Lubbock Has Great Cake Expectations & Little to No Actual Sense

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If you're in any local Lubbock Facebook group, you probably see a post like this a couple of times a day:

Needing a cake that looks EXACTLY like this for my son's birthday in 3 hours. I am willing to pay up to $40. I don't understand why no bakery will get back to me. No rude questions.

And then there will be a photo of an incredibly elaborate and unique cake that's covered in 15 colors of fondant, five tiers and that probably costs anywhere from $200 to $2,000 dollars. A cake whose delivery fee alone would be more than $40.

I posed this question to my buddies over at LBK Foodies Facebook group: "Is this a scam or are people really that entitled?" I got back some great comments:

I don't know but I roll my eyes every time I see one. Hello, you've only known for 364 days that a birthday coming up tomorrow for your kid LOL.

Seriously, you knew your kid's birthday or your parents' anniversary was coming up. Did you think the date changed every year?

The best part of that is when they try to name their own price. That's not how this works.

Exactly. Would you dare walk up to a mechanic and say "Fix my carburetor for $50. Take it or leave it"?

My cringe phrases include “won’t cost an arm and a leg” or “won’t break the bank”

It's positively eye-twitching how cheap people can be, especially when they expect Instagram-worthy masterpieces by tomorrow.

And here's an explanation from a local cake expert:

People just don’t have a concept of the time and cost that actually goes into making/decorating cakes. I do it as a side job and I’m pretty conservative with prices. I still have people mad because they “could get a cake at Walmart way cheaper!” Yes, yes you can. But it will look and taste like a Walmart cake. If that’s what you want then be my guest, if you want what I do you’ll need to compensate appropriately for my time and supplies.

One of the best comments was just a screenshot of someone wanting a birthday cake "ASAP" that was posted shortly after my cake query.

Lubbock, with any artisan product, you're going to pay artisan prices. If you want to surprise your loved one with something spectacular, you must plan in advance, have reasonable expectations and be ready to pay for it.

A huge thank you to all the reasonable folks in LBK Foodies. It's refreshing to see a bunch of people with common sense and courtesy in my hometown.