Thursday, February 19, 2009
Response to Customer Comments
In January I wrote a post on this blog for the purpose of letting you, our valued customers, know that Mani’s has been significantly affected by the economic downturn, as many businesses and restaurants have been.
Many of you let us know how much you appreciate our bakery and café and some excellent suggestions were offered, with good intentions to help us through these tough times. We truly appreciate the time you took to let us know your views, both positive and negative.
This post was written for our customers who’ve opted in to be notified about the goings on at Mäni’s. It is fairly well known in Los Angeles that we cater to those who appreciate foods that are less refined, using alternative ingredients in both our baking and café foods.
Earlier this month, the popular LA eater blog picked up our story and to our dismay, many of their readers voiced their dissatisfaction with our eatery.
A few years ago when we started our blog we understood we would become more transparent to the community. We embrace this form of communication because it helps us stay in touch with our customers and has opened up a new avenue of communication. That being said, it also exposes us to negative comments and viewpoints.
That’s OK. Our regular customers understand we cater to a niche market: those who seek healthier versions of food and baked goods. We understand not everyone appreciates the style of food and bakery products we’re famous for, and after 20 years in business, we have a following with tremendous support for what we do best. We also know there’s always room for improvement and welcome constructive feedback.
The bottom line is that since we shared our story last month, we’ve enjoyed increased traffic and sales both in our café and bakery and many positive comments as well. We appreciate LA Eater for reposting our story and bringing our attention to some issues we need to take a close look at in order to keep improving our business.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be following up with posts addressing some of the legitimate feedback we’ve received about Mäni’s Bakery Cafe.
As always, we appreciate your support and feedback and look forward to serving you for many more years to come.
Comments
Thank you Manis for providing some feedback regarging the LA Eater piece. Great to finally hear your response. I’ll see you this weekend when I’ll be spending some cash on breakfast.
John
Larry,
I have been to your cafe and bakery since you opened and love all the healthy baked goods and
gorgeous cakes and pastries—there is no place like
Mani’s!
I have always spread the word on how great your menu and healthy sweets are—and will do so more now that I realize business has been uneven w/ this economy.
My New Year’s resolution is to stop by at Mani’s every weekend for a treat—! I will bring a friend.
Know that Mani’s has many loyal customers like me who appreciate the healthy food and gorgeous sweets!
Dear Mani’s,
My fiance, my mother, and I are HUGE Mani’s Bakery fans. We eat there as much as we can, and have ordered cakes and pies for holidays and special occasions. The comments on Eater LA were heart-wrenching to me. I would be devastated if you were no longer part of the LA food scene. There were a couple of comments that I did agree with. But the one I want to champion is to move! 81% increase in rent in the last two years?! Ridiculous! Come downtown! Downtown LA is hurting for great, healthy brunch/lunch/dinner options! (And you would be very competitive price-wise, especially compared to Urth Caffe.)
yes, I feel the same about the location. It’s all about location location location. Mani’s can do better.
Several of the comments from the LA eater blog mentioned improving the food, service, and decor. How does Mani’s intend to address these three main concerns?
Price seems to be an issue as well. Have you thought of giving a discount to neighboring zip codes? How do you feel about reducing your price points more competitively?
We are considering many options. Our recent customer survey has yielded much information. Over the next weeks and month, many changes will be made. Thank you for all your valuable feedback.
Larry what specific changes are you going to make regarding the food, decor, and service? What price changes are you considering?
Dear Mani’s: I love your bakery & I go there every chance I get. I love the treats made with alternatives to processed sugar, and/or the Gluten-free delights as well. I can find these delicious cakes, pies, and cookies made this way that taste as good anywhere else but at Mani’s. I can’t name my favorite because they are all my favorites!
You are simply the best.
We try and stop by every chance we get, if even to pick up a cookie or a cupcake. I NEED MY MANI"S FIX—I have been there every day for the past 4 days come to think of it.
And I’m sure I will be seeing you very soon! The eclairs were delicious today! and LARGE! A great value, but still no french bakery in town can make an eclair that tastes this good. The cakes all looked so yummy and fresh too—I will see you soon!!! xxxooo
Hi, I love Mani’s! In fact, I love Mani’s so much, I have a suggestion as an alternative to closing, in case you continue to struggle financially. Move to Uptown Whittier (also known as the Village). The uptown area is fast becoming well-known as the hip and happening place to be in the Southeast Los Angeles County area. Don’t believe me?, just take the 720 rapid bus from Wilshire and Fairfax east (past Downtown L.A. to just past Whittier Blvd. and Atlantic and transfer to the Montobello Bus Line #10 east on Whittier Blvd. (make sure the destination is Whittwood Mall and NOT Pico Rivera). Get off at Philadelphia and Comstock and take a walk around (especially along Greenleaf and Bright which intersects Philadelphia St.) and see for yourself. You could also drive there; just go to Google maps or Mapquest and enter 7011 Greenleaf Ave. for your destination and where you’re leaving from as your starting point, for directions. Whittier is starved for two things, a bookstore and, especially, a health oriented bakery restaurant! We will welcome you with open arms! In Whittier, you will most likely have lower rents AND virtually no competition unlike your current location where you’re competing with the famous and iconic Farmers’ Market at Third St.
I read somewhere that we should not eat bread often. I normally abstain from having white bread and have been eating brown bread. Should we eat brown bread also in moderation?
Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley. (not in oats but ppl on the Gluten Free (GF) diet avoid oats due to cross contamination with wheat in harvest.) The only ppl who need to eat gluten free are those with Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, allergies or children with autism (not required but many parents swear the gluten free/casein free diet works for their children.) Celiac Disease is the most common reason for the gluten free diet, 1 in 133 ppl have it and many are still undiagnosed. Those with Celiac cannot digest gluten and it leads to a whole list of health problems.
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