I grew up taking regular trips to our neighborhood bakery. (If you ever get to Hawaii, check out Kilani Bakery in Wahiawa — it’s been around since 1959!) Picking up a small carton of chocolate milk and a bag of brownies with my dad before school is one of my fondest childhood memories. Naturally, when I moved to the bluegrass state in 2016, discovering dessert destinations was of utmost importance.
Thankfully, Louisville didn’t disappoint.
This week, I connected with the owners and managers of a few places that have been satisfying my sweet tooth over the past few years: Sweet Surrender Dessert Café in Clifton, Crescent Hill’s Blue Dog Bakery & Café, and Nord’s Bakery in Saint Joseph. Though none of them are currently offering in-person dining, they’re all finding other ways to bring a little sweetness to the community during an otherwise bitter time.
“We have remained resilient through the entire pandemic,” said Jasmine Betts, customer service manager at Nord’s Bakery. “Everyone has been in such good spirits and very positive considering all the setbacks and chaos that this year has burdened us with.”
Sweet Surrender Dessert Café
1804 Frankfort Ave., 502-899-2008, sweetsurrenderdessertcafe.com, Current services: curbside pickup and delivery; 1 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; 1 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sundays and Mondays
How are you? How is your team?
Jessica Haskell: We are all hanging in and staying positive — the new normal can be exhausting though.
Did you offer carryout/delivery before? Have you reopened for in-person dining? How have these experiences been for your team?
Haskell: We have always offered carryout but never delivered before. We are currently open for curbside pickup and delivery only, in large part because our space is so small — but also due to being high risk for COVID-19 myself. All of the changes needed during this pandemic have been a learning curve!
Has the response to carry out/delivery and/or in-person dining been better or worse than you hoped? Will you continue it going forward?
Haskell: We will definitely continue offering carryout and delivery options in the future.
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How have capacity restrictions affected you and your team?
Haskell: Very early into the pandemic, the restrictions forced us to temporarily reduce our staff, which then led to reducing our hours. With less (or no) indoor seating, less servers are needed, so our team has gotten smaller; and the smaller staff meant everyone had to take on more duties. I think as a team, we are stronger.
We have also noticed shorter patience in some customers. I think that in the past when we were busy and people had to wait in line to order, they could see how many people were ahead of them, so they knew the wait wouldn't be too long. Now the line is virtual, so it’s a very different experience. Customers don't understand the wait time as clearly. And with all the stress that leaving the house can cause people, tempers get frayed more easily.
What has been your most-requested dish since the pandemic began? Has that changed since before the pandemic?
Haskell: Our best sellers are still our Carrot Bourbon Cake, Caramel Pound Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Now that we can fall is here, our Pumpkin Roll is also selling like crazy.
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What’s one little-known fact about your restaurant?
Haskell: I have been the owner of Sweet Surrender for nearly 15 years. I bought the business from the previous owner after completing my third battle with cancer. The original owner was also a cancer survivor — this is part of why we are being so cautious in providing the safest possible service for our customers.
With Halloween coming up, it’s noteworthy that our building is known to have at least two ghosts. One is a firefighter, who has proven to be helpful a time or two. He also has a sense of humor and likes to whistle, which was a bit alarming the couple of times we heard it! The second ghost is a young woman in a white dress with blonde, curly hair who likes to hang out in my office. Our building was built in 1894 by a surgeon who lived and practiced in the home, so it makes sense that there are a few ghosts hanging around!
What do you hope the Louisville community takes away from this experience when it comes to the restaurant industry?
Haskell: My staff says they hope people learn extended patience and gratitude for the amazing community of small, independent businesses here in Louisville — not just restaurants. Independently-owned businesses are so fragile! Many have always gotten by month to month, and this experience has made it trickier. Even though a Louisville business has been around for what seems like forever, longevity does not mean stability. Every month still presents challenges — even before this pandemic. Louisville is such a vibrant community for small businesses and independently owned restaurants; we really need the community's support! It is heartbreaking each time I see another restaurant has had to close for good.
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Blue Dog Bakery & Café
2868 Frankfort Ave., 502-899-9800, bluedogbakeryandcafe.com, Current service: Carryout and curbside pickup; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sundays and Mondays
How are you? How is your team?
Kit Garrett: Thanks to the resiliency of my team, we are doing OK. Although life at the bakery is quite different without a dining room, we are adjusting.
Did you offer carryout/delivery before? Have you reopened for in-person dining? How have these experiences been for your team?
Garrett: We offered carryout before dining rooms were permitted to reopen, but we haven’t reopened for in-person dining. We moved swiftly into online ordering and carryout only, and never actually closed. We now do patio seating only. It is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and guests simply put their orders in and eat outside. There is no table service — only thorough table cleaning.
Has the response to carry out/delivery and/or in-person dining been better or worse than you hoped? Will you continue it going forward?
Garrett: The response has been far better than we’d hoped, and we will absolutely continue to do it going forward.
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How have capacity restrictions affected you and your team?
Garrett: We are not seating in our dining room at all. It doesn't make sense to staff such a small space, and I don't want to take the risk.
What has been your most-requested dish since the pandemic began? Has that changed since before the pandemic?
Garrett: Turkey, and the bacon and egg pizza — no real surprise there.
What’s one little-known fact about your restaurant?
Garrett: We have been around for 22 years. Most people can't believe it.
What do you hope the Louisville community takes away from this experience when it comes to the restaurant industry?
Garrett: I hope they realize what a vital part of our community we really are. Personally, I miss going out to eat far more than I would ever have expected!
Nord’s Bakery
2118 S. Preston St., 502-634-0931, nordsbakery.biz, Current service: carryout; 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily
How are you? How is your team?
Jasmine Betts: One of the benefits of working for a family-owned business is the fact that it truly feels like you’re working with family. Our team is so amazing — from decorators to bakers, to the smiling faces that you see out front.
Did you offer carryout/delivery before? Have you reopened for in-person dining? How have these experiences been for your team?
Betts: We offered carryout before our dining room closed. We also offer delivery for businesses and places that have standing accounts with us.
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Has the response to carry out/delivery and/or in-person dining been better or worse than you hoped? Will you continue it going forward?
Betts: The responses to us not being able to have any dine-in customers, and all the necessary changes were that we’ve had to make due to COVID have not affected our customers much. For the most part, most of them are very patient and understanding — and we couldn’t be any more appreciative and happier for that.
How have capacity restrictions affected you and your team?
Betts: Our dining room is currently still unavailable for dine-in customers.
What has been your most-requested dish since the pandemic began? Has that changed since before the pandemic?
Betts: Our most-requested items would definitely have to be the donuts and cakes. Our donuts and pastries are our biggest-selling items. But despite the fact that lots of celebrations and weddings were canceled, our cake sales have remained consistent.
What’s one little-known fact about your restaurant?
Betts: This location has been a bakery since the early 1940s. It has such a rich history. And it really puts a smile on our faces when people are able to come and reminisce and share stories with us from decades ago about our sweet little bakery.
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What do you hope the Louisville community takes away from this experience when it comes to the restaurant industry?
Betts: I would hope that the Louisville local restaurant business community would take from this experience that customer service is number one. And if you have a great following, excellent customer service skills and a great product, no matter what happens, your customers will continue to be loyal.
Given the evolving nature of the coronavirus pandemic, our weekly restaurant review column's focus will shift for the foreseeable future. Each week, Lennie Omalza will ask the same questions of three restaurants that are fighting to adapt and survive while serving our community. Please send coverage suggestions to Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@courier-journal.com.
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