Home Page: Bubby Roses's Bakery

Mark Engels wrote this.

A little while ago we made the realization that we had not raised the price on our amazing pizza for more than two years…. Well, a similar realization has recently struck!

We are more than a bakery… Cafés typically serve coffee and tea, and the baked goods are simply brought in for re-sale. Bakeries are where one buys fresh products at a counter and leaves. Bubby Rose’s Bakery & Café is a place where one gets service beyond the norm for a bakery: Staff provide a number of services that include making fantastic coffees, grilling house-made sandwiches to order, providing plates and cutlery, washing huge amounts of dishes, and advising customers on the ingredients and wonders of various products. We like to think of it like having 350 to 450 people as house guests every day. You can imagine the cleanup! (Aside from housekeeping and baking, did you know that we also make all of our savoury food items?

It costs the business a great deal of money to offer the services that we provide beyond simply attending to folks at a counter. Cleaning tables, re-stocking the pop cooler and coffee station, and sorting through the bins of recycling, garbage and compost to ensure the proper placement of “stuff”.

Naively, we did not foresee this reality when we began Bubby Rose’s Bakery. All we wanted to do was, and is, make great food to please people. As the cost of labour rose, we could not figure out what was happening to the “bottom line”. Until recently, that is. We have been offering café/restaurant quality service at bakery prices.

It costs a lot to hire and train the best! Our Staff are worth every penny of what they earn – we simply have to make sure that our prices reflect the fact that we are closer to a restaurant than a bakery. Thank you all for understanding the latest price increases!
Valerie, Mark, and our hardworking Staff

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Mark Engels wrote this.

Sometimes we suddenly realize that something is wrong. It may take a few days before one of us asks, “Has anyone seen so-and-so?” If there is a negative response, we are often dumbstruck. Why, you ask?

We are not just a part of your neighbourhood and life. You are, each and every one of our customers, a part of our lives. The wonder of each character, the beauty of a rare soul, the twinkle of an eye or the flourish of a quip—they are all important to our daily routines and pleasure. Names are exchanged, gezundheits are given, hugs are a rare delight , “closets” are opened. Mysteries unfold, knowledge is shared, crossword puzzles become joint efforts, politics and religion are discussed. Everyone wishes everyone well.

Valerie and Lauren – thankfully, it was Hallowe’en!

So, please, if you are unhappy with something we have done, let us not risk the special bonds we have built. Let us know so that we can address your concerns.
You see, when you “disappear”, we worry about what we may have done to lose you. Many times, the talk turns to even darker concerns like health issues, or family distress. We don’t know.

Going on a trip? Let us wish you bon voyage. Heading off to another city to a new job? We would love to offer our best of luck to you. We care about you, and we hope that you will care about us

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colin newell wrote this.

The chance to experience great food and drink was often lost by bad or no directions. With that in mind, click on the colorful photo-maps to find out where in the city Bubby Roses actually is.

Cafe-Culture Cook-Street-the-Village
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Mark Engels wrote this.

It’s here! Wi-fi has arrived at Bubby 1. Enjoy all the great food and beverages while surfing or working. Please be kind to strangers, and give up your seat when we’re busy!

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Mark Engels wrote this.

Well, we have to “keep up with the Jones”. So we have decided that, although we are very limited in seating at Bubby 1 in Cook Street Village, we will offer free wi-fi.

Hopefully, customers using their computers (and have finished eating and drinking) will not be offended when/if we must ask them to vacate a seat or table for someone who wants to sit and eat.

Look for it to be available outside the Bakery, at the outdoor tables, as well. The setup should be completed this Monday, March 30, 2009.

See you there!

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Mark Engels wrote this.

We made it to Seattle last week. The Clipper got us there and back without me getting sick!

Three nights at The Moore (on 2nd Avenue between Pike and Virginia) with two room changes was not the best experience although the front desk folks are always very pleasant and helpful folks (our fifth stay there). Being placed above 1St Avenue when we asked for a “quiet room” was not fun. The second room had a leaking faucet and a poorly operating toilet which was not repaired while we were out for the day.

At the end of it, we realized that we have had to move rooms, or complain about something (a day retrieving a ball down the hall at 5:00 a.m.) most every stay. We’ll look for something different next time.

Walking a lot, we enjoyed the usual haunts near Pike Place Market (The Moore is but two blocks away). Sur La Table for kitchen ware, Rose’s Chocolate treasures for yumminess presented by Vee.

Cafe D’arte (fine coffee, “home” of Sarah Dooley, PNWBC). There is a very good falafel takeout place near Pike Place Market, on 1st Avenue… very garlicky sauce.

We ate at Ohana (a delightful restaurant on 1st Avenue in Belltown, a few blocks north of the Market. Always colourful, lively and very tasty, we always make it to this restaurant for Hawaiian fare.

Beyond that few more blocks, we dined at La Vita E Bella Ristorante & Bistro (http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/37045546/seattle_wa/la_vita_e_bella_ristorante_pizzeria.html). We have enjoyed the pizza here and our meal was very good BUT they serve lousy bread!

Serious Pie was the stop on our first night. This is on Virgina, near The Moore. Expensive (for pizza), but very good. Interesting concept. (http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/44522434/seattle_wa/serious_pie.html).

Macrina Bakery nearby was a disappointment for breakfast as they do not serve much during the week. I did not have a pleasant experience with service there. Although we have enjoyed our visits many times in the past, they surprised us this time. Even after hearing back from the “General Manager” and, then a partner, I do not know that they understand “real service”…

The new location

Anyway, they have also got a new, much larger facility much further south. We will always want to stop in at Macrina for their style and passion.

Victrola Roasters was a delightful stop. Delicious macchiato, nice enough atmosphere although a little “cold”.

David Schomer’s new cafe, Espresso Vivace Roasteria is on Broadway in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. For this, we took a bus. Worth the visit, I met David for the first time besides some shows (he couldn’t possibly remember me among the thousands). Nice, he expressed great pleasure in having completed the build-out for this shop in such a way as to come very close to his inner vision for the site.

Some indoor photos:

Roomy, clean lines, interesting angles and material, this is a very functionally well-designed space. The coffee wasn’t bad either!

From there we made it (slowly enough for my blood sugars to start to crash) to Glo’s. This is a restaurant worth visiting. You want breakfast? Go to Glo’s. Want a sense of history, a plate full of food and atmosphere? Go to Glo’s. The new-ish owner is Janet Reisman. Energy galore. Comfort foods, eh?!

I’ll have to continue this another time or I’ll never get it “published”!

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Mark Engels wrote this.

It’s cold outside and we’re scrambling to prepare for the Victoria Tea Festival. Tomorrow will be crazy as we attempt to deliver the goodies to the conference centre while still making wholesale deliveries and getting product to Bubby 1!

Wish us luck.

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Mark Engels wrote this.

We are pleased to be a sponsor of this formidable approach to fund-raising! Combine the delights of myriad tea vendors with the samples offered by our bakery and how can you resist the opportunity to assist the Camosun College Child Care Services?!

Last year we sampled out over 1600 pieces of delight. This year we are madly preparing to provide 5000 bites!

This is what part of out table looked like last year. We will have more table space this weekend

We’ll be there Saturday and Sunday this weekend, Feb. 14 & 15. Check out Victoria Tea Festival.

Drop by our table and say hello. Ask us for a gift card for a free coffee of your choice at our Cook Street location. (No purchase is necessary).

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