Friske's Farm Market — Attraction in Banks Township

Well... my extended family members have been coming here since the farm was Elzingas. (Back in the mid/late 70s) The cherry donuts are the best donuts on the face of the planet. Thank goodness they haven't changed them. The people that work inside are always sweet, helpful and patient with our huge family and complicated orders. I appreciate the family friendly Christian music, and the unapologetically conservative views Friskes has (esp during Covid). I like the renovation. It's gorgeous- there is plenty of space for large groups, parking. The store is cute and the food options are great.

Now begins the reason for my low rating. The playground and play spaces. There are 11 grandchildren in our family. Our families spend hundreds of dollars at Friskes multiple times per year and we are happy to support good quality food and people. BUT $5 for a wristband to play on the playground!?!?? I was bummed last year when they wanted to charge for the bounce pillow-but now it's $5 to swing or slide down a slide. You are nickle and diming a very loyal group of patrons and it's ridiculous. My family of four in particular is a single income household. For the last three years, my federal special agent husband has been fighting the unconstitutional mask and vaccine mandates within our federal government. Our single income was cut IN HALF due to his stand for religious and medical freedom. We are still fighting this battle though most people think it's over. It is a sacrifice and one we know that Friskes understands. We WANT to support this business.

$5 for a playground is simply not going to happen for multiple reasons. Friskes needs to allow playground access for paying customers. I am sitting here at this moment watching my own kids' sad faces as we tell them that they are not able to play on the playground-something they have done every year of their lives. We are surely not the only ones who will now think twice before driving up to get donuts. It has lost its fun family appeal due to a...

My family has been patronizing Friske's ever since they opened, and we patronized Elzinga's for decades before that. So, I know this place.

We always thought of it as kind of a quaint and charming "mom and pop" business. Our only qualm was that their prices are too high (although I understand "convenience pricing" and we are in Norwood so it IS convenient.) I still roll my eyes in resentment of the pricing and buy as little as possible there. Ten dollars for a quart of cherries? Not in this lifetime. $3.50 for a cookie? Have they no shame? On the other hand, a friend bought me one and I have to say they're pretty good. I admit that 6.99 for a breakfast pastie is fair but that's about all I could find in the "fair pricing" category.

I am not a fan of the new rebuild. It's more commercial looking than "country charming". But in that context it's pretty nice.

My biggest resentment is the $5.00 charge for your kids to use the playground. To me that is absurd and "shameless money grubbing". They try to excuse it by saying that the fee is good for the whole day, but I contend that very few people stay there for more than 20 or 30 minutes, because why would they?

I recognize that it's their business and they can do what they want with it, and I further recognize that the business climate of today seems to be all about the "big grab" for as much money as you can take, but that's certainly not a move in the direction of "family friendliness" or encouraging repeat business.

My belief is that with their high pricing they could certainly afford to keep it free as they've done in the past. It's not Disney for Pete's sake.

I know they can 'justify" their pricing to make it sound acceptable, but that doesn't mean it is...that's how it's done. Perhaps they are targeting rich Charlevoix families or the more well to do tourists from downstate, but for me, well, I'll generally avoid this place unless exceptional...

I’ve been coming here for many years. I loved the atmosphere of the old building. You walked in and someone was smiling at the bakery. You had a produce area nicely refrigerated, and everything was zoned nicely. There were times we went to eat there just because of the atmosphere. It felt cozy and warm and full of heart. I loved walking through the shop area all organized nicely and even felt the prices to be on point.

My consnow: our whole family is deeply disappointed by the commercial changes. I would have rather stood in line, took a number and watched the kiddos play out back waiting for our food, then move into a commercial barn, with loud music, concrete, everything sporadically and chaotically placed throughout. It felt like a quaint and warm bakery turned into a Walmart bakery. All I see is parking lot and greed. I don’t mean to sound so bitter, just disappointed as this was such a wonderful series of memories to look back upon. We may continue to keep going but have found ourself going to Royal farms to get the quaint feel we are looking for. Understand this too, the addition screams profit and money…at a time when most Americans are struggling you are raising your prices and charging my two young boys 10 dollars to play on your equipment. I think that felt like my final straw and pushed me out the door more than anything else. Please keep families like us in mind when making marketing decisions. We live here… unless your focus now is on rich tourists. Lastly, not sure who is making the decisions now but hold true to the priorities and focuses that blessed you for years with the business that bought the great wolf farm that...