ok, I spent over 40,000 having a seperate building built to have a legal place to work in. Spent upteen hours studying for the serve safe class and getting the health dept permit.

Well after idiot #1 calls and freaks over the price of a round wedding cake and says she'd rather go to walmart. I sit down and start looking over cc's web site and get another call, didnt recognize the caller's number so I answered anyway

her...Hi, where are you located?
me...I give her my address.
her...oh so your not a bakery?
me...yes I am I have a commercial kitchen I work out of.
her...so you dont have a store front.
me...no, I work 50 feet from my home in a newly built commercial kitchen.
her...so your not a real bakery business.
me...yes i am.
her...no your not you dont have a store.
me...I'm legal and have all the health dept permits like any bakery and taken all the serve safe classes.
her...oh is that so.
me...yes so can I help you?
her...so you dont have cakes I can come in and buy right now?
me...no I work on orders called in, in advance.
her...well I'm not sure about that I dont fell right not buying from a store. Let me call the health dept.
me...I just hang up.

Good grief.

Some people just dont understand that you dont have to have a store front. My MIL is one of those people. Good luck with the rest of the day!!


Jennifer

Thanks. People make me so sad sometimes.

People are just amazing aren't they?

Yup....she is one pickle shy of a jar!!! Who needs idiot people like that!!!

geesh, sounds like the caller was like, oh I don't know .... twelve years old??? ("No you're not, you don't have a store!")

It sounds to me as if your first caller was still pissed about your prices so she put someone else up to call you and try to "scare" you with the health department threats! What a loser - some people are just so clueless!

I like what cambria said! Too bad you didn't have a chance to say, "Ok....their phone number is xxxxx. Tell them you are asking about license #xxxxxxx."

maybe she wanted to see if the health dept. had cakes she could just go in and buy...lol...j/k

I read this to hubby and after he stopped laughing, he agrees it was a set-up call from the first lady. He also picked up on most people don't use the phrase "store front". They'll say "you don't have a real store" or "...a real shop" or "....a real bakery". Our vote goes to set-up call.

Ugh... Some people really need to be limited from expanding the gene pool...

Yea... Sounds like you were dealing with...

With Caller #1:
-Someone who has no idea what cake is REALLY going to cost her. She hasn't called Walmart yet to know that they've recently increased their cake rates because the input costs have gone up on everything there.
-A person that is going to be comparing you to Walmart probably wasn't going to be your customer in the first place, just let it roll off your back!!!

With Caller #2:
-Yes, someone who uses the term "store-front" knows more than the average bear... BUSTED!!!
-I agree with the PP... Next time have the number and license number handy LOL...


I had a bunch of calls the day and week after my initial inspection (inspector told me "wait until this date to send the licensure paperwork in because it won't be effective until that date", so I was following her request) with people asking me for pricing and such. I didn't have my website up yet or anything. Um, yea, my cake rates jumped because it was pretty obvious they were other places calling with not-so-good intentions trying to turn me in for whatever perverse reason.

Just roll with the punches because you're going to be getting a lot of these calls where you hang up and either fall on the floor laughing, roll your eyes, or a mix of other responses, but you'll also get some really great brides so just remember "some people aren't meant to be your customers in the first place, make the experience a positive one because THEY may not book THIS cake with you, but you may be someone they send referrals to or do business with in the long term!"... You'll start to develop an instinct for them the second you pick up!!! I've had a lot of brides calling about cakes and even though it says on my website "closed while we build our new kitchen, the earliest date we will be able to take orders is..." and they're calling for a cake for next week... Um, NO!!!!

It would be cool if you said, "Oh, I don't think the Health Department sells cakes, honey." LOL

sorry about your day though. *hugs*

Hear, hear!! Save your energy and talent on appreciative clients, hon!

I'm sure it'll be a right classy affair with her Walmart cake anyway! Maybe she can pick up her white wedding tubetop while she's there.

How would your gorgeous masterpiece have looked here anyway:
http://www.dangerouslogic.com/images/wtwedding.jpg

I joke, but it's still a letdown after all your hard efforts to be 'legal'...don't let it getcha down, every idiot out there has their reasonable counterpart. ...or, at least I'm praying it's so! LOL

Today is my test day when I go in and test cake recipes and different frostings.

So my answering machine will be on.

She very well could have been the same one from the call I got first or put someone up to it.

I have a lot of illegal decorators around and I get calls occasionally from someone that wants a price on cakes and then says well...x said she can do it cheaper i'll go with her price.

Ok I think to self but I'm legal and she isnt. She's not even insured.

Good grief people. If you want it cheap take a class or get a how to book and do it yourself. Shoot they probably wont even pay for a class they would try to get ME to show them how to do it.

Another example...I get a call before my shop opens, we hadnt even finished the tile it's half done on one side of the building.

I get a call from an old class mate wanting her daughter a 7 tier cake for that sat. yep 3 days away.

Said another classmate knew I did cakes to call me.


Or the lady last Christmas season who called at 5:10 p.m. as I was mopping my floors and closing up wanting a banana pudding for a Christmas party in 45 minutes.

I told her to go to Kroger to let them deal with her. She made me laugh out loud over that one.

The next time someone calls about a cake, then states that they are going to question the health department, make sure you have a business card from your inspector handy, and say, "When you call, ask for (person's name). They will be able to answer all your questions."

Theresa

I do it's on my bulletin board next to the fridge.

I agree, it sounds like a setup on the 2nd call.

So look around your beautiful legal kitchen in a separate building. Be happy that they can't just walk in because instead of 2 phone calls you could have 10 idiots walking in that want grocery store buy one get one free priced cakes. It is a lot easier to hang up the phone than to get them to leave.

I feel better now.

I'm off to make some batter and enjoy my test kitchen day I have once every few weeks.

Meaning no family, no phone. no critters, no customers just ME in my LEGAL kitchen and Steve Perry singing all the Journey greatest hits at a very high volume on my computer!

Storefronts = paying rent

Paying rent = more overhead cost

More overhead cost = increase in prices

Increase in price = More phone calls like caller #1.

Oh, and does she think that caterers own restaurants? Most caterers that I know have a certified kitchen - not a storefront.

That picture - ROFLMAO!!!

We attended a wedding years ago similar to that.
Serioulsy - it was outdoors & people were wearing South Park t-shirts, smoking during the ceremony. The poor bride - her guest wouldn't even clear an aisle for her to walkdown. She had to weave in & out of the guests - one guy didn't notice her, swung out his arm & spilled beer on her dress (classy). The best man showed up 5 minutes before the ceremony - he hadn't been seen in a week (stag gone WAY wrong)!!

And yes - they got their cake from the grocery store & yes - it was a slab cake and no, they are not still married.

I remember huddling in the back corner of the reception with 2 other couples. We were shocked! The emcee even made it clear that there was an alley nearby if anyone wanted to smoke their pot.

I should dig out the pictures ROFLMAO!!!

Steve Perry had great hair back then. I was disappointed when he cut it.

Theresa

I like to play Cheap Trick when I work...I can't even imagine Steve Perry with short hair. Time to go to google images!

LOL... I'm much more of a Bon Jovi ... or Ted Nugent... or whatever I can channel surf to on the radio... But, I also work out to Bon Jovi so it's sort of anchored to move fast for me... Uncle Ted is when I need to clear my head while working on a project... or it's getting close to Deer Season and I'm getting ready to be in the zone...

I just delivered a cake and played Cheap Trick really loud on the way because of this thread. It makes me drive too fast, though, so maybe next time I'll play something more calming...or maybe not

I love all things journey from day 1 to 1996. My fave youtube video is their last video together of when you love a woman before his surgery and leaving the band for good.

And another of him singing I stand alone on youtube.

about twice a month I have to put in the live in houston dvd and watch the concert. And then follow it up with the greatest hits dvd.

I was just reading nicolesplace's post. OMG, can't believe that! ROFL

Sometimes you just have to laugh and walk away. There will always be idiots.

I tried the number back it it was a cell phone stating the number was either out of the service area or unavailable.

So I tried it again yesterday and it went directly to voice mail. never stated who's voice mail just a male voice saying "leave a message". nothing else.