History of The Cake Diner
The Colorful Background of Lorianna's beautiful little Cake Diner!
Opening in 2014 with a business partner, Lorianna (pictured) took Broadway by storm! A sugar storm, that is! Thriving & growing with a powerful team, Lorianna began building what you now know as "The Cake Diner by Lorianna."
When only 2 years into their project Lorianna's partner asked to be bought out, she knew she would need to step it up. On her own, she jumped at the opportunity to make some changes & add some of her own personal flare to the pastries & custom cakes! The third year was fantastic! Year 4, even better! Sales were climbing steadily, more than projected! It felt surreal! Life was coasting along.
But by year 5...the burn-out was coming in hot & the bakery began to feel more like a prison than a fun place to be! Long hours, difficulty hiring professional help, & lack of sleep began pressing on Lorianna. At only 25, this suddenly wasn't the dream she expected anymore! It slowly morphed into an unmanageable daily stressor. Not wanting to only be a business owner she began to scale back. The Cake Diner had simply grown too quickly for her to manage. Just as she started really feeling the pressure build........WHABAMMM. COVID.
Change was inevitable. Forced, even.
In comes "COVID 19" with the closures, mandates, panic, & price gouging. You guessed it. Every order she had for 9 months out (and then LONGER) cancelled. Everyone demanded refunds immediately. $6k worth of orders were cancelled and the calendar was empty through the end of the year all in a matter of 3 weeks.
If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you know the profit margins are SMALL. Lorianna barely had the funds but knew she had to refund to save her reputation. Yelpers these days are relentless. Knowing she needed to pay her own rent, eat, and pay a car payment too, she was backed into a corner.
With the rising expenses and lack of celebrations occurring, Lorianna was forced to close the bakery on Broadway (pictured). She sold her equipment to another baker willing to take the leap into the old space. She vowed to jump back in after a break if she could find a new location.
Well in true baker state, Lorianna took no breaks and kept on pushing forward! She used the money from the equipment sale to purchase a new truck in the Spring of 2021! She got licensed & registered as a residential bakery! She started a vanilla extract line, a merch line, and is currently drafting a new cook book!
Now she's got her eyes set on the future!
A 1926 Ford Model T "Huckster" is now part of The Cake Diner's family. He sits beautifully inside Lorianna's garage awaiting photoshoots, vendor events, and so much more!
Pop-Ups, Farmer's Markets, Flea Markets, & so many other fun Festivals & Gatherings are in The Cake Diner's future!
Please stay tuned for more information! For now, please feel free to place an order using the many links around the website!
Sweets from my old bakeshop!
