Papa Ganache Matawan — Restaurant in Matawan

My wife put in an order for my birthday cake. The reason we went with papa ganache is that they make vegan cakes and our son is allergic to soy. So she ordered a vegan, non soy cake a few days before the party and was told that it'd be ready the afternoon of the party. Lo and behold, she goes to he store and it's not there. They found the order but it was never made. She said that all the bakers are gone and that we can purchase another premade cake but they can't guarantee it doesn't have soy. The whole point of my wife ordering a specific non-soy cake was so that we didn't have to worry about allergic reactions in my son. Then they said that we can purchase cupcakes which some of them does not have soy. So my wife thought oh I guess it's better than nothing. So she bought them. Full price. No discount. No thought on papa ganache's part to give any sort of discount for their own mistake. So my wife came back home with them and told me the what had happened. So of course I was furious. I called them and told them the situation that we ordered a specific cake and if we can't get a cake, I want to return the cupcakes. So they obliged. I went to the store to return the cupcakes. They apologized for the mistake and was willing to bake another cake but it would take an hour and a half. So I called my wife and she told me that they told her the bakers were gone so how would they bake another cake? And why didn't they bring this option up to her when she was there 30mins to an hour ago. Things just didn't add up. So I declined the cake since we needed it within the hour and just wanted a refund. I've never ordered a cake from a bakery and not receive it. What's the point of making an order ahead of time if you aren't going to fulfill the order? I've never heard of any store or company not try to help make amends by not offering any sort of discount or compensation. My wife had to pay full price for the cupcakes. Really? Is that how to keep your customers happy? How can you say to my wife that the bakers are gone for the day but when I get there you have the audacity to say that you can bake a cake in an hour and a half. Why wouldn't you think to bring this up to my wife when she was there about an hour ago which would had made sense in terms of timing. Obviously, they were lying about something.

In short, as a warning to everyone else that orders from papa ganache, you better call ahead a day or two to make sure the order will be fulfilled. I can't believe I have to even tell people to do this. And it seems like customer retention and satisfaction is not one of their priorities. So don't be surprised if they do nothing for you. At least on the first time you complain. As for me and my family, I will be taking my business elsewhere and warning others through social media.

Thanks for nothing papa ganache!

UPDATE!!! So Papa Ganache called my wife this morning, the day after the incident. My wife missed the call so they left a message asking her to call back. She told me about it so we were both thinking...okay they are going to apologize for what had happened. That's good of them. It's the least they can do. But when my wife called Gina back, she had no remorse, no apologies, NOTHING. All she wanted to talk to her about was confirming what had happened and telling her she would get her money back (umm...isn't it obvious that we should get our money back since we didn't get anything from the store?). In the entire conversation that they had, she did not apologize once. No "i'm sorry that this has happened.". No "it won't happen again". Absolutely nothing. I'm shocked by this. You would think it's common courtesy to just say sorry about what had happened. But nope. I guess they really do not care about their customers. Good luck with that,...

Vegan bakery with some gluten free options. The lady who works there wasn't very friendly. We asked her about the place and she just answers without a smile or anything. We're sorry, this is our first time and we didn't know too much about this place other than it was recommended to us by a fellow vegan. We later read it participated in the Cake Wars. Was that why you were unfriendly? We're all supposed to know these things? Well guess what, we don't. Hence as a new customer it was awkward.

Onto the cakes, pies, and everything else. It has a true charm. They use old Singer sewing machine tables for tables you can use for inside dining. Someone had left their dishes there on a table and we weren't sure if it was available. We asked her since she was there before we came in and she picked the dishes off and just said, "it is now." Umm, no wiping it down. Ok... We remained committed because we traveled to get here. We ordered. The pie is huge so we decided to share it. She asked with irritation, "is that it?" We weren't sure if you had coffee but by then we were just as frustrated as she probably felt so we forgo our cups of coffee. I went and retrieved the utensils. OMG, they have the most adorable wooden utensils. Feel in love with them. Also loved the cookie tins idea as wall ornaments. Very whimsical. There are only three tables so if you go there for lunch, make sure you have alternate place to sit and eat because tables there are scarce. Not sure if they do outside tables during warmer months.

They offer in their refrigerator section things to take and reheat at the comfort of your own home. Eggplant parmesan, penne vodka, rice balls, soups, etc. If you look in their baked goods sectionals you might find a stromboli of some sort.

Onto the pie we ordered. We asked for it to be heated up. Ours just had the refrigerator coldness taken off. It wasn't very room temperature but it's okay. It was way too sweet for us but that's a preference. It had a good amount of brown sugar cookie dough crumbs on it. I can see for some people, they'll love it. Again, totally a bias preference. Hence for us, it was okay. We wanted to fall in love with it more but we both didn't feel particularly welcomed due to the lady. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt and say she's tired? Maybe too many people came in and didn't know it was some gluten but all vegan? We thought they offered only partial vegan and gluten free. Hence we asked.

They also only allow charge if your minimum charge is $10. Otherwise, cash only. Will we be back? We might just...

I am an immunocompromised person hence the reason why I have to eat gluten free. Living a life with a chronic illness is hard enough and finding places that accommodate food allergies is even harder. When I found out about papa ganache, being new to the area, I was thrilled that I would be able to indulge in sweet treats once in a while. Me, my husband and daughter drove to papa ganache today to get some cupcakes. First, my husband called and asked if he could do a curbside order which is clearly stated on google that they provide this service. He was greeted on the phone with an annoyed employee who told him “we are busy helping other customers. Click.” I wasn’t discouraged because I understand that it can be very overwhelming working with the public. I decided to call back and asked if we could place an order for curbside pickup. I was told “we don’t do that anymore. That’s something we did earlier in the pandemic” I responded with “bummer does that mean you don’t cater to your immunocompromised customers?” I was placed on a brief hold and luckily they were able to oblige my request, begrudgingly, but did it. When the employee came to my car she clearly wasn’t happy that she had to help me. I thanked her genuinely because I was very grateful and happy to be able to enjoy my cupcakes. I told her have a great day and I was met with her slamming my trunk and running off. It’s very disheartening to be treated this way. For the majority of people, the pandemic may be “over” but for the immunocompromised portion of society, it’s not even close. We still have to live life the way we have been since the beginning. It’s sad and isolating and sometimes it takes very little to brighten your day. You would think that a business that specializes in dietary restrictions would be more kind and understanding but it isn’t the case here. I don’t usually leave negative reviews because I know these businesses rely on positive feedback but I feel that this is something that needs to be said. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind, especially in this crazy world. I am a loyal customer when I find a place that not only delivers quality goods but can also make their customers feel good. It’s a shame but I will not be a returning customer. I would rather drive further out to find a place that suits my needs. I hope the business owner can reflect on this going forward and hopefully make...