We run a mom and pop ice cream shop and currently require 24 hours for custom made ice cream cakes. It can be really stressful and we are considering going to 48 hours instead. Are we being unreasonable? Has anyone else struggled with this?
by Grand_Negus
8 Comments
I don’t have a business but I think that’s completely reasonable. If I did have a business it would be 48 hours.
Do whatever you need to run your business as best you can.
48hrs is still generous imo and I wouldn’t have a problem with it.
48 hours notice is absolutely reasonable, I think it’s a good idea to impose a cutoff for custom orders. I would even consider if you need a longer window of time, depending on how many orders you normally get.
People who wait until the last minute for this kind of thing need to recognize how much work it takes.
I think 24 hours would be reasonable if you already have a backstock of pre-made bases. But for anything that would require more than a base white sheet cake (for instance) I would definitely require 48hr as standard practice.
48 hours is more than reasonable. I worked for a custom bakery that did not have anything premade, we didn’t take anything less than 5 days before. That being said sometimes if they were simple design and family/friend/repeat, an order would be accepted 2 days. I think you need to remember the saying, “poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine”.
Our local ice cream shop requires 48 (or maybe 72?) hours notice. But they also have some cakes in the freezer to grab and go. The customer has to accept the design and flavors but they will personalize/write on cake. If you have the space in your store maybe this can be a compromise for someone who doesn’t plan ahead.
As a non cake decorator I think 48 hours is reasonable. Typically people know when they are going to have a party and should plan ahead.
I think 2 day turn around time is amazing for custom orders. People have to understand certain designs take time.