Boo to Bonatt's

After my visit to Art In The Park, my next logical stop before leaving lovely Harwich Port was my annual pilgrimage to Bonatt’s Restaurant and Bakery in the heart of town. 

I had to have my meltaways.  They are to my breakfast what a lobster is to my lunch (and dinner, for that matter).  Like most people who visit the Cape, I have a list of “must dos.”  To omit any one item on the list is to invite a year of regret and longing for having allowed such a catastrophe.  Not going to happen.

So, before I know it, I’m standing in line at the bakery, eager to taste them once again.  I hear the person in front of me order a meltaway only to be told by the woman behind the counter – we’re all out of them!   At 10:30am.  How  could this possibly be, the customer said, expressing dismay and shock.   Straining to hear what the woman said, I heard the explanation that pretty much went like this:

We open at 6:30 and make 15 trays of them.  We also have a restaurant to run and other things to do. 

The tone and inflection and body language that constituted her reply clearly said to all – we don’t care.  My ears must be lying to me I thought.  What other possible explanation could there possibly be for not having meltaways for sale – in a bakery – at 10:30 in the morning?  It’s a bakery, for Chrissake.

Then, to add insult to the injury inflicted on this poor customer, the woman said that she was a member of the family that bought back the restaurant and bakery a few years ago.  She was in the Bonatt family!  As if to insinuate, well, we know best what’s good for our business. 

Then, to lamely slap a band-aid on the situation, she told the customer that if they really wanted meltaways later in the morning, to call early and reserve them for later pick up.  Note:  my daughter, despite her vow to never again cross the Bonatt threshold, called the next day to reserve a dozen meltaways.  She no sooner put in her order than the clerk hung up on her….never asked her for her phone number or name or time of pick up….she just acknowledged the order with an “OK,” and hung up.  You can’t make this up.

Now, I’m no expert on how to run a business, but how can they not realize the truth right before them.  Bonatt’s is famous for its meltaways.  Near and far, people know Bonatt’s for the meltaway.  Every year, people come from all over God’s creation for one thing only…to sample that unique pastry that can only be found at Bonatt’s. In other words, to the thousands who visit Cape Cod, Bonatt’s means Meltaways!

The first rule of business…provide to the customer what they want.  Period.  There is no second rule.  If you can’t follow rule #1, you will soon find out that no other rules matter.  If you make 15 trays and you run out (especially before 10:30am), then make 20.  If you still run out, make 25.  Repeat this recipe until you have leftovers.  Then, be a good citizen and give them to a food bank.

Now I have no idea how the new family run Bonatt’s is doing business wise, but the folks in line that day constituted a large group of upset customers.  Keep that mantra up for too long a period of time and watch them all disappear.  It appears that the new generation of Bonatts have learned nothing from their family founders.  We’ll see what next year brings.  Given the indifferent attitude I witnessed, I’m not very hopeful.

Mark Twain Quote:  “There are two times in a man’s life when he should not speculate:  when he can’t afford it, and when he can.”