Shoutout to the bakery owner who gave me a free loaf of sourdough after my disaster cake

I was at Sweet Meadow Bakery in Portland last Saturday picking up a pie for a thing. The owner saw me looking at their display case and asked what happened, so I told her about my failed triple layer chocolate cake that collapsed into a mess. She laughed and handed me a free loaf of her sourdough, saying everyone has bad days. Has anyone else had a baker or shop owner turn your fail into something good?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_carr1mo ago

Oh wow that's so sweet of her... but I actually think there's a deeper thing happening here that nobody's talking about. A lot of bakeries do that free loaf thing as a quiet way to build loyalty without making a big deal out of it. Like they know if you taste their sourdough today you'll be back next week buying a whole basket of bread and pastries. It's kind of brilliant really... a small loss now for a big win later. I've noticed the same trick at coffee shops where they'll give you a free pastry if your order takes too long. Makes you forget you were annoyed and suddenly you're a regular.

caseys301mo ago

lol yeah I fall for that stuff every time. One free cookie and suddenly I'm buying a dozen and telling all my friends about it. I'm basically free advertising with a full stomach.