We recently received the following email from one of our customers:

Hello, over the last few months my wife & I have started to appreciate Beechworth Bakery products but have noticed, especially over the holiday period, that getting served is an issue at times.
A number of times we will be standing patiently waiting to be served when someone will walk into the shop & get served before everyone else even when it is obvious that others have been waiting.

Saturday morning was not so busy when I got there but still the wait to be served was long as the "younger" staff members talked & joked among themselves but again a lady walked into the shop & straight up to the counter & got served instantly by a staff member that obviously knew her.

Would it be possible to have some sort of ticketing system in place like they do in a Deli or another bakery?

We actually love getting comments like this because it helps us grow and continue to live up to our high standards, and to address your very valid concerns.

Regarding a number system, our philosophy is old fashioned personable service. We train our staff to treat every customer as an individual. We know it can be frustrating for you to wait and be served when we are busy. But it is also frustrating to wait and be served as a number.

We also know people can jump the invisible queue when they want their needs met and when they are hungry! But we do know from experience that most people are fair and reasonable about whose turn it is next. Our staff are trained to ask, “Who is next?” And if people are fair – and the majority are – then we do not need a customer numbering system.

When you come to the Beechworth Bakery you are a customer – not a number, and with the greatest respect to those who disagree, we believe this validates our reason for never having a number system in our Beechworth Bakeries. A number system is not a part of our culture, though our customer service does fail us at times.

Our 200% guarantee also helps us maintain the expectation from our customers and improve on the areas that are needed. So when we do fail, this goes a long way to redress the problem, and reminds us to sharpen our focus and increase our efforts even further.

Thanks for reading.

Marty Matassoni