it be a family member signing off on the cake. Venues don't care. They just want you out of the way. Always, always a family member.

Sorry this happened to you.

Lu

Evone, So the two bottom/base cakes were totally smashed and the top cake somehow flew off the cake it was sitting on and landed on the floor behind the cake table? Was the table a skinny one that a cake falling off the top would land on the floor and not the table? Also, were the bottom cakes smashed on the front, back, where? It almost sounds like someone/something fell into the cake. If the cake had "collapsed" and the bottom was smashed, shouldn't that have been a result of the top falling onto the bottom? I don't think an 8" round cake falling 7" would have smashed in two big cakes beneath. Done some good damage but not smashed them in. If someone/something hit that table with any force the top should have gone to the front, I would think. Because it would actually move the table and so the bottom of the cake out from under the top, with the top landing towards the front. I may be dreaming about this tonight. LOL And so,once again, no pictures anywhere.

You said the other baker usually provides all the cakes for this venue, not that he/she is "on site", right? Not baking/decorating there at the venue.

I agree with Sugar_Plum_Fairy, very very fishy.

Have you heard anything from the bride??