Stopped by a new cafe in Pasadena and noticed they had no pastry display at all

I sat down for an americano at Bean & Leaf on Colorado last Saturday and realized customers were just guessing at what pastries they had because everything was kept in covered bins behind the counter, has anyone else seen this work for a busy shop or does it just slow things down?

3 comments

3 Comments

joelwells2mo ago

I was actually reading an article about how some bakeries are switching to covered bins to cut down on waste from display pastries drying out. Seems like it might work if they have a menu board with a clear list, but I can see how it'd be annoying if you're trying to peek at what looks fresh.

victorb172mo ago

This is just how things are going now, everything's getting hidden behind menus and screens. Same thing happened with delis switching to pre-packed meats or breweries not letting you sample before buying a flight. Saves them money on waste but kinda kills the whole "look and decide" vibe that made bakeries fun to visit in the first place.

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hugo_schmidt1mo ago

yeah but I gotta push back a little on the pre-packed meat thing. That's not really about saving money on waste, it's more about labor. Delis used to have a guy slicing stuff to order, which costs way more in wages than just having someone throw pre-sliced packs in a cooler. Plus those prepackaged meats actually create more waste from the plastic and stuff. The bakery thing is different though, those pastries dry out real fast if they're sitting out all day. I've seen bakeries where half the display ends up in the trash by closing time. So covered bins make sense if they're rotating stock properly and keeping things fresh. But I get the frustration, half the fun is seeing what looks good and pointing at it.