# a long vent/rant



## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

Hi guys!

Well, the move is almost complete. I will be moving into my new space November 1st, but unfortunately I won't be able to "plug and play" in the new space.

I have no idea if my ovens are single, double or triple phase and the manufacturer can't help me since I bought them used and they have no idea how many modifications they have undergone.

If they are not single phase or cannot be changed into single phase, I'm shot in the foot as the building I'm moving into cannot handle anything more than single phase.
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2nd rant..

The old tenants gave the landlords such trouble, they wouldn't even let them in without a police escort because they didn't give them a 48 hour written notice!!! In the mean time while they were being held at bay by Miami's finest, they pulled out all the electrical and plumbing!! Work that the landlord paid the old tenants for!!

So, before I start shop, I have to have all that put back in!! I don't understand people!! the landlord paid the tenant to leave the work, the electric water heater and the landlord was also misinformed that the wall that divides the space so awkwardly had all the work (plumbing and electrical work ) inside of it!....not so, it's a hollow wall that I would LOVE to remove so I have a nice large rectangular space.

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#3
I have transfered my phones, light and all my baking pans to the new space, in the old space I still have the heavy equipment, but that will be moved on Tuesday.

The new phone message states that I am closed and not taking any orders untill November 15.

I have customers calling me and guilting me into baking them cakes!! I had to turn down a scultured cake for 75 people and I have this one customer that insists that I make her son a cake for 10 people!! um..NO...If I turned out a chunk of change for a cake for 75, why would I make a cake for 10 people? I had informed this particular client that I was going to be moving at the end of the month and not to wait to call me at the last minute.

She had called me to make HER a cake for her birthday, but she never left a message..just a "call me". So when I did..she wasn't able to talk to me because she was working, ok...fine! Now, I feel bad saying no, but there is nothing I can do for her. 

Hate to lose a client, but, I feel so put upon and resentful of the guilt shes making me feel..lol ugh...

Even the girls from Thursday's cake club are going to have to do the baking for me because I won't have an oven and I'm NOT baking ANYTHING at home...not with 4 cats I'm not! 

Thanks for listening.


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## dmt (Jul 28, 2006)

Mara,
(did I gt that right??)
Head up ,and:
"BREATHE!!!"
(inhale/exhale)

No help on the rants 1 & 2 (but *do* join in or initiate any lawsuit against the previous tenants for alteration of previously functional improvements), but on #3, I've found that folks who hold the theory that the world revolves around them solely, soon realize that their gravitational pull is a figment of their imagination.
I have a neighbor who excels at that play, and after a couple of instances of dug in heels (and reverse or deflected guilt episodes). she determined for herself that she had met her match.
The hystrionics from her quarter have pretty much died off.
Hold your ground.
Apologize (if you feel the need) that you are sorry that your client may not have fully understood the effects of your transition, but in order to retain the essential integrity (sp??) of your operation, you could not in good faith or conscience circumvent your standards to fullfil her needs without a proper facility.
If she doesn't understand your stand on professional ethics, well...

Okay, I am not a professional baker, but I have had some life experience that applies to the above problem. Hence, I offer my opinion...


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

Hey, having a well lived life entittles us to have "opinions"..lol 

and, I may feel guilty, but my "anger" at this client is superceeding it! and oh yeah..today I not only got a call from her on my PRIVATE CELL PHONE, at the store...and about 4 calls after hours..(11:00 pm to be exact!) I can't wait to go in tomorrow ( do do more packing) and tear that fool a new ANUS!

Why would ANYONE thing that I'm keeping shop hours at 11 pm? oh..maybe a member of the IDIOTS SQUAD!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Some serious trouble there. You might not like what I'll be posting, but it is all hindsight, which means that I underwent similiar circumstances. I respect youas a professional and I hope yourepect me as well, O.K.?

The lease, the lease, the lease. It's all in there. DO NOT SPEND A SINGLE DIME ON INFRASTRUCTURE!!!. I don't know what you mean by saying that "you'll have to put it all back in". If the lease states you have wiring and plumbing in your suite, it's up to the landlord to put it back in, your rent is based on a fully serviced suite.

The landlord. Something must have caused the previous tenants to behave like they did, and it wasn't the way the landlord combed his hair or how he dressed neither. Has HE informed you that the tenants ripped out all the stuff? Has HE started getting quotes for replacing the wiring and plumbing?

The best thing to do is to inform the L.L. that you'llbe walking away from this deal since you can't move in to a suite that was supposed to be fully serviced. If the suite isn't fully serviced by Nov. 1st the L.L. is in default. If he wants you back, then you can talk, re-negoatiate. Be tough, you've lost money


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Sorry, I got cut off.

The wall. If it's just a partition wall, not a load -bearing wall, there's no reason why you can't remove it, at your cost. However the time to negotiate this is before signing the lease.

Power requirments. There are such things as phase converters, converting from single to 3 phase, I've got one for my dough-sheeter. Get a bakery equipment mechanic to look over your oven, odds are he convert it, if he can't then trade it in for another one. Yes it will cost, but it is a business expense and an intregal part of your business.


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

Don't worry about what you said, I take it all in respectfully and also with a grain of salt..lol

The landlord paid for all the work the old tenant put in, but they removed it anyway, they are going to replace what I need at their cost.

Also..I'm going to call the place I bought my oven at to see if I can trade it , you know, use it to get a smaller 2 phase 220 convection oven...the one I have is pretty big and in 15 months I've not had to use that one.

Let me give you a little back ground on the old tenant...he got the space and opened up a TAPAS and WINE place..then it was sandwiches...then it was ..I have no idea!

He had a CHURRO cart inside the shop where he hung a side of meat...!??

he was only open for lunch, and never opened late or on the weekends...

He kept on getting deals from the landlord, because he was unable to make the rental..( I guess he thought if he cried poor the landlord would give him a bigger discount) He kept on telling the landlord that he was going to move...he ended up staying over 6 week without paying rent...when he( the old tenant) gave the last.."I"m going to leave" notice, the landlord advertised the space and that same day I came along...

That totally pissed off the old tenant, but ..what were we all supposed to do if he said he was leaving, right?

But that is all drama between him and the landlord. All I want to do is make sure that I can use the space for what I need to use it for! lol

and I'm not paying for the line and plumbing that is supposed to already be there! If the landlord wants to pay to install something that he already paid for, then let him! That's HIS drama..not mine..lol

I"m telling you, it got so bad between those 2 , they had to have police intervention..on the part of the old tenant, he was also verbally attacking the landlord..!

can you imagine ?

Ugh...thank good ness all I like loud, is my music! lol

But, keep the advice coming! Gotta love the knowledge...Knowledge is POWER!


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

Ask the cake-demanding client if they can do electrical work tout de suite. 

I hope that your move brings you lots of profit.


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

Well, I turned her down..now I have to sell my oven...sob..it's not compatible with the electric that is available and I TRULY love my 6 rack convection oven...sigh.

The alternative is a little counter top oven but it's 110V. I guess I will make due until I can afford the 2500 for a new full sized one.

Gosh, where DID all my money go to? I had set aside about 5G's for this move...and I"m down to about 500 now...

and I haven't giving the power company the 550 they want for deposit ( they will return it with interest in 6 months)

the other 500 I need to install the alarms, phone and internet...

and I got down to the bare minimums, I have a lot of product to replace and a few more storage units and shelves to purchase!!

Oh well...time to break out the Fairy Godmother again..lol

(I"m not bitching, because for some reason, everything ends up working out for me, I've been so lucky that way...It's true what they say....For every door that closes a window opens, but damm...it's sure **** in the hallway!! LOL)

oh, I got a response to my craigs list ad to sell my convection baby...hope he does buy it!


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Risque,
First,You may PM me anytime. I'm out of work for a while and going nuts. Better yet, I've moved numerous bakery.
1. There is no 2 phase electric, only single and 3 phase.
2. Both are readily available though your power company and will be provided to your door at no cost to you. They identify a local transformer and drop your wires. If this is an older building in a commercial setting you probably have three phase.
Anyone with some electrical background can identify your equipment by the metal tags. You can even take pictures of all you tags/plates on your ovens, mixers and such and email them to me. The power needed to run these pieces are identified on them and there is no earthly reason to remove them.
Converters are available but the equipment people don't mention them because they like to sell more equipment. The external ones, I think, are far superior.
They will not perform as well if the machinery is asked to draw peek power all the time. Say a mixer that you kneed dough with.
I have a great source for converters. I have one on my sixty quart mixer for more then five years now with no problem, but I don't do bread. It ran me around 100. bucks and a few dollars to have it installed.
You sound pretty organized but a chalk board is a great help, not only to organize but to prioritize.
3. We never would used the word closed when we moved. We did it the first time and it came back to bite us. I can't tell you how many people came in to the new shop later and said " I thought you had closed".
We always put something on the recorder like, due to the increased volume in business we are pleased to inform you that we have acquired a wonderful new larger space. We are diligently working to get the new production space up and running and strive to make this a seemless tranaction for all our customers. We almost always had a referral bakery for our regular customers. I know this sounds scary but through all the moves, I don't think we lost any business that we wanted to our referral bakery.
Well I'm getting long winded.
I'm sittin here waiting to help ya
Your sympathetic friend
pan
call
paninicakes.com


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

Pannini your advise sound wonderful, and if I"m not mistaken the oven was converted but now, I'm not sure and when the electrictian came to check it out he said it was 3phase...after 15 months I'm confused. He did say that if he changed it, it wouldn't run the same..but that would've been ok..

I do have a "dry ink chalk board" that I put my orders up when I take them..I write them on a 3 copy pad, one goes to the customer and the original goes on the board...then I have a column where at the beg. of the week I write all that needs to be baked and notes. ( that doesn't get erased until I turn over the next week ) then when I work on the "ticket" that "ticket" gets stuck on the shelf over the ovens..and when the cakes are baked..it goes on the shelves in the decorating area...when the cake is boxed the ticket gets attached to the box.

I know a lot of ticket moving, but by the location of that ticket I know what stage the cake is at, and no one touches them but me.

as far at that customer is concerned, I was just being pissy because I TOLD her not to call at the last minute. IF she could've co operated just a little, I would've made the effort to make sure she had a cake. She also works in the food industry and thinks that because she does and is Latina like me, that she doesn't have to respect my time lines!

(she actually suggested we go into business together..lol..for me to bake my little heart out and open another location that she could run, taking orders and having people pick them up there...!??)

as far as sending people to other bakeries, well...if you've been to my website, my product is quite unique...and a lot of talented designers won't touch them with a 10 ft. pole!! lol

I'm not trying to make excuses, just letting you know that I don't lay down and die...I work through my obsticles (my spelling is so ... bad!!)

My website did/does state that we were moving storefront, I'm pretty sure..lol ( old age ya know?) as well as the phone message, but on that one I could be mistaken as I keep on working and reworking it..I can't wait for my membership to expire so I can downsize it...it's just too large! and confusing to most people!

Sigh..

It's pouring rain down here and the things I have left in the shop are the computer and my personal desk and papers and I'm debating wrapping them in plastic and running across the parking lot with them so I can get the heck out already. As soon as I resolve my oven issues I'm good to go...

I've already ordered my "WE"VE MOVED" postcards from vista print!


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Hey kiddo,
Just in case you might need a converter

eBay Store - Anderson Converters: ROTARY CONVERTERS, ROTARY CONVERTER PANELS, STATIC CONVERTERS

I have used him and his technology is superior to others out there in the marketplace.
pan


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

thank you Pannini!! I appreciate that!


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