Crust Vegan Bakery — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I am editing this review so that overall it says 5 stars! I drive an hour to get to crust bc i love that they have vegan soft serve with vegan waffle cones. In the summer they do an orange + vanilla twist that tastes just like kohr's bro's creamsicle twist soft serve from wildwood, its very nostalgic, plus: no dairy! The pop tarts are iconic. Its nicest in warm weather to go there since theres outdoor seating but not enough room indoors for seating. I did notice today that some customers were not happy because not every item can be heated up, but it makes sense to me that not everything can be served warm and never bothered me because i already know i am getting my things to-go.

In a dreamy world, I would love to work here as I love vegan baking and decorating, but in reality I know it wouldn't work because I cannot be awake super early in the day d/t chronic illness + medication: BUT i did send the application my friend's way because she is much better at time-management than I and can definitely be up before 11am! I love the values that this business has.

*this review is going to list things that could be improved so it may seem critical but please know i still love this business. and thats why im writing these things, because id love to see the storefront become just as lovely

i love the food here. i love the business's values. but every time i come in i feel like im inconveniencing the people working, like im annoying them by being there. i also feel rushed, which personally is a big anxiety trigger so i know my experience with that being an issue is probably heightened.

i also agree with previous reviews about the prices not being easily visible. i know theyre on the back board(?) but everytime im in there i do not see that board and end up asking what things cost (also since i feel rushed theres not much time for me to try to look around). if the prices were with the display, itd be much easier and the employees would seem less annoyed with the customer.

one more thing i agree with from previous reviews (one from 4 months ago) is the tipping pressure - i witnessed it happening with the customer before me, the awkward 'how much do you want to tip, ill click it for you' behind the plexiglass thing. i too would feel pressured. and i cant afford to tip on top of the prices (and i am fully ok with the prices! im assuming the prices are the way they are so that the people working here make a living wage, thus there should be no need for tipping. the pressure to tip seemed to still be there for those paying with card, and the sense of negative judgement if they dont tip is there as well with the current process. theres got to be a better way to handle this!)

i do wish there was a seating area for people (esp. if they get soft serve/ something to be eaten right away and its cold or rainy out), but i understand theres not really any room.

and sort of unrelated to this review, just a suggestion;

another thing i think would be nice is vegan donuts! i am not sure if thatd be possible to make a vegan glazed donut with the texture of a regular one... but i think theyd be a hit if you somehow figured out a way to make them.

...

im always afraid to write reviews because i fear the employees read these and would remember me and look upon me poorly. but i just really want this business to thrive and flourish and i love the baked goods and your values.

i just really want to not feel like im being an inconvenience by stepping foot in there. its a stressful experience and i understand its a mix of my own anxiety and the current checkout process/setup. but there are other places where i do not feel this way when i order. so i felt the need to mention it since some reviews have said the same or similar things.

the baked goods themselves and the values behind your business get a 5 star review! but theres definitely room for improvement as a storefront. i hope to see things grow/improve with time which is why im leaving this...

I am extremely saddened to write this review. I was so excited and wanted nothing more but to support a vegan women owned company for our wedding.

For a vegan company that prides itself in promoting ethics, compassion, human rights, and equality for all beings, I felt no sense of this whatsoever as their client who established a business relationship for 6+ months. In fact, I felt immensely dismissed by Meagan and faced with toxic capitalism where they received our large sum of money and then wanted to do no right by us when our wedding cake collapsed before we ever got to see it.

I booked Crust Vegan Bakery to cater to my wedding. We ordered a 3-tiered wedding cake and also additional baked goods.

Shortly after the cake was delivered to the outdoor venue in good condition, it started to tilt. Upon receiving the cake, I was told there were no strict care instructions or emphasis given to the venue that it must be stored in the refrigerator. In fact, quite the opposite, Meagan stated refrigeration isn't necessary when asked and based on her expertise, felt it was acceptable to personally set the cake up in a warm 80F tent (which is fine if this was the case).

When the cake became lopsided and started to tilt, the venue coordinator called and even facetimed with Meagan to determine a quick solution. Meagan stated this has never happened before, but they can try to refrigerate it. The cake then collapsed inside the refrigerator, and it was also very wet inside with a lot of jam (which is what we ordered, but we felt this was contributory to a weaker structural integrity of the cake collapsing).

Despite knowing this extremely unfortunate event and was called and even facetimed by the venue, I heard nothing but silence from Meagan afterwards as her client.

Not one call, not one email to express sorrow for her client.

As a business owner who I’m sure poured hours of labor into making this cake and establishing a business relationship for half a year, I am shocked and even angered over her pure dismissal of what happened to her client

There was no thoughtfulness to reach out, no ounce of compassion or empathy on what happened.

Three days of silence after our wedding, I decided to give a call to Meagan which was filled with accusations towards the venue ("lying", "withholding information", "they bumped into it") and no initiative to try to make anything right by us…EVEN if she strongly felt her cake was perfect. She wiped her hands clean and ended the call.

The customer support and professionalism are extremely concerning for this company. It isn't even about offering a refund, a discount, or taking responsibility/accountability, but to set aside pride and show an ounce of initiative and compassion upon hearing the devastating news. We never got our cake, and our cake cutting moment was taken from us.

I do not recommend Crust Vegan Bakery if you want a tiered wedding cake, because clearly if something does go wrong, they want no part of it and do not care. They won't even care to call you.

An additional star because the cookies and other baked goods were well received, and I think that is the extent their catering services should be used for until they show more love and compassion for...

It’s super easy to pop off and back on to the schuylkill expressway (route 76) on a road trip. (We were on our way to Hersheypark, so on our way out we had only savory brunch foods)

The buffalo blue cheez pop tart was a little too crumbly, but the pizza one was excellent. The pot pie one was better heated up. (When it was room temp, the herbs weren’t very punchy)

As for sweet ones, raspberry, classic! Perfect! The pumpkin maple was very pleasant! (Cookies & crème was meh, but my husband liked it.) these all were perfectly tasty at room temp. Heating didn’t really improve them all that much, and made the pastry softer. (I liked the bite of a room temp pastry. I used to eat room temp unfrosted pop tarts when I was a kid. lol!)

I was also talked into getting the frosted brownie, since it’s a bestseller. but I’m not a frosting person, so it ruined it for me. It was much better after i scraped the frosting off. (Loaded with chippos!)

The jalapeño cheddar bagel bomb was really nice. The bread part itself had a mild sweetness that complemented the jalapeños nicely. ‘Twas gooey.

The croissant was tender and delicate, although more bready than flaky pastry. The biscuit sandwich was good, but not as good as the croissant (buttery and flaky). We also grabbed a jalapeño cheddar biscuit on its own which was also very tasty! (But the texture was ever so slightly gummy, likely because of the cheez. Heating improved it a bit.)

It’s frustrating that the website has no general “may or may not be in stock”menu, instead leaning on Instagram for providing information, but I don’t have Instagram, so I was completely in the dark. I was nervous that they wouldn’t have anything savory, but they did, and we had a lovely quick brunch before continuing our drive. They keep some items warm in a little oven behind the counter until 3 pm, so that’s really nice if you’re wanting a super quick warm meal. (And it was also good that we bought too much food, because Hershey park doesn’t have a whole lot of stuff for vegans, so we ended up finishing the leftovers when we got back...