Ordering a custom design cake should be quite easy, however, it can seem quite daunting to someone who has never done it before. Unlike walking into a grocery store where they have ready made cakes in a show case and all you have to do is get them a pipe on a message or even a retail specialty bakery that may have cakes for same day pickup, all our cakes are strictly custom, and made to order.
So how does it work? It really isn't that complicated.
1) RESEARCH
Before giving us a call do a little research first to see what kind of cake you would like. What kind of style are you looking for, elegant, vintage, retro, etc? Do you want flowers, modeled figurines, stripes, polka dots, etc? Check out our GALLERY or look on the Internet for some pictures of cakes you might like.
2) CONTACT US, CHECK AVAILABILITY AND PROVIDE DETAILS
The next thing you need to do is contact us. You can do that 3 ways 1) use the ORDER form on our website, 2) email us directly or 3) give us call. We do not accept text messages or messages via Facebook.
You need to establish whether there is availability for your cake. Here, at Just Like Gram's, everything is made to order and decorated by hand. Plus, I am the only staff member at Just Like Gram's so I do EVERYTHING from shopping for ingredients, baking, decorating, washing the dishes, paperwork and delivery. There are limited places per week for cakes and we do book up regularly. We typically require two - three weeks notice for a custom cake. All our cakes are baked fresh the week they are ordered for, so often last minute cakes are hard to squeeze in. Especially during wedding season, when wedding season is in full swing, wedding cakes are often booked 9 months in advance. To avoid disappointment, it's best to book well in advance. For example, we are usually booked up by April for the months of June - August.
Some of the details I will need in order to provide you with a quote are:
- the date of your event
- the occasion/nature of your event (i.e. wedding, birthday, baby shower)
- delivery or pickup
- how many people you will need to feed
- a phone number in which we can contact you
- what flavour of cake you would like
- an idea of what kind of design you are looking for
3) QUOTES, RETAINER FEES, AND PAYMENTS
Once we have established availability and know the design and number of servings, we can then provide you with a quote. To book your cake and reserve your date with us , we require a 50% non-refundable retainer fee via cash, cheque, credit card or email transfer. This again confirms your order and holds the date for you. Without the retainer fee, your order is not confirmed and the date is still available for other clients. The remaining balance is due at the time of pickup. Wedding cake order balances are due two weeks prior to the event.
4) SHORT NOTICE ORDERS
A lot of planning, organization and time goes into creating a custom cake. Quotes and designs need to be arranged, plus special materials and equipment may need to be ordered in. Also, we need to factor in the time for communication between us and client in planning a cake, plus there might be changes made to the design due to budgets and payments need to be cleared before ANY work can begin on any cake. AND then there's the actual cake making!!! For this reason, any cake ordered within two weeks of an event is regarded as a short notice order and may incur a rush order fee.
