I decided to back off the intership a bit...had a bad experience Friday at the bakery. The experience has stopped being fun. The owner is still very green when it comes to running a business. I studied Business Admin. at college and my family has ran businesses so if I give you some suggestions, you may want to take them. Sometimes it takes an outsider's perspective to see areas where you could improve. I want the owner to succeed because she seems like a good hearted person but I have a few issues and forgive me for venting but #1. Don't be rude to FREE help. And, #2. Find what you are good at and stick to it and look for ways to improve it.
I was learning four new recipes that day and was in the process of panning out the batter after 4p. Keep in mind that the bakery closes at 6:30p and she refuses to sell day old cupcakes but here we were making a chit load of cupcakes late in the day. Apparently, I was too pokey for her liking (how is that possible?!--I work like a tornado in a kitchen) and she told me to let the other intern pan out the batter and for me to move to the Icing Station. But, that didn't really help either seeing as I didn't know the icing recipes for these 4 new cupcakes either. So, she was going to have to stop and teach them to me as well. Well,---she did but she ended up pretty much icing the cupcakes herself too because she didn't care for my piping skills and her cupcakes "would be served at parties and need to be perfect for presentation." Here's my take: write down your dang recipes! And, use exact measurements and provide your useful tips to follow. At some point you HAVE to delegate in your business. Personally, I don't think my piping skills suck. You can see the pictures of my homemade cuppycakes and the piping on them.
So, rather than going into the bakery Saturday to help her on her busiest day, I baked cuppycakes at home and donated them to a charity for Cancer Research and spent time with my husband and family. I would have hated to be a hindrance on her bakery and have been in her way. It was rather sad really. I gave her eight hours of my day off from the bank---and my feet were flipping killing me! I had completely jacked up the one hour foot massage that my lovely friend Jen gifted me earlier that day. And, it's not like she's ever given me a schedule or hired me like she said she would do...just show up and work when you want to.
My other suggestion to the bakery owner would be this: you sell cupcakes well. You do not, however, have a good history of selling bread. My friends have even commented that it does not taste fresh and it is crumbly--and expensive. Your boyfriend is using your main oven to make this bread all morning and into the afternoon. This is causing you to get behind on baking cakes that still need to be cooled and decorated. And, because you fall short on time, you do not decorate the cakes to the customer's liking or give the extra effort into decorating them as you promised the customer you would do "if you had time to get elaborate." You have to WOW your customers in this day and age to get repeat business. And, if you promise to deliver by a certain time--try to be early but most of all--BE ON TIME! If you really want to sell the bread, you need to tell your boyfriend that he needs to come in early like a normal baker (i.e. 4am) and get his bread baked and then move out of the way so your baker can have the use of the oven by 8am to bake cakes and cupcakes.
I am happy to report that she revisited the hours of operation and has posted new hours of 8:30a to 6:30p Monday thru Friday--3p on Saturday but closed on Sunday. It wasn't helping to open at 10a. You are a bakery---one that sells doughnuts and danishes. People do no want to have to wait until brunchtime to get their doughnuts and danishes. They could easily go to another bakery, Krogers, Marsh, Krispy Kreme. So, now that you have set the hours, stick to them. Your customers need to see that you are reliable. If you say you'll be open, then be open. One of my favorite local BBQ restaurants advertised that they were open on Sundays. Twice my mom and I stopped on a Sunday afternoon to eat lunch there and they were NOT open. So, in my dictionary, they became unreliable and I will no longer go out of my way to patronize them.
A very good friend of mine had a birthday yesterday. It just so happens that her favorite candy bar is the Whatchamacalit Bar. So, I decided to try to come up with a cupcake recipe that would compliment the flavors in a Whatchamacalit bar. I started with a devil's food batter base...topped with peanut butter batter...a piece of the candy bar in the center and a piece of soft caramel. After baking, I dipped it in ganache and then frosted it in peanut butter buttercream frosting. My brother-in-law, Mike, was the first to taste test. I heard no complaints. lol When I presented Jen her birthday cupcake she could not get over the smell. She said "it smells exactly like a Whatchamacalit Bar!" My only regret is that I didn't make more so that I could actually try it! Dang nabbit. lol
