Dessert Tasting Fee - Bakery Freak Out!

Knottie1445758137 · December 2015

The first baker we did a tasting with, we really fell in love with the cake and filling. We paid a $300 deposit fee for a cake and were told to send all sorts of pictures of the dessert table I want and that we'd talk via email. Since then, the e-mail and communication has been absolutely abysmal and none of my questions have been answered. We've really wanted to order a few desserts, but there is a special one my fiance wants which is Cream Puffs. However, he would like to taste them before we order them. But, the bakery will not let us taste them or purchase them individually to taste. They insist we purchase a whole batch for $45. This seems ridiculous to me and I'm at my wits in freaking out about them. Their lack of communication makes me worry that they will ruin my wedding by not being reliable. Is this normal? Can we get our deposit back?

lyndausvi · December 2015

Do they sell cream puffs in their store? If they don't then I get the charge. You can't just make one cream puff. So I get having to pay for the whole batch. Time and ingredients are not free.

As far as getting your deposit back? Well, what did your contract say?

banana468 · December 2015

lyndausvi said:

Do they sell cream puffs in their store? If they don't then I get the charge. You can't just make one cream puff. So I get having to pay for the whole batch. Time and ingredients are not free.

As far as getting your deposit back? Well, what did your contract say?

This. If they normally sell cream puffs then just go there and buy one. But if that's not part of their menu I can understand that they're not going to give something away for free.

I work in printing. When a customer wants one printed piece and the item is printed in thousands, we charge a major premium for that request. Essentially, they're going to buy a box and can toss everything in it away to keep one or they can keep the box.

jacques27 · December 2015

Also, how far away is your wedding? Is it next month? Then yeah, I would be a little worried. If it is several months to a year or more away? I would say it's perfectly normal that they aren't going to be at your beck and call nailing down more specifics that far out. They have other clients with closer events and with the holidays are probably ridiculously busy. I stopped by a bakery two nights ago to get some cookies to bring to someone's house and waited 45 minutes.

And I agree with pp, if cream puffs aren't an item they regularly carry, it seems reasonable for you to pay for a batch. At most tastings, you don't get to taste every single item you want. They provide you a representative sampling of their work, maybe one or two specialty flavors you're really interested in, so you have a good enough idea that you like and trust the quality of their products. It is cost and labor intensive to put together samplings.

lyndausvi · December 2015

jacques27 said:

Also, how far away is your wedding? Is it next month? Then yeah, I would be a little worried. If it is several months to a year or more away? I would say it's perfectly normal that they aren't going to be at your beck and call nailing down more specifics that far out. They have other clients with closer events and with the holidays are probably ridiculously busy. I stopped by a bakery two nights ago to get some cookies to bring to someone's house and waited 45 minutes. And I agree with pp, if cream puffs aren't an item they regularly carry, it seems reasonable for you to pay for a batch. At most tastings, you don't get to taste every single item you want. They provide you a representative sampling of their work, maybe one or two specialty flavors you're really interested in, so you have a good enough idea that you like and trust the quality of their products. It is cost and labor intensive to put together samplings.

Good point. DH is knee deep in holiday stuff right now. He doesn't have time to deal with a wedding months out. Jan 3th is all calms down and he will give you all the time you need.

Most bakeries are mom and pop run. They do not generally have a staff that is dealing with emails exclusively. Normally it's all hands on deck, so even if they did that person is more than likely helping out in the front to get through the rush.

In busy times like the holidays I can see them slipping on responding.

MesmrEwe · December 2015

All of my baker friends haven't been posting their normal updates on FB other than a finished cake delivery here or there since before Thanksgiving because they're swamped!! One friend whose Patisserie I stopped by talked about how she was a week out from Thanksgiving and already sold out for Christmas orders that she's not even opening up the storefront that week! Also know that unless the cream puffs are an item they carry in their storefront, it is a special batch which has time and materials, it's not like she can only make one, and even as much the time it takes to make that one likely adds up to that $45. It's really nothing to freak out over - just make the order for when you're getting together with others so your FI doesn't have to eat them all by himself!

AddieCake · December 2015

We did cupcakes, and the only way we were able to taste the different flavors was to go and purchase a cupcake in that flavor on the day it was available. I had to make several trips to taste several favors, and none of them were free.

julieanne912 · December 2015

I dunno, my bakery let us come taste whatever we wanted for free, provided it was available. Before signing a contract and making a deposit, my MOH and I sat down at a table and she wheeled out all kinds of stuff for us to taste, all at no cost.

But I agree, if it's not something they normally make, you can't expect them to give you a sample for free. It's next to impossible to make 1 or 2 cream puffs.

Just wondering though, why didn't you figure this out BEFORE paying a deposit?

Knottie51972556 · December 2015

That is so ridiculous! You probably can't go wrong with creme puff....but I wouldn't go into the dark about this.

Dessert Tasting Fee - Bakery Freak Out!

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