Rumi's Passion — Restaurant in Northville Charter Township

Revised to 3 stars, as the owner actually contacted me to address these concerns. Will reevaluate after further discussion and reflection.

REVISED AS OF 1/4/24

I was a Rumi's fan for many years, but I have my doubts after a recent visit. I needed a quarter sheet cake for the baptism of a baby born over the holidays. They were closed until January 3rd, so I left a message using the email address on the bottom of their website. I did not receive a response, apparently because there are two different email addresses, one at the bottom of every page, and one on the "Artisan Baked Goods" page specifically for cakes.

Since I didn't receive a response, I went in-person to order a cake, and I was told there is a 6 week waiting list. That's not very convenient for something like a baptism when you don't really know what day you will need it. Anyway, I asked if I could place an order, as the web site DOES state that they take orders "by email or in person." I was told they only take orders by email, so I would have to drive home (or to the nearest internet cafe) and email them. In my opinion, if you take the trouble to go into the store and speak to someone face to face, they should be able to do what their web site says they do, and take an order on paper.

When I asked to speak to someone about options, the young lady stated that the person who handles cakes was "in the back" (which I have since been told was not the case) and she was not willing to speak with me.

I know it was short notice (due to the holiday closure) so I offered to take an undecorated cake, but they only have those on Saturday mornings, and they are "first come first served." In my opinion, if I am there, in person, willing to pay on Wednesday, I am the first. But I'd have to physically camp outside the door on Saturday, and even then there was no guarantee any cakes would be available.

"Plan C" was now to get a regular cake (from a big box store) for the guests and a small round cake from Rumi's for my grandson (brother of the new baby) who cannot have a lot of the big allergens. Unfortunately, of the two cakes in the case, one used eggs and dairy (but not gluten) and both had soy-lecithin in the frosting (which is still too much soy for my grandson.)

All in all, my customer experience was not good, even though I know from past experience that they have an excellent product. And I am heartened to see that the owner reached out to me to hear me out. But some of the business practices (and the web site) could use an...

I’ve been coming to Rumis for many years now! I used to live in the apartment complex next door and let me tell you how dangerous that was haha. I was sad when the original owner handed over the business but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how they’ve continued to uphold recipes, quality, and the upgrades made to the shop itself. I especially like their cookie monsters and black and white cookie sandwiches. The GF chocolate cake is the best in my opinion but you can’t go wrong with most anything in there. Their decorator is also incredibly talented as well! We now live over 30 minutes away but we still come to get our cakes from there. Worth it!

UPDATE 9/2023 - Removed a star; no decorator now, to the point where the cake decor is messy and not up to par, and they won’t even write on cakes. Additionally the prices are CRAZY high now if you want anything custom for cakes anyway. They quoted me at $65 for a simple top and bottom border with custom colors, and a buttercream pokéball which is relatively simply (I’ve worked full time at a custom from scratch bakery and am a baker myself.) and may have taken say… 15 minutes to do not including making red and black colors if not made up (which they generally are, pretty commonly used in case cakes.) I’m still a huge fan of their products, but it feels like they may be getting in over their head here or are falling off a bit; I know how that can happen when staffing changes or inner workings have challenges (ordering, price increases, forced to change brands of items used in signature items, influx of business, seasonal changes, etc.) but making a post that’s informatory in a kind yet professional manner “Hey we see you and know you see us and how we’ve been a little wobbly lately; please bare with us as we’ve been having challenges with (x y and z) and we’re working hard to get back on track!” It lets the customers know what to expect; having the right expectation is going to make the experience better for everyone.

I also would HIGHLY suggest a person to SOLELY handle your email, phone, social media. It’s a 2 person job but I know that’s not always possible, so sharing phone duties and letting someone even remote handle emails and social media would be a BIG help. I would even volunteer my...

Edit: I have changed my rating from bad to 5 stars! I was contacted by the owner and she made things right. I'm glad she reached out and to let me explain in more detail how my last trip there made me feel. Customer service is her priority and I'm really happy to continue to support a local small business again that I've always loved. Thanks again for caring about your customers enough to reach out and make things right.

Very disappointed in today. I've been a loyal customer for years. When I check out, someone usually reminds me to put my number in for the rewards. There was a new person today, though nice but quiet, didn't remind me. I paid cash then told them I forgot to put my number in. They said there's no way to put the points on. So they couldn't void the transaction and redo it? I'm in the service industry and would never tell a customer sorry you are out of luck. I even buy the marked up sauces and stuff there because I like to support local. But if they are not willing to support their customers who spend good money there and tip on top of it? They just lost a customer. I make the drive there, I'll make the drive somewhere else that will appreciate...