I've been getting several calls by people wanting to order larger numbers of our frosted cookies. They're currently $2.25/ea or roughly $2.08 for a dozen. It's been really difficult because even though we've been even able to even reduce the price for larger orders, it's still not quite enough for most people.
I do feel the cookies, even though they might seem expensive to some people, are a good value, when you consider the work that goes into them. They are actually one of our most labor intensive of our products. We don't have a machine to make them so each one is cut out. We have a small deck of ovens so baking high volumes can be a challenge. Each one needs to be frosted and decorated individually by hand, and while we can be more efficient at higher volumes, we still have to pour the love into those cookies. So for a $300 cookie order which seems like a lot of money, we might work 5-7 hours, which may seem like we're making $60/hour which seems like a lot for a baker, but then you have ingredients, overhead, and such. I know at my final wages, I certainly couldn't afford them, but I know that there's just no short cuts for good quality.
3 comments:
Isn't that frustrating? This is one aspect of owning a bakery that I do not look forward to. I use high quality ingredients and work hard for my sweets, yet, when I tell people the price they cringe. They do not grasp the time put into preparing such sweets or the costs, or the fact that you can't just break even in baking, you need to make a bit of a profit! Silly people!
I would recommend the marshmallow fondant! It tastes better than the regular fondant in my opinion. I want to work with flavors next, so it won't be so bland.
Also, I will be baking for a restaurant that is opening at the end of the month. Any tips you can give a newbie?
Yeah, we make our own marshmallows, so I was thinking something along those lines...
I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for in terms of advice, but the best advice is for any baker, which is to stay organized, and think ahead. Don't be afraid to make a little extra pastry cream, cake layers, etc...that way, if you need to make another cake with it, you don't have to make all the components too. Labor is always the most expensive item for the pastry kitchen.
Are you working for the restaurant, or is this an independent business venture?
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