Sugar Chalet — Restaurant in Oshawa

UPDATE (post owner response to my review):

I am updating this review because the owner has now attempted to defame me and strong-arm me into abandoning my pursuit of reasonable compensation and customer service.

Instead of accountability, their response has been to label my complaint as “harassment” and to threaten “legal recourse" via email. This is nothing more than a tactic to bully dissatisfied customers into silence. And to restate the facts clearly:

My mom placed the order after showing clear photos of the red velvet cake we expected (nothing special, just a normal red velvet cake), and were told it could be done. The cake we received looked nothing like the photos and was not red (photo attached)... it was brown. It didn't even taste like red velvet cake either... My mom then called in, after opening the box to see the full cake, and was met by a dismissive tone claiming "this is our version of the cake and it's what you should expect" When I went in to seek remediation (because that phone call was very unprofessional and lacked a baseline customer service), the only option offered was a discount on a future purchase (why would we come back after this though?). A refund, even partial, was refused. I advised I would file a complaint, via email, with the appropriate regulatory agencies (Durham Region Health, Consumer Protection Ontario, CFIA, and/or BBB). That is a customer’s right, not a threat. You claim I was condescending as well... let's ask Jenn if I was? Although I didn't agree with her, we had a civil conversation, and I even told her I had appreciated her honesty. I even told you I'd rather speak with her because of YOUR tone and YOUR attitude... C'mon now. You have video/audio evidence right? You're just giving out lie after lie, my goodness.

The owner now claims a sample of their “red velvet colour” was shown beforehand. To our knowledge, no sample was shown, and we were never told their version would look like this.

I stand by my original review. If you order here, I strongly recommend getting written confirmation of design/colour (or seeing an in-store sample) before paying, because our experience did not match what was agreed. ALSO... their receipts are suspect as it doesn't line up with what our credit card was charged.

And hey, let's be real lol... the cake that I received (in the photo attached) is not red velvet. While he may be colour blind, as he stated in our conversation at the bakery, there are multiple other bakers workers in his establishment that can see perfectly fine.

/end update

We ordered a red velvet cake for my girlfriend and even showed the bakery pictures of exactly what we wanted. They told us it could be done. When we received the cake, it looked nothing like the pictures… and not even red. We were extremely disappointed.

I went back to the bakery to seek remediation and spoke with the owner. Instead of taking responsibility, he claimed that’s just how they make it and that we needed to “accept it.” They even lied by saying they had shown us what their version would look like (which they never did). The only “solution” offered was that if we gave them more business, they’d give us a discount.

This is not only unacceptable, but shows a complete lack of morals and ethics in how they treat their customers. What should have been a happy occasion was ruined by dishonesty, poor quality, and dismissive service.

We felt lied to, dismissed, and taken...

Very disappointed with the cake I purchased for my wife's birthday. The cake was burnt and hard on the edges and corners, and my daughter had a piece of hair throughout her piece. The overall quality was appalling, and completely unacceptable considering the price. It ruined what should have been a joyous occasion. UPDATEWe've all been there, right? You have an experience, good or bad, and you decide to share it online. It's a way for consumers to inform each other and for businesses to receive valuable feedback. Most of the time, it's a straightforward process. But what happens when your honest review, written from a place of genuine (albeit negative) experience, is met not with introspection, but with a personal attack and outright fabrication?

That's the situation I recently found myself in with Sugar Chalet, a bakery we've patronized for years. And when I say years, I mean years.

A Long-Standing Relationship, Now Tarnished

For over a decade, Sugar Chalet has been our go-to for celebrations. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations – if there was a special occasion, there was a Sugar Chalet cake. We're talking at least ten cakes over the years, each one (until now) met with delight. We weren't just customers; we were loyal patrons who genuinely loved their product.

So, when my recent experience fell short, significantly short, it warranted an honest review. I wasn't out to "cancel" anyone or maliciously harm a business. I simply shared my disappointing experience, as any consumer has the right to do.

The Owner's Response: A Masterclass in What Not To Do

What truly shocked me wasn't just the owner's dismissal of my feedback, but his outright fabrication. His public response to my review claimed two things:

That my review was "fake." That I had "treated female staff poorly." Let's break this down, because these aren't just minor inaccuracies; they are bold-faced lies.

Fact Check 1: "Fake Review"? Absolutely Not.

As I've stated, we've ordered at least ten cakes from Sugar Chalet over the years. Our purchase history, if they bothered to check it, would speak for itself. To label a long-time, loyal customer's genuine experience as "fake" is baffling at best, and deeply insulting at worst. It’s a convenient way to immediately discredit any negative feedback without having to address its substance.

Fact Check 2: "Treated Female Staff Poorly"? An Outright Lie.

This is where the line was not just crossed, but obliterated. From the moment I placed my order, to discussing details, to the day I picked up the cake, my only point of contact was the owner himself. He took my order, he handled the details, and he personally handed me the cake on pick-up day. There were no other staff members involved in my interaction, male or female, whom I could have possibly "treated poorly."

This isn't just a mistake; it's a deliberate falsehood designed to deflect from the actual issue and portray the customer (me) in a negative light. It’s an attempt to turn the tables, to make me the problem, rather than acknowledging any potential failing...

We used to love Sugar Chalet and always ordered our cakes from here but then the original owners sold it and it has never been the same since. The man who takes the orders and deals with the people is absolutely terrible. He's got no people skills and literally doesn't care to treat people right or professionally. Last cake we ordered was for Thanksgiving dinner dessert for our large family of 16, all adults. You'd think it would be something pretty since we told him what the occasion was but they still gave us the ugliest cake. It was a simple white frosting with a giant jack-o-lantern face on top! Bright orange circle with black icing for the face features. It was so ugly we were too embarrassed to take it to our dinner and we showed up empty-handed instead. We TOLD HIM, (the owner), UPON ORDERING THAT IT WAS FOR OUR FAMILY THANKSGIVING DINNER, (NOT A KIDS HALLOWEEN PARTY)!!! When brought to his attention, he was soooo rude and did not care, did not provide any ideas for a solution, told us it was too bad and basically 'get lost', that they had made a pile of the same cakes and no one else had a problem with it. Our guess is it was the lazy, quick way to get a cake finished since anyone could slap together a jack-o-lantern design on the top of a 2-tier cake. We even asked if it could just be a plain white cake, scrape off the ugly jack-o-lantern face but he was unwilling to do anything. It may be why they make you pay for the whole thing up front, upon ordering! Fast forward to today, I am now getting a Baskin Robbins cake for my mom's 75th birthday because we vowed to NEVER give Sugar Chalet our business again. Sad, because we would've preferred a more elegant, real cake, instead of an ice cream cake, but that guy is so brutal, he does not deserve our business. My husband who is a techie btw, just read several of the 1-star reviews and actually opened up a few of the "self-defense" videos the guy, Joey, posts when responding to them. Has anyone looked at any of them? Not ONE actually proves any of his claims and HE is the one lying! You can even see for yourself how rude and not caring he is. He's absolutely ruthless and has zero business sense. My husband said he should be in the back, behind the scenes either making the cakes or running the back office but should never be interfacing with the customers. He's 100% right. Imagine if Joey was actually caring and kind and above all, wanted customers to be happy and have a good experience there? Imagine if he accepted responsibility and owned his blunders and shortcomings? He has no tact and no couth. I've never seen a shop respond to negative responses with gaslighting and blaming the customer, making it out to be like they're the victims of an unjust or malicious review. If you read all the 1-star reviews, the common denominator in most, if not all, is Joey and his terrible customer service! He cuts his own nose off to spite his face. The best way to deal with shops like that...