A Bakery & Cafe Dilemma
We have all enjoyed going into a bakery and purchasing a delectable muffin, a cookie or some other delight. This is one of life’s many pleasures. It’s simple.
Stroll into a fine cafe and have a great cup of coffee. Mmmmmm
Sit down in a cafe (of the eating kind) to marvel over an amazingly delicious slice of pizza, or an intriguing sandwich.
Now. Think on this: what happens when we walk into a bakery and ask for a plate, butter and a knife with the muffin? Likely, the response is, “Sorry, but we have no tables, chairs, knives or butter portions”. Coffee? Sure – take it with you but you cannot sit her (remember – no tables or chairs).
Just to add a little colour, here is a photo of a Maccha Green Tea Latte I poured today while we (and especially Jagasilk) gave away Maccha Tea samples.
So, smart folks that we are, we decided to put the “bakery” and “cafe” together without contemplating the reality of trying to serve muffins (for example) at bakery prices but offer a plate, knife, table and chair for the same price.
Well, the economics do not work. Paying for the labour to pick out the muffin, bag it and receive money for it is one thing. Doing the same but adding a plate and knife is another because we then have to clear the table and wipe it clean. Then a person has to wash the plate and knife. Someone has to put the utensils back. WE break a plate now and then, and we lose quite a bit of cutlery.
I hope this helps explain why some establishments ask for a “plate charge” when a customer wants to eat in. This also describes the reasons behind a discount for “take-out”.
Always trying to adjust prices to cover labour costs, I finally realized that this dilemma is what is causes us so much grief. We love having folks eat at our bakeries – it reminds us of why we love this business. However, unless we raise prices to address the added cost of tables, chairs, etc., we will always be playing catchup.
Now, we are contemplating raising prices about 10% on most grab ‘n go products like cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls and the like to cover the costs of table service. Take-out would be discounted 10%.
What do you all think? “Plate charge” or discounted take-out?
Your feedback is appreciated. The first ten (10) responses to this blog will receive a $5 gift certificate!
May 8, 08:05 pm
I think a 10% discount for take out is the way to go. No one ever likes an extra added on, but it’s always nice to pay less for something if you take it out.
May 10, 02:58 pm
This a great question.
I think the reality is that someone eating in the bakery is simply creating more work and therefore an extra “dine in” charge is fair.
However, I would do what Panago does and instead of saying “extra charge” just say “discount for take-out” or in Panago’s case pick-up (as opposed to delivery).