I Can't Believe I Had To Explain This To A Customer! (Long)
Business By cakelady15 Updated 15 Aug 2008 , 10:02pm by Tootall
Yeah.. I thought a full sheet cake was 18x26?? So it would be four 9x13's.
I know I have seen the big full sheets at BJ's.. they are massive.
that's how my full sheets are....isn't this industry standard?...i mean when you order full sheet cake boards and boxes, this is what fits on them.
and...this is what size my full sheet pans are.....every bakery i worked at baked from these pans, and cut the cakes up to the needed sizes....or....got the 1/2 sheets in frozen, and put them together or cut them up as needed.
i think she might be getting half the sized cake she thinks she is.
i think she might be getting half the sized cake she thinks she is.
That's exactly what I was trying to say littlecake! 
I was so tired when I replied to this post I couldn't even think....I was up late with my kiddo on the toilet....sorry TMI! This customer is going to be very upset when she see's her cake. She knows how big it is suppose to look but she doesn't understand the demensions....it's our job to educate our customers on that. She did say she wanted a full sheet to feed 100 people....
I base my single layer sheet cakes off of the grocery stores in my area and the size of the cake boards that I order on line (they list on their websites the 1/4, 1/2 and full sheet cake board sizes).
9x13 is a 1/4 sheet cake (serves approximately 24)
12 x 18 is a 1/2 (serves approx 54)
16 x 24 is a full (serves approx 96)
since Wilton makes a 11 x 15 pan I also use this as an in-between to give my customers another size (serves approx 35)
these are using 2" x 2" serving pieces
HTH
This is also what I go by and the 11 x 15, I call a 1/3 sheet.
I know this might sound silly, but are you sure the person you spoke to at the bakery knows what they are talking about? A 12 x 18 is roughly a half sheet (two 9x13's).
I have down 54 servings (2x2x2) for a single layer 12 x 18 sheet cake. If you are making a double layer 12 x 18 sheet cake, I have down that it will feed 108 ppl (1x2x4)
If you are making a single layer cake, I can see a huge problem with this order resulting in a very unhappy customer. If it's a double layer cake, you should be fine.
I know this might sound silly, but are you sure the person you spoke to at the bakery knows what they are talking about?
Not silly at all ..... I called the local bakeries/groceries to do some price checking. The person who answered the phone could only tell me "it's a half sheet". When I asked for dimensions, they said, "It's a whole cake pan cut in half." When I pointed out that my home cake pans are probably no where near the size of a bakery pan, and I really needed to know how big the cake was, he just kept saying, "I don't know ... they are shipped into us already baked and labeled." When I suggested he go to the school supply aisle and pick up a ruler and measure it, it took him about 15 minutes (and yes I stayed on hold that long .... it was personal, now! 
) to get a ruler, figure out how to use it, and tell me how big the cake was.
There's a reason some people can only make minimum wage. 
I know this might sound silly, but are you sure the person you spoke to at the bakery knows what they are talking about?
Not silly at all ..... I called the local bakeries/groceries to do some price checking. The person who answered the phone could only tell me "it's a half sheet". When I asked for dimensions, they said, "It's a whole cake pan cut in half." When I pointed out that my home cake pans are probably no where near the size of a bakery pan, and I really needed to know how big the cake was, he just kept saying, "I don't know ... they are shipped into us already baked and labeled." When I suggested he go to the school supply aisle and pick up a ruler and measure it, it took him about 15 minutes (and yes I stayed on hold that long .... it was personal, now!
) to get a ruler, figure out how to use it, and tell me how big the cake was.There's a reason some people can only make minimum wage.
In professional baking pan sizes, 9x13 is a quarter sheet, 12x18 is a half sheet. A lot of stores call a 12 x 18 a full sheet, though, so I always clarify what the customer thinks they're talking about size-wise. You did just that, so if she had trouble getting 100 servings out of that cake it's not your problem.
..... I always clarify what the customer thinks they're talking about size-wise.
That's the key right there ...... cake civilians use the terminology and they have no idea what the heck they're talking about.
And that's why I refuse to use the terminology. I actually have fun messin' with their minds when they ask for "half" or "full" sheets and I bounce it right back to them by asking, "How big a cake is that?" It's SO much fun to watch them falter and stammer and admit they have no idea!
After reading all these posts I got paranoid and thought maybe the girl at the grocery store didn't know what she was talking about. I did explain to the customer that a 12 x 18 single layer wouldn't feed 100 people but she insisted that she would just cut the pieces really small and they also had other desserts so it would be fine. The grocery store by me also sells their full sheet cake for $39.99 so I couldn't imagine being a whole lot bigger than 12 x 18 and they told me it feeds 60 people. So anyways, I delivered the cake to the customer today and she told me it was perfect. Whoo! I will never do that again though. No more conversations about half and full sheet cakes, it will be how many servings do you need and ok then this is how much it will be 
back to the cake servings: If you make this cake two layers (4 inches high) then she can get pretty much 100 servings...(1 inch by 1 inch by 4 inches) Skinny ones, but still 2-3 bites.
I never use sheet sizes to customers..they just don't understand. I just tell them how many servings it will serve. (2x2) Thats all most of them understand.
if they don't understand, i tell them a 1/4 sheet is about the same size they would bake at home...
"This is my 1/4 sheet yada yada servings, this is my 1/2 sheet yada yada servings" etc Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%