Showerthought: are small local bakeries pricing themselves out?

Walked into a new place on Central last week. $8 for a single croissant. Tasted good but not $8 good. Owner said it's because their overhead is brutal with rent and ingredients. I get that. But I also saw a chain bakery two blocks over selling a decent one for $3.50. So is the local charm worth double the price? Or are they just shooting themselves in the foot? What do y'all think - pay more for local or go cheap and chain?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_young18d ago

I really feel for you, that's a tough spot. The part about "overhead is brutal with rent and ingredients" hits hard, because that's not an excuse, it's the reality for so many small places. I've seen it happen to my favorite local spots too, they can't win against chains that buy flour by the ton and get rent breaks for being a big name. But here's the thing: if I'm already paying $8 for a croissant, I want to feel like it's something special, not just okay. It almost makes me sad, because I want to support them but my wallet can only stretch so far.

margaret_williams518d ago

$8 croissant? @fiona_young, my broke self just choked on my gas-station donut.