Toronto bakery tells people to treat them with respect and isn't extending their lease
A Toronto bakery that's become a darling of the sweets scene in this city has just posted an impassioned message to social media, telling people to treat them with respect, and revealing that they will not be extending the lease for their current storefront.
Soft Dough Co. only just recently landed at Stackt Market for their first regularly-open storefront since operating a super successful pop-up. They've been known for their super cute and incredibly tasty madeleines, Basque cheesecakes and cake cups.
However, it appears the transition from pop-up to storefront wasn't as smooth as it could have been.
Anyone who's ever worked in any sort of customer-facing job knows the litany of rude things that some people find perfectly acceptable to do and say, and that service workers are sadly often not treated with the respect they deserve.
Alice Tam's post on the Soft Dough Co. Instagram story.
Soft Dough founder Alice Tam wasn't afraid to take to social media to detail some of the disrespectful behaviour she witnessed while operating her in-person shop.
"99% of our customers are amazing," an Instagram story post read. "But 1% of the actions are baffling."
The post continues, "Snapping your fingers at us, sneaking in to throw your beer cans (yes, I saw you), treating us like Stackt's concierge (no basic 'hello' or 'thanks' when we helped you,) selling your own stuff on my patio (no, we're not affiliated)."
"I had a customer who acted demanding and rushed. During checkout, she snapped her fingers, I think she found the process slow," Tam tells blogTO.
"We get asked for directions to other shops, as we're at a big intersection. It's okay, except when someone stormed in to ask for directions without any courtesy. Once I gave him directions, he immediately turned around and left."
Tam's also not a fan of "when people ask for the prices and tell me it's too expensive," saying someone actually tried to barter with her, and also says "someone asked why I make a Spanish-style cheesecake when I'm Asian."
She's received a few direct messages on Instagram from other business owners with stories of bad customer behaviour.
Tam also made a post to the Soft Dough Co. Instagram grid letting everyone know that she won't be extending her lease at Stackt, and that her last day will be June 30. After that, Soft Dough will be taking a "semi-hiatus."
"I would have a storefront again in a heartbeat. It's just not the right time at the moment. Our pop-up was always scheduled to end in June. Although we were offered to extend, running the bakery six days a week alongside my full-time job is no joke. I'm taking some time to rest, so the bakery is on semi-hiatus," says Tam.
"We'll go ahead with the Leslieville Farmers' Market and pop-ups we have scheduled. It's tough to make this decision as a lot of new folks have gotten to know us through our Stackt storefront, but I believe we'll come back with more creativity. We'll continue to keep in touch with our customers via Instagram and our newsletter."
Hector Vasquez
