Unit 3

Communication with the staff outside the kitchen

Bakery Clerk: How are the cupcakes coming along? We’re almost out of the chocolate and vanilla ones.

Pastry Cook: We’ve got another batch in the oven right now. They should be done in another 15 minutes or so. How many of the strawberry ones do you have left?

Bakery Clerk: About a dozen. But there are 10 more people in the queue, waiting for them.

Pastry Cook: The strawberry ones will take longer, maybe half an hour more. Ask the customers if they can wait that long.

Bakery Clerk: Fine. 

[the clerk returns after a few moments]

Bakery Clerk: The customers are ok with waiting, and we offered them a freebie muffin with their orders to thank them for their patience. But one of the guests wants to order 20 croissants with chocolate filling and 20 with vanilla cream for later today.

Pastry Cook: 40 croissants in total? We’ll need at least 4 sheet pans and two of the ovens. And we still need to bake the pies and the bagels. How much later?

Bakery Clerk: They said they’ll need them by 4pm today.

Pastry Cook: That should be enough time to prepare them then. Davidson, call the dough maker and the other assistants and tell them to get on the dough for the croissants. 

Davidson: Yes, right away.

• To be out of something – to not have any quantities of something left
• A batch of something (usually food) – a group of something produced at the same time
• Sheet pan – a large shallow pan, usually used for baking or roasting in the oven
• There are people in the queue – there are people waiting in line to place their order
• To offer a freebie – to offer a free item with the rest of the paid products

As you already know, most bakeries operate on the principle of preparing a specific number of food items per day instead of cooking the food as the customers come in and order. We will focus more on this aspect in Module 2 “Cook”. However, we will mention that in some cases when the food items are in the process of being prepared, the customer could make a request and wait a while until they are done. Or they can pre-order a food item for a later time. Nowadays, it has become quite common to order food and pick it up later so we should pay attention to that as well. 

As with any other foodservice establishment, when you serve food to customers, you have to consider their preferences and requests for specific foods. Customer satisfaction is the most important factor for a well-received and popular business; therefore, you can’t afford to overlook this aspect of the job.

When receiving an order, always make sure to ask for any specifications, allergies, and other likes and dislikes the customer may have. Sometimes they might not remember to mention it themselves, so ask just in case. 

Bakery Clerk: There’s a pre-order for next Monday.

Head Chef: What is it?

Bakery Clerk: One cake with peanut butter frosting. 

Head Chef: For how many people?

Bakery Clerk: For a party of 6. They want 4 layers and a custom-made decoration on top. It’s apparently for an after-wedding get-together to surprise the couple so they want a small figurine on top of the cake that resembles the couple.

Head Chef: Did they leave a photo of the couple? We’ll need it so the cake decorator can make the figurines look similar.

Bakery Clerk: Yes, they did.

Head Chef: If they want the figurines to be edible, they’ll need to pay extra.

Bakery Clerk: I told them, but they said it’s fine if it’s just for decorating purposes.

Head Chef: Then what about the fruits? Any preferences?

Bakery Clerk: Some of the party attendees don’t like oranges so they asked to remove those. I offered to replace them with strawberries. 

Head Chef: Yes, that’s fine. So that will be one chocolate cake, 4 layers, with peanut butter frosting and strawberries and a non-edible figure as decoration on top. For Monday at which time?

Bakery Clerk: 10pm. I’ve already told John he’ll have to make the delivery.

Head Chef: Good.

• What is the date for the pre-order? At what time?
• Will the customer pick it up or have it delivered to an address?
• How many people is it for (especially when we’re talking about cakes, it’s important to know the size)?
• Are there any allergies?
• Are there any food preferences/likes/dislikes that have been specified? 
• Are there any additional requests?

We’ve talked about this aspect of the work environment a lot in most of the units because dealing with problems well is a very important skill each one of the students should develop.

When facing such an issue in your workplace it’s important to stay calm and reasonable and make proper compensations to the customer if possible. If the issue isn’t in your power to resolve, it’s best to contact the manager/owner of the bakery so they can discuss the matter with the customer.

Customer: I want 3 cinnamon buns, 7 plain bagels and 5 chocolate-glazed bagels.

Bakery Clerk: That will be $39.56. 

Customer: Here you go. 

Bakery Clerk: Please, hold on a moment while we prepare your order. 

[bakery clerk prepares and hands over the order]

Customer: Thank you. Have a nice day.

Bakery Clerk: You too!

[customer checks the order and comes back to the counter]

Customer: Excuse me, this isn’t what I ordered.

Bakery Clerk: I’m sorry, sir, what is the problem?

Customer: I ordered 7 plain bagels but there are only 3 here and the rest are all chocolate. 

Bakery Clerk: I’ll need your receipt to check, please. 

Customer: Here you go.

Bakery Clerk: Yes, you’re right. You’ve paid for 7 pain bagels and 5 chocolate-glazed ones. I’m very sorry for the mix up, sir. We’ll sort it out immediately.

[bakery clerk returns with the new order]

Bakery Clerk: Here you go, sir. Please, check if everything is alright now.

Customer: Yes, it’s all fine, thank you.