A mother wants a birthday cake for her daughter's sixth birthday. She messages a local bakery: "Can you do a unicorn cake for Saturday week?" The baker needs to know how many people it should feed, which flavour, whether there are any allergies, what colours, whether a name goes on top and whether it is collection or delivery. That is six follow-up questions. The mother answers some, forgets others and the baker spends twenty minutes on one order.
Custom cake orders need details. Asking for them once, in a friendly way, saves bakers hours every week.
Step 1: ask for the date
The date comes first. It tells the baker whether the order is possible and whether it falls in a busy period. Publishing your usual notice period helps customers order in time.
Step 2: ask for servings
The number of people the cake should feed decides the size and price. Many customers do not know cake sizes, so asking for servings is easier than asking for inches.
Step 3: ask for flavour and filling
A short list of available flavours and fillings, taken from your menu, helps customers choose quickly.
Step 4: ask about design
Colours, themes, a name or message and any reference photos give the baker what they need. Customers often have a photo from social media, and asking for it saves long descriptions.
Step 5: ask about dietary needs
Allergies and dietary needs matter. The assistant should capture them and make clear that the bakery will confirm what it can safely provide. It must not promise a cake is free of any allergen.
Step 6: ask about collection or delivery
Collection times and delivery areas should be clear. Delivery questions are covered in delivery area and order questions for takeaways.
Step 7: capture it in conversation
SpideyChat for cafes, bakeries and restaurants asks these questions at any hour, shares your menu and prices from your own pages and captures the order for you to confirm.
Customer: Can you do a unicorn cake for Saturday week? Assistant: The celebration cakes page shows unicorn designs and prices by size. So the bakery can confirm, could you share how many people it needs to feed, which flavour you'd like, any allergies or dietary needs, and whether you'd like a name on top? Is it collection or delivery?
Step 8: confirm and take a deposit
Once details are captured, the bakery confirms the price and any deposit. Clear confirmation prevents disappointment on the day.
Wedding and celebration cakes
Wedding cakes need a consultation and tasting, with more detail. Celebration enquiries are covered in wedding and celebration enquiries for restaurants.
Details-first orders elsewhere
Trade suppliers need specs before quoting, as described in trade enquiries that need specs before a quote. Cake orders follow the same principle.
Reviewing what the assistant captures
A baker should check captured orders daily and keep the menu and prices up to date. Treating the assistant like a team member who needs guidance is covered in every AI employee needs a manager.
Busy seasons
Mother's Day, Christmas and graduation season bring waves of orders. Publishing cut-off dates for these periods avoids last-minute disappointment and keeps the kitchen manageable.
Setting it up
Publish your cake menu, sizes, prices and notice periods, and set the assistant to capture order details. The guides to installing the widget and training your bot explain how.