Happy Sugar Baking Land

Silly Cake News: World Records, "Jolly Olde," & Sweet Sweet Crime!!

Sometimes researching this feature can drive me insane!  Some weeks it is all crazy robots cutting cake and SCN is easy peasy!  Other weeks it is endless pages of Kim Kardashian wedding gossip.  Yuck.  We all know how much her cake "cost," or at least how much they want us to think it cost;)  We all know it looked nothing like the royal wedding cake in the end and yes, the photo of the top tiers in the trash is funny, but quoting David Tutera about how she's "trashing" tradition is a little bit of an overreaction.  Did anyone expect that spoiled brat to eat year old cake to begin with?  

Blasted internet, where's something silly when I need it!!!  Oh... there it is!

First slice goes to the iron fist of the International Olympic Committee!!  those cheeky monkeys, apparently they can't keep 10 year old girls from competing on the Chinese gymnastics team but they can keep those villainous bakers of Britain from using their logo!  The IOC informed the British Sugarcraft Guild that they were not allowed to use any Olympic symbols or logos for their international exposition to be held next May.  You know May, right before the Olympics... in the country where said event is being held.  Sounds like synergy to me, but the IOC has implied financially crippling lawsuits if the cake pros dare, I say dare to help promote one of the world's biggest sporting events for free!  Jerks.  Why they gotta be haters?  Seriously, is the IOC trying to makes us believe they're gonna be selling cupcakes with the Olympic Rings on them outside Wembley?  That a display of Olympic themes on fondant is hurting their brand.  That can't be right?  Oh wait, it is!  

The warning has also raised concerns over whether or not our fellow cakers from the U.K. can even make cakes for clients using Olympic themes, of which there will no doubt be a demand for during the games.  This photo of Guild member Avril from Cambridge pretty much says it all:

Yesh, we've all felt like that during the crumb coat for sure, but this is, in fact, not that silly.  I feel for our cake peers across the pond and think that the IOC reaction is indeed excessive.  I hope the IOC wakes up and realizes how ridiculous this is and allows the exposition to pay tribute to the Olympics during their event.  I sure hope the Duchess of Cambridge wasn't planning to bake a Wenlock and Mandeville cake for Will with the supplies she picked up at Kitchen Monger last week!!  The IOC might raid Wales!

Okay, back on our shores for the second slice today which involves assault with a deadly cupcake!  Well, mild vandalism with a cupcake is closer to the truth as a woman in Inman, SC saw her car get molested by buttercream during an argument.  Her fellow combatant decided to kick the disagreement/drunk talk up a notch and smeared the apparently "at the ready" treats on her car and eventually broke a side mirror.  That sounds more like cake pop damage to me, but the saddest part of the whole story is the police report failed to catalog the flavor of the cake.  Lazy police work if you ask me!

The Guinness Book Of World Records released it's 2012 version this week and with it seems to be a rash of record setting sweets hitting the news.  Let's slice 'em up!

First, we jetset down under to Australia where a group of women have baked their way into history with a record setting scone!!  The world's heaviest scone weighed in at 178kg, or roughly 392 lbs.!!  It took 13 hours to bake on a special stove and required a miniature crane to lift it onto the scale.  Wow.  I will not be complaining about the weight of a four tier wedding cake anytime soon!  And how much clotted cream do you buy for this beast?  Mmmm... clotted cream....

But scones are not alone in the record books this week!  World's Finest Chocolates, you know, those candy bars famous for being sold as fundraisers by every child in America, created a record setting world's largest chocolate bar this week.  (as a side note, the picture of the little girl with the big eyes in the article is adorable)  At 21 feet long, 3 feet high, and *gulp* a whopping 12,000 pounds, there is no doubt this is a Godzilla sized treat!  The company actually created the giant bar to tour aorund schools and teach children about portion control, which is a good thing I guess.  I mean, what else do you do with a spare 6 tons of chocolate lying around?  Be sure to click through the link for some great photos and stats on this record piece of candy.  My favorite might be that it weighs as much as 51 Arnold Schwarzeneggers!

One sugary treat that will not be joining the record books is whoopie pies.  Organizers at the 6th Annual Whoopie Pie Festival at the Hershey Farm Restaurant & Inn this weekend will attempt to set a record for the world's largest pie but it will be unofficial in the eyes of Guinness which has deemed the record too "niche."  As opposed to "Most Steps Walked Down by a Dog Facing Forwards Balancing a Glass of Water."  Click on it, it's real, but a giant whoopie pie is niche.

But seriously, the Whoopie Pie Festival actually looks like a lot of fun, so if any of our readers are in the Pennsylvania area this weekend and attend, let us know how it goes!  That's it for this week folks, hope you enjoyed the silliness and have a great weekend!

Reva's Reviews: Debbie Brown's "Baby Cakes"

If you're making cakes and you don't know who Debbie Brown is, we cannot be friends.  Seriously.  I love Debbie's work and I would feel safe in saying that her cakes are one of the reasons I really wanted to start up my own business and do this for a living.  Yes, I'm saying it: Debbie is one of my inspirations.

Most of you should at least have seen her "Naughty Cakes" book of which she has multiple sequels.  Simply put, Debbie is a saucy lass;)  The fireman cake still makes giggle every time I see it!  I was lucky enough to take a class with Debbie at Cake Camp in Vegas this summer and get to hang out at the banquet and she is just as cool a person as I thought she'd be!  During our conversations, we discussed her books and the process of getting them published (being as we are trying to get our own done soon) and she gave me a lot of great advice.  She also talked about her latest book, "Baby Cakes."

Order "Baby Cakes" here!!

As if the first 20 plus books weren't enough for the U.K.'s most prolific cake author, this September Debbie releases "Baby Cakes," a collection of adorable cake and mini cakes for the littlest of little ones.  Perfectly cute sculpted cakes of bears and babies that are just the thing for baby showers or 1st birthdays etc.  I consider it a direct assault on my pocketbook.

Debbie was nice enough to send over some sneak peak pictures.

Adorable is an understatement!  She is so talented with her sculpting.  Read as "jealous."  I love to see her designs and Debbie's books are so worth it.  I am a cake book collector and I have a lot of books that I look through once and then they sit up on the shelf collecting dust, but Debbie's get pulled down again and again for inspiration.  I cannot wait to add "Baby Cakes" to the library.

If you haven't seen Debbie's work yet, check out her website here and give her ye olde "like" on Facebook.   Be sure to tell her the super adorable and amazing Reva sent ya;)

 

Merci Beaucoup's 1st Annual Halloween Cake Competition!!

BOO!!  Greetings cake nerds!  It is time once again for the ghouls and ghosts to come out to play and more importantly, to gather up candy!!  Maybe in one of our fabulous tote bags/candy holders!!  It has also become about baked sweets like cupcakes and cookies and of course, cakes!  We've seen so many great Halloween theme cakes recently and had the pleasure of making a few of our own that we thought one night sitting around the Merci Beaucoup HQ that we should have a contest.  A Halloween cake contest!!  Behold:

It's The Great Cake, Merci Beaucoup!!  Halloween Cake Competition!!

We're looking for the most creative, spooktacular cakes you're little zombie food brains can come up with!  Wanna enter?  It is super simple!  All you have to do is send a pic of your Halloween creation to us at [email protected] with the subject heading "Halloween Contest."  Include a photo of your cake and a spooky joke along with your contact information, favorite candy, and mailing address.  Need more?

The Details:

1. Cakes only!  Sorry cupcakers, we'll take care of you next time!
2. Cakes must have a Halloween/Day of the Dead theme and should be created this year.
3. No more than 2 photos per entry (cake).
4. Maximum 2 entries (cakes) per person.
5. Contest prizes available to residents of North America only.
6. Entries will close on October 30th at 11:59 pm, PST.
7. Winner will be announced on Nov. 1st.

The Prize:  The very first winner of the very first Merci Beaucoup sponsored cake competition will receive their very own plaque of distinction to hang in their place of business, home, or around their neck in a bold fashion statement!  Design pending, but let's face it, to possess this plaque will be to hold pure awesome in your hand and you know you want that!!  The remaining four (4) finalists from our Top 5 will receive a Finalist Medal.

So, get cracking on those designs and send 'em on over!!  We can't wait to see what our amazing fans will come up with and as soon as we get a few entries, we will create an online gallery so everyone can share in the Halloween fun;)  Good luck cakers, may the best tiers win;)

Merci Beaucoup Shop Talk: Bad Customers

Customers, we need them.  We don't always want them, but we need them.  I think we've all had that problem customer, the one with the unreasonable demands on our time and resources.  The one who wants to change their design two days before the wedding.  The one who doesn't understand why handmade sugar flowers cost more than real flowers.  The one that we wish had never walked through our doors!  It's alright, we're friends here, you can admit it!

I was going to title this week's Shop Talk "customer service," but that's just really a fancy way to say "doing your job" isn't it?  Or, selling your product without getting yelled at!  Customer service is just a business phrase that makes customers feel like they're important.  "Look, we're getting service!  Aren't we special?!"  No, you're a customer.  You're entering into a simple barter agreement for goods or services.  I get something, you get something.  I intend for it to be pleasant for both of us, but if it gets out of hand, "I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone."  My point?  Business catch phrases are not necessarily business policy.

You know another phrase that makes customers feel important?  Who has heard "the customer is always right?"  Everyone, no?  Of course you have, it's one of the biggest mantras in retail.  It is also the bigggest lie.

The "customer is always right" is often attributed to Henry Gordon Selfridge, a business man who originally used the phrase in advertisements for Marshall Field & Co. (now Macy's).  He later went on to start Selfridge's in London and was rich and successful.  Because of this he wrote a book with the absurd title of "The Romance of Commerce."  Clearly the man adored his bank account.  In it, Selfridge lauded the ancient business practices of Greece, China, and the East India Company speckled with his words of wisdom which amounted to little more than the kind of things one would hear from a coach before the big game.  Among them was the nugget "the customer is always right" and it is a three headed monster of doom.

The intention of the phrase was to instill in your employees the idea that you should behave as if the customer is always right, even if they are not.  In other words, don't be rude.  It's not meant to be taken literally as so many entitled customers, or even worse, young business owners feel it does today.  You want you're company to be seen as putting the customer first, but in reality, your business comes first, every time.  Every decision you make should be to advance your business goals and protect your brand.  Smart customers understand that while bad customers try and exploit it.

If you are operating a small business under the idea that the customer is always right, you are destined for failure.  I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it's true.   It was a turn of the century advertising slogan and nothing more.  It was also used in conjunction with a sizable department store where the volume of business could allow for the occasional concession to an irate customer.  But let's face it, irate customers seldom have cause.  

Don't confuse emotion with cause.  If you messed up, make it right.  If they ordered a four tier cake and you only made three, it's cause.  If the invoice says chocolate and you delivered lemon, it's cause.  If they didn't realize their future father-in-law was allergic to strawberries and they had to call an ambulance to the reception and they want to yell at you about it, it's emotion.  You smile, you listen, you secretly clinch your fist behind the counter, you will totally bitch about it later to your friends, but then you pull out the order form and point out what they signed off on (you do make them sign it don't you?) and send your sincerest wishes for their father-in-law's speedy recovery.  And remember, unless you poured arsenic in the batter, you never "ruined" someone's wedding.  That's emotion talking.

Question: Customers who like to flaunt "the customer is always right" to gain free or discounted items are generally bad customers?  True, this is a customer fact!  I will stand by that till the day I die and it all comes down to the increasing sense of entitlement that is sweeping our society.  The current economy doesn't help, but people everywhere, especially younger generations, want more for less and it's not that that is wrong by itself, it's they feel they deserve it.  A customer deserves your attention, they deserve basic human respect, but they don't deserve anything they do not pay for and as the business owner, you set those parameters.

Two of the most shocking examples of entitlement I've ever seen both occurred at the same Sur La Table about a year apart.  The first involved a man who refused to accept the answer given to him by the assistant manager.  She told him that if he wanted to talk to the store manager, he could return tomorrow and even went so far as to say he could knock on the door about a half hour before they opened because the manager would be there. He didn't like that idea and insisted they call the store manager.  When they very kindly reminded the man it was the manager's day off, he said in a very loud voice, and I quote, "Well, he has a cell phone doesn't he?  Call him.  Unless you're telling me you don't have his cell phone number, which is a lie."  

WTF?  Dude wanted to invade another human being's well earned day off because why, he worked in retail?  Maybe he should have the right to drop by the company's owner's place and use the swimming pool too?  No, of course he can't!  And he doesn't have the right to ask for someone to come into work on their day off either.  He was being unreasonable and rude and before he left, flung some misogynistic remarks at the women behind the counter.  Buying a frying pan did not earn him 24 hour access to every employee in the company.  Bad customer.

I was at the same store recently and a woman was trying to return an item.  She had the receipt, she had the product in good condition, it was a simple return.  The cashier handed her back her money and the woman said, "wait, this item is $199 and you only gave me $170."  "Well," said the cashier, "it was on sale when you purchased it, so I can only refund you the purchase amount."  Instead of saying oh, whoops, didn't notice that, sorry, the customer said, "that's unacceptable.  It's $200 and I want $200 back."  Do I need to go on?  Do I need to point out how this customer was a complete and total idiot?  No, because you're smart business people, but I will say that this customer did go on.  And on and on and on.  She wasn't going to leave without money that was never hers.  She didn't deserve it, but she felt entitled to it.  Bad customer, possible petty thief.

And the thing is, I know we all want positive word of mouth so we tend to bend over a little to make that happen, but the simple reality is, unless Oprah is standing in front of you, the average customer has neither the pull nor the ultimate drive to do any serious damage to your business reputation.  The internet is flooded with people barking about something (heck, myself included!), very few actually listen (except you awesome Shop Talk readers who are amazing!).  I had a customer storm out yelling she was gonna tell all her friends and "ruin me."  Three days later one of her friends came in and bought a cake so we obviously know the pull she has with her friends.  People still respond to positive reviews way more than negative ones.  In my experience, do not live in fear of word of mouth.  If you're doing a good job, that performance will always win out.

"The customer is always right" is like the right to bear arms.  I don't disagree with the constitutional right to own a gun, but there is no way in a billion years that our founding fathers ever envisioned the type of massively destructive weapons or ammunition available today.  Similarly, Selfridge had no clue that society would evolve 100 years later to a place where people are constantly taking advantage of each other.  He never saw a customer come in and try and scam him out of a free pair of gloves because after all, the customer is always right!  He lived in a different time.  The phrase is from a different time.  It's outdated and it must go.  

The phrase is so false because it's not about right or wrong, it's about being a professional.  The Shop Talk message has always been about acting like a professional and presenting yourself to your clients as a professional.  No one is wrong, no one is right.  There is a product and a price and a negotiation.  It's business.  If it doesn't work out, there is no failure, there is no blame.  What I hope to impart to you today is that it is okay to step back and admit that this is not gonna work out.  Whether that's you have to let someone leave angry or you recognize a bad customer/problem bride and make up some pleasant excuse why you cannot work together, it's okay.  You can't please everybody and that is a phrase I can get behind!

Now take note, I'm not writing this for customers, I'm writing this for you, the cake shop business owner.  Customers should be treated well, they should be cared for and given the best customer service you can afford, but you can ever forget that you are the professional.  Your time is important, your ideas are important, your business is important.  Bad customers are real and one who's every wish is fulfilled regardless of whether or not it was earned can negate the value of all of that a lot more than one unhappy customer.  

Just remember all the friendly, happy customers you've experienced and let go of the bad ones.  Sometimes we dwell on the negative too much.  The truth is most of our clients have been great and we have loved helping them out with cakes for their big events and I bet you feel the same way.  Concentrate on the positive, be a professional, and never let some old sourpuss interfere with how fun and awesome it is to make cakes for a living!!