Buyer Beware - Owner Does Not Stand Behind Their Product
This is not an establishment that I would support in the future. I live in Virginia and was orchestrating a graduation party for my nephew long distance. I called Gary's Bakery and ordered a cake for my nephew's high school graduation in May. When I spoke with the woman on the phone, we discussed options for decorations. When I indicated that, as a young man, he would not want lots of flowers she suggested that she could put the Madison High School logo on the cake as that was what she was doing for other students. I confirmed that this would be great and asked if she would add the lettering "Congratulations Jesse" to the cake. My brother picked up the cake but did not look at it as he was not the one who had placed the order. We had to pick the cake up on Saturday by noon as the bakery is closed on Sunday. When I saw the cake, I was dismayed as it was nothing like we had discussed. There was no logo and the lettering looked like a kid had written the words. The only thing on the cake were the words "Congrats Jesse." It was unprofessional and not at all appealing. I called the bakery right away but there was no answer. They had closed and everyone had gone home. As the graduation was the following day, there was nothing that could be done. I later spoke with the owner, Gary. I told him what had transpired and he said that the woman who had taken the order did not understand that the logo was what I had wanted on the cake. I do not see how she could have been confused as she was the one who make the suggestion. So, in addition to offering subpar products, the employees do not tell the truth. I told Gary that I wanted to be fair and, since the cake was eaten and was good, and it was the decoration that was not acceptable, I would like a partial refund. He said that I should have called and they would have fixed the issue. I did call and the bakery was closed and there was no way to reach the owner or employees. He said they were a small-town establishment and there was nothing he was willing to do to "make it right." This was a $50 cake. It is sad when business owners do not stand behind the products they offer and they take an employee's word prior to speaking with a customer to get to the bottom of an issue. In 2026, you would think a business would have an online ordering system or provide some type of written verification that an order had been placed rather than relying solely on a conversation over the phone. It is clear this business does not value customers. Any transaction that takes place with this establishment needs for a request in writing. Otherwise, tough luck and you will get no cooperation from the owner, nor will you receive honesty or accountability from employees. I am extremely disappointed in how this turned out and wanted to give other fair warning so they can avoid being in the same situation. Dr. Hill
By Dr. Christine H.