Suggestion Just another something.

You, my regulars, know I'm a pretty good baker and not just bread, Chelsea Buns, etc.
My pastry is as good , if not better, than many of the chancers going around at this time.

Times are hard just now and they aren't going to improve overnight.
However, I'm not against working through the early hours, the coolest part of the day, which is when you should be baking.
You've sampled my apple pie but what about a Bakewell Tart as well , flush with almond and served with homemade custard ? Not that awful masquerade found on supermarket shelves.
I'm willing to go out of my way to acquire all the ingredients and work all night to accomplish this but only if I receive sufficient interest. Things are tight right now. If only 5 0r 6 show interest then it's really not worth the cost of the ingredients. However, if I get great interest then I'll kick off early Tuesday morning and you'll be very happy with the results.

 

Not looking good so far. 12 people have read the post but only one person actually likes the idea,

 

Not looking much better. I'll give it until the end of today, if there's not a radical increase then I'll knock that idea on the head as I have to shop tomorrow.

 

I am sure people like the idea but perhaps have issues coming to your place currently. For example, I like your idea and your willingness to go out of your way to offer what people want, but am not living in the area.

Even at the best of times, be wary of people just SAYING they want something as people can be so fickle. I have experienced this in business. I know people respect your efforts and so the low number of responses reflects people thinking and being honest about the certainty of getting to you.

 

I fully agree with all points you've raised especially as the operative word is fickle. Also, overhearing customers , the mere thought of being stopped for a temperature check renders them bloodless and that would be my fault.
Then the word promise raises it's ugly head. I've promised nothing. But I have offered to do that bit extra and look forward to doing it.
Then there's that other terrifying word 'BUDGET'... I can't just put things on the menu will-nilly . Not without a certain amount of optimism that I'm actually going to sell it. Making good pastry in this climate literally takes hours, it's tricky and making my best effort means I'll have to buy vodka ( the alcohol in the vodka evaporates while baking, making the end product much lighter ). I've said enough. However, I'll check out the forum later and make my decision then.
Thank you for your interest.

 

Mmmmmm.... 6 likes are insufficient as there's bound to be some no shows. I'll leave it for a while. See how things transpire in the near future.

 

Another word is 'optimism' - for the future. Not easy at the moment, especially if you are in business and see your customers dwindling. When this is over, and it will be (the number of asymptomatic and recovered infections will grow to a point where enough herd immunity will exist to slow the virus right down (although total social exclusion is obviously going to have an effect on the time scale)) I think people will have some changes of attitude - perhaps they will think more about how precious each day is, how important to enjoy it, how to take advantage of whatever wonders their environment offers. Hopefully there will be a surge of people enjoying their freedom and this will reflect on business, including food establishments of course.

It is easy for me to just say 'hunker down' when I am not the one paying the bills - but (to use even more cliches) there is light at the end of every tunnel. Somethings just have to be endured.

 

I look at the current situation as we are in the middle of a bad storm and sooner or later the storm will pass and we will have better days. However, this time I sense there may be ongoing fallout, different like there has been from 9-1-1, but not normalcy.

 

I agree - the financial repercussions alone are going to be massive. I have read an expert saying that people's attitudes might change towards foreign travel and they will prefer to stay at home - I'm not sure about that as people forget very quickly. The 2008 crash was due to debt and people very quickly took on more debt! I know it was cheaper to accrue debt but they were assuming that would always be the case - as this crisis shows 'nothing is forever'.

There could be a sociological factor in that people will be kinder to each other - but, again, perhaps people will go back to being self-interested as that is the natural state.

Also, governments have learned they can rapidly introduce controls and, it seems, people accept them - will governments want to give up all those controls?

Interesting times.