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News & ArtsFriday, September 4, 2009
Chow / Retail Re: Re: The Coming Cupcake Crash
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 11:04 AM
A commenter on Dan's post about the cupcake bubble makes a really great point that deserves its own post:
Here's what I don't get about the crapcake/dognuts/twee guilty pleasures hawked by rude, judgmental, vegan ex-bike messengers craze. Why can't there just be BAKERIES that sell all of these in 1 location? Along with fresh croissants, bagels that resemble something Jews would deem schmear-worthy, and dare I say it............ scones? (Please, no one open up a scone emporium)I might just be a nitwit with an Evergreen degree tucked in her pocket, but methinks this is something for all these My Little Pony theme businesses to think about.
Posted by vicvicvictorious on September 4, 2009 at 9:00 AM
I don't necessarily agree with the "rude ex-bike messenger" part of the comment—I generally find that people who work behind counters in Seattle are very good at making me feel welcome in a way that's not perfunctory or overly friendly, which is what I look for in my customer service—but I do wholeheartedly agree with the point about the bakeries. We need more motherfucking all-purpose bakeries all up in our shit. I wish there were a different bakery every five blocks or so. Also a few more butcher shops. Good point, vicvicvictorious.
Photo of breakfast pastry platter is from Sugar Bakery's website. It should be noted that Sugar Bakery is a really good neighborhood bakery, and exactly what we need more of.
2
"We need more motherfucking all-purpose bakeries all up in our shit."
Is that supposed to be some kind of hipster, Kerouac/Thompson style? Because it just sounds ridiculous.
Is that supposed to be some kind of hipster, Kerouac/Thompson style? Because it just sounds ridiculous.
6
I could not possibly agree more, with vicvic's argument or with his tone. My Little Pony is the perfect epithet here. Bakeries should be delicious, not cute. And yes, the two are mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, what we have here is a city run by twelve-year-olds.
8
The Essential Bakery in Fremont is great. On Phinney there's also Fresh Flours, which is pretty good.
9
I disagree Fnarf. I think Cupcake Royale is delicious and I think it's cute. And that's why I'm mad that it opened so close to my house. I can't stay away.
10
Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle. So there.
Of course, it's in a 2 block radius that contains 2 other cupcake places and a pie shop, so West Seattle has our pastry needs pretty much covered.
Of course, it's in a 2 block radius that contains 2 other cupcake places and a pie shop, so West Seattle has our pastry needs pretty much covered.
13
I have been saying this since I moved here. If I had the capital I would open one myself. I can't imagine it not doing well since there basically isn't one anywhere on capitol hill. We also lack small ethnic corner grocers and/or bakeries. On a recent visit to my old home in Chicago I hit all the middle eastern, indian, and swedish bakeries I love and ached for Seattle to have something similar.
14
The "all-purpose" bakery would be like a KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut. The preparation methods for bagels, donuts, bread, cupcakes, and pastries are so totally different, you'd have to have a massive staff and a very long day to do it all. And you'd probably not do any of it right. Which is why places specialize. And there are many bakeries that do try to pull this off, at your local grocery store. C-minus results all around.
15
@3, Hellz yeah. Also, they are selling fundraiser shortbread cookies for $1.50 to raise money for WFST ($1 per cookie is donated to their efforts to fight/approve R-71). I did not need another delicious reason for my jeans to get tighter.
16
@14- Wrong. You're dumb. What's being advocated is not a new concept- it's a return to an established, classic concept of a bakery that is done with great success in many places- examples jumping to mind include Madison Park Bakery, Borracchinis, and Columbia City Bakery.
The whole cupcake craze is a new, cutesy, specialized concept. It's not sustainable. All-purpose bakeries are being advocated for because they are not a trend, they've been around forever, and they have an established, successful business model.
The whole cupcake craze is a new, cutesy, specialized concept. It's not sustainable. All-purpose bakeries are being advocated for because they are not a trend, they've been around forever, and they have an established, successful business model.
17
@13, there are a ton of ethnic food/grocery options in Seattle, you just have to get off the hill and go where the immigrants live. I know going to Rainier Valley isn't everyone's idea of fun, but you will find a lot more diversity there. If you want good Indian, though, you have to go to Bellevue/Redmond. And of course, you have to go to Ballard for Swedish stuff.
18
@16: The whole cupcake craze has been around for more than a decade. It only really hit Seattle about 3 years ago.
If it is still expanding, then I guess you're wrong oh no :(
If it is still expanding, then I guess you're wrong oh no :(
19
hey, where's the one run by vegans? come on, spill!!!
... there isn't one, is there! (sniff) you just wanted to pick on vegans, didn't you, naughty hipster!
mmm, I miss PDX, Sweet Pea Bakery, vegan brunch ... give me that, Seattle, and you can rank on vegans to your heart's content.
... there isn't one, is there! (sniff) you just wanted to pick on vegans, didn't you, naughty hipster!
mmm, I miss PDX, Sweet Pea Bakery, vegan brunch ... give me that, Seattle, and you can rank on vegans to your heart's content.
23
"My Little Pony theme businesses"
Hahahah... Nice.
It's true though, there's no guarantee that people will be cupcake-obsessed from now to eternity. At the risk of evoking a non-cute corporate entity: look at what happened to Krispy Kreme. When people got over the donut craze, they had to start selling ice cream. Who goes to KK when they want ice cream? People with friends who want donuts. That's a pretty minuscule overlap.
Hahahah... Nice.
It's true though, there's no guarantee that people will be cupcake-obsessed from now to eternity. At the risk of evoking a non-cute corporate entity: look at what happened to Krispy Kreme. When people got over the donut craze, they had to start selling ice cream. Who goes to KK when they want ice cream? People with friends who want donuts. That's a pretty minuscule overlap.
24
Sure, small-scale neighborhood bakeries and butchers are great, but it should be pointed out that most, if not all of the bakeries mentioned aren't competing against chain grocery stores in their immediate vicinity (or in the case of Essential, which is already suppling many of the major groceries in the area, both independent and chain, so it's not like we need an Essential in every neighborhood). Unless it's some specialty niche-market type product ala Salumi, I don't see how a full-service bakery or butcher shop in most neighborhoods can compete against the already established chains. But then one has to ask whether there's enough of a market for home-cured Finocchiona or organic, free-range veal or whatever to support a specialized neighborhood enterprise in a dense urban environment already glutted with large chain competitors.
And that doesn't even take into account the baked goods and meat/poultry/seafood (both admittedly of somewhat limited variety) already available for most of the year at the neighborhood farmers markets.
I'm not saying it couldn't be done under the right circumstances; certainly specialty bakers like those mentioned above, or butchers like A&J or Don & Joe's or even Salumi have done well, but again, one of the primary reasons they have is due to their (for the most part) relative geographic isolation from the big chains, and more significantly, lack of competition in the specialty market niche they already occupy. Add more specialty butchers to the area, and it should go without saying these already established enterprises would most likely see a drop in sales if people can get equivalent quality products closer to home. And it's not exactly like they can simply lower prices to compete since there's not enough volume involved to make up what are undoubtedly razor thin margins to begin with.
More...
And that doesn't even take into account the baked goods and meat/poultry/seafood (both admittedly of somewhat limited variety) already available for most of the year at the neighborhood farmers markets.
I'm not saying it couldn't be done under the right circumstances; certainly specialty bakers like those mentioned above, or butchers like A&J or Don & Joe's or even Salumi have done well, but again, one of the primary reasons they have is due to their (for the most part) relative geographic isolation from the big chains, and more significantly, lack of competition in the specialty market niche they already occupy. Add more specialty butchers to the area, and it should go without saying these already established enterprises would most likely see a drop in sales if people can get equivalent quality products closer to home. And it's not exactly like they can simply lower prices to compete since there's not enough volume involved to make up what are undoubtedly razor thin margins to begin with.
25
@17 I guess that's what I'm complaining about because in a lot of places that stuff gets all mixed together. Where I lived in Chicago, within 5 blocks of my house were a Swedish deli, a Middle Eastern bakery, a Caribbean grocery store, a pan asian market, and a Vietnamese deli/bakery . I haven't really found a place in Seattle where that sort of mix happens. (probably due to the lack of density)
26
@20: So 5 years in Seattle, even longer in NYC. Still expanding in NYC, still expanding in Seattle.
GOD I HATE TRENDS WHEN I DISAGREE WITH THEM!!!! THIS IS LIKE GLOBAL WARMING, BUT WITH CUPCAKES!!
GOD I HATE TRENDS WHEN I DISAGREE WITH THEM!!!! THIS IS LIKE GLOBAL WARMING, BUT WITH CUPCAKES!!
29
@18- Alright, sorry for my vitriol. I know that magnolia cupcakes is a long loved institution in nyc (which I loved when I lived there). I was trying to argue for the viability of "all-purpose" bakeries, and not so much against specialized cupcake locales.
30
I live in a neighbourhood filled with all-purpose, no-nonsense Portuguese bakeries and not a single cupcake shop. In Toronto.
34
@14 and @16 You're both right. Many of these bakeries are overspecialized. When future college freshmen study the decline of the American Empire, cupcake shops will be Chapter 3 in the text. I'm sorry, but it's true. On the other side, @14 is right that cakes, breads, donuts, french pastries, etc when done right are all separate shifts. Different skill sets and often different equipment. Equally unsustainable by small artisan shops, so the trade-off for such a set-up is either producing at a higher volume than your community can often support, or cutting lots of corners by using mixes and other funny stuff. We find the best approach is to choose a few things (read: more than one) and do them well. Find a balance. Overreaching is no better than jumping the cupcake bandwagon.
36
Overheard at a party the other day:
"Yeah, his new girlfriend works at that cupcake shop that just opened."
"Really, a cupcake shop?...Ya know, cupcakes have totally jumped the shark."
"Ya know, saying 'jumped the shark' has jumped the shark."
Long uncomfortable silence....
"Yeah, his new girlfriend works at that cupcake shop that just opened."
"Really, a cupcake shop?...Ya know, cupcakes have totally jumped the shark."
"Ya know, saying 'jumped the shark' has jumped the shark."
Long uncomfortable silence....
37
Wow, I just heard all about this at work tonight (I'm a cocktail waitress) and had no idea it had led to this long of a string of comments. I do take back the pissy bike messenger comment, most of the Cupcake Royale people I've dealt with at least have been gems. That hostility comes from an experience with a rude ass most likely hungover doughnut slinger from Top Pot a while back. I'm a chunky broad (hence my interest in baked goods) and any guff from people selling me "indulgent" food products offends me. And I work in service field so I actually know when I'm annoying and tipping shitty. So, sorry for offending vegan bike messengers. They've given me some of the best sex ever, I should shut the dick up.
Who ever suggested going to the Safeway bakery-FUCK NO! Disgusting. I don't want a mass produced Mormon funded loveless ball of dough. And is it just me or do you age like, a year waiting in line? Great that there's a union but I dislike the Safeway experience.
I will get my butt to Larsen's, but someone needs to get some baked goods to capitol hill that won't give you diabetes.
Who ever suggested going to the Safeway bakery-FUCK NO! Disgusting. I don't want a mass produced Mormon funded loveless ball of dough. And is it just me or do you age like, a year waiting in line? Great that there's a union but I dislike the Safeway experience.
I will get my butt to Larsen's, but someone needs to get some baked goods to capitol hill that won't give you diabetes.
38
You must stop this discussion. It's just rude to talk about cupcakes around someone who is hungry for them and doesn't really have access to any.
39
@ 19 See Flying Apron: http://www.flyingapron.net/ And no, I am not ranking on vegans in any way what so ever.
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