It’s only been a week since Fluff Bakery first launched their brick and mortar shop at 12 Jalan Pisang, but already the cupcakery is crumbling under pressure.
On Nov. 7, the bakery posted on their Instagram and Facebook pages a note to their patrons explaining that their bakers have been “working REALLY hard” to meet the demand (more than 850 cupcakes were sold within four hours of their opening on the same day). The note (read it in full below) also stated the team was open to criticism, but would not “tolerate any personal attacks”, a reference to comments — now deleted — made on founder Nursyazanna Syaira’s husband Ashraf Alami.
One comment criticising the attackers, “who cares who is Mr. Fluffbakery’s father? Does it make a huge difference?”, suggests the fact that Ashraf is the son of Mohammad Alami Musa, non-executive president of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), was brought up. Other comments reveal relatives of the team behind Fluff Bakery had stepped in, pouring fuel to the fire with their “snarky attacks on disappointed customers”.
While most of the comments were critical of the attackers and voiced their understanding regarding the bakeshop’s inability to meet demand in the early days, others were on the fence about the situation.
One comment said, “I think you need to openly address the expectations of your customers. Having a bricks and mortar shop immediately raises expectations that your products will be available for as long as you declare your shop to be open – this is basic business etiquette.” The same Instagram user also made some suggestions, including being more upfront about their opening hours — which at the moment are irregular and said to be deceiving of the supply that was actually available — and compensation for cupcake lovers that have made the journey, but leave empty-handed.
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The Fluff Bakery couple, as well as their iconic cupcake creations, have appeared on various national media including Her World magazine, Manja and the Sunday Times since word on their success started getting around.
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When contacted, Fluff Bakery spokesperson Liyana Stuart said the team is listening to the feedback from the fans and is working really hard to overcome their teething problems, mainly — more demand than supply.
“This is only our third day of operations, and we are learning valuable lessons along the way. We can only hope for your continued support as we grow into a better and more efficient bakery,” she said.
Photos: Fluff Bakery’s Facebook page
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