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Sweet Tooth Cupcakery Review
Denise McGlinchey finds this vintage cakey heaven no fairyland for kids
Kids Confidential rating: 4/15
Family-friendly service 0/5, Facilities 0/5, Kids Food 4/5
SOMETIMES when you enter a shop, cafe or restaurant the greeting you get is an indication of what’s to come. It can be a signal for you to turn around and walk out. Strange how frequently we don’t. You soldier on, perhaps hoping you've misread things, or you've been over-sensitive or you're just being silly. Perhaps you're just a glutton for punishment.
All this was summed up by a visit to Sweet Tooth Cupcakery in Chorlton.
The website says they cater for birthdays, christenings, naming days and baby showers so they must be tapping into the family market, mustn't they? Well, not on my visit. Not with that curt and unfriendly service.
“Can you take that umbrella off him,” the staff member grumbled. No hello, no smile, no warm welcome. Odd, coming from a venue that seems to promote itself as a cheery little vintage tea room, all cute and cupcakey.
The 'him' she was referring too was my toddler, who was holding the umbrella in his hand, having just raced in from the torrential rain. He'd been there for a split second and was waiting for someone to help him put the thing down.
Miffed, our group still shuffled into the cafe and plonked ourselves at a table.
The cafe is beautifully decorated, wooden floor, vintage mirrors, an old dresser and glass fronted shop counter which displays exquisite looking cakes, almost too pretty to eat and named after singers, fictional characters and actors of the silver screen. The cakes sit behind the glass like glittery jewels in a treasure chest: the kids were mesmerised.
We ordered a Scarlett O'Hara, a soft, chocolatey heaven and a Johnny Cash with Oreo cookie vanilla cream and mini Oreo biscuit on top. Both were delicious. Coffee was good too.
Half way through, I had a distress call from the little one. He needed the loo. In desperation I asked the waitress if they had a toilet he could use.
“Er, we only have a staff toilet.”
“Oh” I said “I know its probably not what you encourage for customers but he's about to wet himself.”
“Someone’s in there”
“Right, um...”
Awkward silence.
“Could he just use it quickly?”
Another awkward silence.
“Okay,” huff, puff.
I have passed this place numerous times and I've seen small groups of mothers, prams in tow, sipping on their lattes, treating themselves to an expensive tiny cake and taking advantage of their babies naptime.
I thought that this, combined with the fact that it’s located on Oswald Road and surrounded by primary schools, would make this place an obvious candidate for a family friendly title.
Kids must want to get a 'treat' here on their way home from school.
The website says they cater for birthdays, christenings, naming days and baby showers so they must be tapping into the family market, mustn't they? Well, not on my visit. Not with that curt and unfriendly service.
Granted, the building is limited in size but this isn’t an excuse to make customers with small children feel unwelcome. There's definitely no excuse for rudeness or to have preconceived ideas about young children. Many kids behave well, as ours did that day.
You could argue that these cakes are for the grown-up, more sophisticated market at £2.15 each. If that's the case they have chosen the wrong location to open their vintage doors.
To sum up then. Great cupcakes, ideal for a party or a little indulgence, no kids’ facilities, rude staff, and an atmosphere as miserable as the weather on our visit.
My advice to parents: stick to a takeaway.
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Sweet Tooth Cupcakery
9a Oswald Road
Chorlton
M21 9LP
Tel: 07855 765355
Opening Hours:
Monday & Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday to Saturday: 10am – 5.00pm
Sunday: 11am – 4pm
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28 comments so far, continue the conversation, write a comment.
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That's the problem with this place. It promises lots but the stressed staff on weekends can ruin it.
I like it. The place not the review.
Couple of points - and to clarify I have no relation to the owners.
You say...
"The website says they cater for birthdays, christenings, naming days and baby showers so they must be tapping into the family market, mustn't they? Well, not on my visit."
I would imagine that this is their external catering service, wouldn't you? Thus the fact they don't have a toilet for the public is irrelevant to your point.
Secondly, it's clearly a small business set up in a slightly odd ex-shop location out of financial necessity. Want tip top facilities go to Pret or some other coffee chain where you won't get a handmade local business vibe, albeit grumpy.
Finally, just because it is near a school doesn't mean it has to cater for children. I would have thought it was more aimed at mums and... ahem... shellshicked dads like me looking for a little peace and quiet. I know if i gave my daughter one of those cup cakes she'd still be bouncing off the ceiling at 10pm still with all that sugar.
I've always found the staff nice btw. They like bicycles I think.
Oh, just one more thing everyone... they're called CUPCAKES.
Anywhere with sit-down facilities should have a customer toilet. It just makes sense. And yeah, we know they're called cupcakes. What's your point?
I have been a few times and the staff and cupcakes have always been lovely.
Shellshicked? I'm some kind of Odiot.
I do love your words Mr HJ! Good points very well made
Rude staff
I agree, I thought small businesses were being championed by Chorltonites and the country as a whole due to the personal and friendly touch? I get a bigger smile at Tescos..
Richard you say "I would imagine that this is their external catering service, wouldn't you? Thus the fact they don't have a toilet for the public is irrelevant to your point."
Why do they have tables in chairs inside and outside? Looks like a cafe doesn't it?
I agree with the Anons above. If they have tables and chairs they should have bogs. Stands to reason don't it?
Agreed!
Yes, Anonymous. But you are missing the point about the writer missing the point. Which by the way doesn't cancel itself out. It just means you're missing the point.
And Pigbag, you're agreeing with someone who's missed the point about the writer missing the point. I don't know what that means in the big scheme of things other than the fact you might need help putting your shoes on the right way round in the morning.
I can't comment on how they treat children as I don't have one, but just had to say that this is one of my favourite places in Chorlton - going there is such a treat. Its a shame they let themselves down on this particular day and got a bad review. I would say to people, give them a go despite it.
P.S. They should definitely have bigger premises though. They always seem to do good business and I think in a more prominent, larger location (with toilets and good facilities for kiddies) they could do so much better it would surely be a good investment.
Well said article. I totally agree. The staff at the city centre branch are even ruder. You can buy good cupcakes pretty much any where in Manchester now, so sweet tooth need to up their game.
Mel, you clearly don't have children...'sugar loaded, hyperactive inducing food' please! Get off your high horse and go and eat some more mung beans
No, I don't. However, it doesn't take a lot of brain power to work out that 'sugar-loaded, hyperactive-inducing food' is not that good for children. What part of that is hard to understand?
I'm a little bemused by this article I must say. I regularly pop in for a coffee and cupcake, and to enjoy a little peace and quiet. What's wrong with Sweet Tooth being aimed at adults? Yes..they make cakes for Christenings and parties but surely this doesn't mean they are required to hold them in the shop surely.
I'd say that a place full of vintage furniture and crockery isn't the ideal environment for kids anyway. As the reviewer correctly states, the cakes are great...
I don't know which Anonymous is which anymore.
I visited a few months ago, no kids in tow but pretty much the same reception. Bad tempered, unfriendly staff, not overworked or stressed, just plain bad tempered. I decided to go elsewhere.
Cant comment on staff, although never had any problems, but you're way off the mark with the target market. In fact I've just looked back at previous reviews on this site and you totally contradict your previous reviewers opinion of said target market. Surely there should be some consistency.
Kids Confidential reviews are written from a parents perspective and are therefore rated differently to Manchester Confidential reviews. Places are judged purely for their family-friendly service and the facilities for parents with children. They are scored accordingly. As a result of our visit, Sweet Tooth Cupcakery received a low rating.
Couldnt agree more. I walked through the door to enquire about cupcakes for my wedding as well as treat my 2 year old daughter and have a brew. I was waited for about 10 minutes for one of the staff to acknowledge my presence let alone attempt to serve me. They were far more interested in chatting to their mates.
I walked out in the end, I couldnt even comment on the rudeness of the staff because none of them could be bothered to speak to me. As a result I nor my friends will go there again.
Cupcakery needs to address its staff issues.
Used to be fantastic but over the last few months the cakes and the service have gone downhill. Cakes themselves are dry and crumbly as opposed to the sringy moist sponge they used to have. I ordered 25 for my birthday and was very dissappointed. Unfortunately I won't be going anymore!
I used to go there quite a lot and the past few times I've been there I have noticed they have a completely new set of staff, including a new baker it seems. These girls were instantly friendly and great with my 3-year old, even playing with him so my friend and I could chat over coffee. Give the place another go, it seems fair seeing as the staff was a major issue for you before, and now there are a whole new range to change the feel of the store.
Oh and ps, I was allowed to take my son to the bathroom!
I would like to know why my comment, supporting the cupcakery has been removed please.
I am unaware of any comments being removed from this review. The only time a comment is removed is when it is deemed inappropriate content. Please re-post your comment, they're always valued
Thanks
Hey Anon, I have had real trouble posting and often comments seem not to be there, and then when you revisit they are.. funny. Maybe it's cos I'm just a dog?
I have only used this place once at Christmas time, i phoned them to make some cakes, and they were the only company i spoke to that would make what i needed. When i went to pick them up the staff were lovely and very accomodating, i thought i would try a cupcake whilst there, and have to say after trying many other cupcake companies, theres was the best!
If around that area I would certainly go and grab a drink and cupcake, I would just make sure I had been for a wee prior, being aware that there are no toilets, and the same for my children.....i always tell them to go loo before leaving the house (like my mum used to say to me), that way they probably wouldnt need to use the loo and it wouldnt matter that there isnt one here!