METAL NEEDLES IN OUR WEDDING CAKE!
Dorothy Lane Market’s Love Cakes has an excellent reputation, and my husband and I were loyal customers. Choosing them to make our wedding cake... felt like an easy decision.
The planning process was wonderful. Our tasting was beautifully done with a charcuterie-style presentation, and we spent time discussing every detail of the design and flavors. We were genuinely excited and told our guests how good the cake was going to be.
Unfortunately, our experience on our wedding day was nothing short of shocking.
Just before the cake was served, our caterers discovered multiple sharp metal display needles embedded inside the middle of our wedding cake. Not on the outside where they could easily be seen, but hidden inside the cake itself. Had our caterers not caught them moments before serving, those needles could have ended up on our guests’ plates. It is difficult to describe how horrifying it was to learn that something capable of causing serious injury had been hidden inside the dessert we were about to serve to our family and friends.
The caterers immediately contacted the bakery, and Love Cakes sent several sheet cakes so our guests would still have dessert. While we appreciated the quick response, replacement cake could not erase the fact that a serious food safety failure had occurred.
The manager who delivered the replacement cakes briefly spoke with me, but I did not want to spend my wedding day discussing such a serious incident. I told him I would follow up after the wedding.
Afterward, we met with Vice President Scott Fox. He explained that display cake needles had accidentally been used in the cake and offered us a full refund. While we appreciated the refund, we did not feel it adequately reflected the seriousness of what had happened. We discussed additional compensation and eventually presented a number that we felt was appropriate. Mr. Fox said he would speak with his supervisor and call us back.
He never did.
Instead, we unexpectedly received our refund check along with some additional cash in the mail that was nowhere near what had been discussed. We were disappointed not only by the outcome, but by the lack of communication. After being told we would receive a follow-up call, simply mailing a check without any conversation felt dismissive and unprofessional.
Everyone makes mistakes, even serious ones. However, leaving multiple sharp metal needles inside a wedding cake is not a minor oversight, it is a dangerous food safety failure. What ultimately influenced this review was not only the incident itself, but also the way it was handled afterward.
Because of both the serious food safety issue and the company’s response, I cannot recommend Love Cakes.
