New Year, Big Changes

Ah, a new year and a fresh start! Since the world is going to end this year, I figure I should squeeze in everything I’ve ever wanted to do at the bakery before I run out of time. Some big changes are in our very near future, and while the details aren’t all ironed out yet, I want to let everyone know three big things that are happening. (And I’m kidding about the world ending thing, that’s all made up, right?)

Number one: We are raising our prices. I KNOW! This sucks. We have gone through TWO coffee wholesale price increases without raising our prices, and some of our drinks are seriously under-priced at this point and we are losing money. We have also watched flour, sugar, and pretty much everything else we bake with get more and more expensive over the last couple years, some of it doubling in cost. On top of that, many distributors are charging large delivery fees to cover high gas prices. I’ve held out as long as I can, but it is time for us to add those costs into our products so we can stay in business. Yes, our prices may be a bit higher than a non-vegan bakery, but the products we use in baking are not as widely available as traditional ingredients like butter and eggs, and the replacements for these items (Earth Balance, Tofutti, etc.) aren’t cheap.

Number two: At the beginning of February, we will no longer be serving our all-you-can-eat Sunday Brunch. I know that some of you are having a heart attack right now (I’m sorry Paul!) and I hope you will forgive me when you read number three. I have LOVED serving brunch for the last four years, and it was exactly what I wanted it to be – a time and place when many different people crowded together over vegan food and shared tables and made new friends. I always wanted it to be a community meet-up, and I feel like, for many people, that’s exactly what it has been. It has also helped me develop what I think are the best vegan biscuits ever. On the down side, it has been a scheduling nightmare for us, as well as being completely unpredictable. Some weeks are insane, and some are so dead we hear crickets, but we always have to buy the same amount of food because we never know how many people will show. So sometimes we run out after an hour (this sucks!), and sometimes we compost food to feed an army (this sucks more!). So, the next four brunches listed on the right of this page will be our last four ever.

Number three: I have saved the good news for last, which is that starting at the beginning of February, we will be serving breakfast 7 days a week. Our biscuits aren’t going away, they’re just becoming something new! We are no where near finished with the menu, but as soon as it is done I will post it far and wide. It will definitely feature biscuits and gravy, biscuit breakfast sandwiches and other quick breakfast items, that you can grab to-go or eat here. It will also have several Gluten Free options. We’ll be remodeling the sandwich menu at the same time, to add some new favorites and more salads. More info on all of this soon.

I know this is a lot of news at once. I spent a lot of time away from the bakery in the last year since I had a baby, but I’m really happy to be back and I have renewed motivation to help us be the best we can be. You may have already noticed some changes (new pastry case! palmiers!) and there will be a lot more to come. We are going to focus on having new and exciting pastries regularly, and making sure our pastries are baked daily in small quantities so we can ensure freshness and quality for all of our customers. We’ve also spent some extra time on our espresso training this fall, so come try a espresso drink if you haven’t had one in awhile.

Thanks to all of our loyal customers, and all of our new customers this last year too! All of you eating and shopping locally makes a big difference in all of our lives, and we love seeing your faces. We also know that Portland has a lot of amazing vegan food choices and we really appreciate it every time you stop by the bakery, and the mini-mall.

xoxo – Lisa

p.s. A list of vegan baking and cake decorating classes that I’ll be teaching at the bakery this spring is coming soon!!