The Cake Shop — Restaurant in Tallahassee

The owner is a liar. Plain and simple.

Backstory is that my wife once used them to hold a baby shower for a sister-in-law a year ago, and we decided to use them for our baby shower at the end of June. I don't know why there was a change in the establishment's behavior, but the owner decided to flake on us 1.5 months before the event, after invites were sent, and lied about the reasoning.

More to the story...

I was going to hold a baby shower for my wife and was coordinating with my wife's friend (K) to have the event in the space they offer next door. K and I met in-person at the restaurant in March with the owner to go over the space and shook on it that we would hold it there.

My wife (not her friend, K, that left her email) gets an email saying that they are canceling the event, and tried twice to reach K. K tells me that she received nothing, so I go down to the shop to see what can be done. I ask the owner why, and she first claimed that the timing wouldn't work. She said it was the time. I offered to change the time, but she said that it just couldn't work. She then suddenly added that there were ceiling repairs that had to be done at the end of June (when the shower would be) so that entire time wasn't going to be ok.

I then asked if I could see the emails she sent to K so I could verify if she even sent them to the correct spot, and she gave me a literal shrug, claiming that she is no good with technology (lie, she still was able to email my wife). I asked her to forward them, and she took my contact info, all the while claiming: She just can't seem to work technology correctly, She used to have a coordinator, but people just "don't want to work anymore", Pointed to two brown spots in her ceiling like the world was about to fall on us.

It was at this point that I knew she was going to do nothing to help, and was lying to me (at least partially) throughout the conversation. Whether parts of her side were true, I don't care about anymore. Because she should have approached the situation a myriad of other ways. Like: Emailing my wife BEFORE canceling on us, giving us a chance to make things work. Offering to still bake things and we just find a different space. Pointing us to others she knows in the community that could help us since she is the one reneging on her agreement. Accepting that it was her side that did something wrong, rather than trying to blame K.

But she didn't. She just simply lied and gave my wife an email congratulating us on our child in the most hollow of ways.

So here are a few additional things I would like to direct to the Cake Shop. Maybe the reason why people don't want to work there or with you is because of YOU and not their work ethic. If your business isn't working. Change your business.

Also, they are lying to everyone about their bathroom not working. They told us they have that sign out just to keep the "undesirables out". I let you all determine...

I have been a patron of the Cake Shop for a long time, but I will no longer recommend it and will not be returning. I say this with great sadness as I have a long history with this business (I even celebrated my son's birthday when he was a toddler here many years ago, before they had their current event space) and have stopped in for many treats over the years. I have heard whispers that Linda, the owner, was hard to work with, but never had the misfortune of experiencing that until today. It started back in February when planning a baby shower for my best friend. I contacted the Cake Shop to determine if a date in June was available. I sent several emails and called for almost a month because I received no response. Eventually, the father-to-be and I decided we'd have to go in person. Even at that time, there was resistance to speaking to us, but we confirmed the date, time, and number of guests. We were informed that all we would have to do next is provide colors, and Linda would even accommodate a flavor request for the filling of the cake, since we had such a hard time reaching them. Father to be and I left our contact information. Invites to 25 guests went out last week. Today, I got an email from the mother-to-be that the date of our event would not work, and Linda had sent me two emails about it. Unfortunately, this is a complete fallacy. I went in person today to show the lack of emails that I have. Linda refused to show me her contact attempts and gave a lot of excuses for how poorly things were handled (she's not good with technology, she didn't have my contact information, she thought I had opted to go with a different venue). Now I'm in a situation where I have less than a month and a half to find an alternative venue, bakery, caterer, and I have to send out revised invitations. Linda made it very clear it was not her problem. She knows I will be submitting this review and that I will no longer be a patron of this business. Based on the reviews, I'm not the only one with issues. It's in the business's best interest to consider if there's any merit to the feedback they are receiving and adjust accordingly, but something tells me Linda doesn't do well with feedback, or with customer service, or with event planning. Truly...

(Realize, before you go further, that I am an ardent student of cake. perhaps more ardent than is healthy)

At The Cake Shop, expect to have a broad assortment of cupcakes, cakes, cheesecakes, pound cakes pastries, cookies, pies, brownies, tortes, eclairs, puffs, etc... - A veritable "Patisserie Américaine" as it were.

Permit me to rewind the clock two months: I met the GM and the Front-Manager at a Lucky Goat / Yelp function back in December 2015. At that time, I cluelessly thought I had no need for a Cake Shop. After all, Publix was just fine at churning out Cake.

There is NOTHING wrong with Publix's bakery. Seriously. For over 30 years I've been a Publix cake buyer with no complaints. Publix, after all, is a quality operation.

But Publix isn't The Cake Shop.

The Cake Shop is where you come when you're seeking something "extra" - whether it's a personalized touch, or insightful advice, or simply the unexpected.

I started my most recent quest quite late. My father's 80th party is, er, tomorrow (I know) and I waited until this early afternoon to go out and get "an awesome and unique cake" - something befitting the occasion. I went to Publix but wasn't feeling the degree of awesomeness and uniquehood that I sought. Then I remembered the Lucky Goat event and so I bee-lined it to The Cake Shop, where I met up with Ale (pronounced Allie or Ally) who assured me that it was all going to work out.

Really, I didn't even know what to ask for - so I told her the special fête would be for about 14-18 people, and that leftovers were welcome. (What?? - not for me! - For him. Maybe one or two slices for me - but for him, mostly)

Ale squared me away with a signature cake that they are known for - one which I will be sure to photograph for you once I pick it up tomorrow morning at 11AM sharp!

For a guy like me that seeks out all quality-based things local - I'm happy to report that The Cake Shop fits the bill. I suspect...