Luxury Cafe Owner - Chapter 35 Serving Coffee Cake

Alan considered not opening the door, but it was Tom, his first and most loyal customer, so he opened the door and let him inside.

“I thought you were open.” Tom said immediately, dissatisfied.

Alan shook his head. “What gave you that idea?”

“I had my employee stand out here and call me when you opened. He said you had just opened.” Tom explained. He frowned as he said this.

Alan realized what had happened, and noticed the frown at the same time. “None of that. I really did just come back and unlock the cafe. Don’t blame your employee for not realizing I was going to lock it back up.”

Tom shook his head, dismissing Alan. “In any case, why aren’t you opening yet?”

Alan explained. “I had something to do this morning, and I just got back. Normally I would open right now, but I still need time to prepare today as I’m introducing coffee cake to the menu.”

The dissatisfied look on Tom’s face washed away as he heard there would be food. “Well, don’t let me stop you. Tell you what, just serve me a coffee and I’ll sit over here quietly,” He said while gesturing to one of the leather armchairs. “I’ll drink it while you make the cake. It’s your normal opening hours anyways so it shouldn’t break a rule right?”

Alan thought about it. If it was a different customer he wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them unattended in the cafe, but it was Tom.

Tom waited anxiously as Alan thought.

Finally, Alan nodded his head. “That should be fine.” He turned and went to make Tom a cup of coffee while Tom breathed a sigh of relief.

He already relied on Alan’s coffee to start his day. Sitting down, he put his cash on the counter for Alan to collect when he got back.

When Alan came back with a cup of coffee, Tom spoke briefly. “It would probably be a good idea to make the coffee cake earlier so you could serve it first thing in the morning.”

Alan gave no reaction, but Tom didn’t give up. “No, really, think about it. You’ll be able to earn more money if you can serve it to customers who come in early to get coffee. It’s just common sense.”

Alan waved him off. “Alright, I get it. That was my plan to begin with. I just had something to do this morning. Going forward there will be coffee cake available when the cafe opens at its usual hour.”

Tom nodded in satisfaction before sipping on his coffee. “Well, don’t let me keep you.” He took his coffee and went to one of the leather armchairs.

Alan shook his head, bemused by this unique customer. Then he went into the kitchen and began preparing the cake. After setting it in the oven and setting a time on his phone, he went back into the main area. Tom remained seated in the armchair, seemingly involved in a phone call.

The bell on the door rang as the door opened and a familiar face walked in. It was Claire. Alan greeted her and asked, “The usual?” She nodded her head and handed over her credit card which he charged. Then he went and prepared her a cup of coffee. As he walked back out he saw she had taken her usual seat in the armchairs.

Walking over to her he handed her the cup of coffee and turned around to go back behind the counter. However, she stopped him as he began to walk back.

“Is the coffee cake available?” She asked him, lifting her chin in the direction of the menu on the chalkboard.

Alan turned back and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I was delayed this morning, and the coffee cake is still in the oven. It will be available in another hour or so. Going forward it will be available from the moment the cafe opens.”

Claire nodded her understanding, then as per usual pulled out documents and began editing them while she sipped her coffee. Alan went back to the counter.

They say a watched pot never boils, but apparently a watched cake eventually bakes. As Alan felt Tom’s eyes follow his every movement, he checked his phone and saw the timer was just about up. He went into the kitchen and pulled the cake out. He tested it really quickly, inserting a thin piece of wood into the cake and removing it. No dough was stuck to the wood. He quickly put it on the cooling rack.

The smell of cinnamon sugar and freshly baked cake filled the air and spread into the cafe, mingling with the smell of coffee. Tom took a deep breath, his mouth watering at the smell. Even Claire looked up from her documents, momentarily distracted.

Alan waited for the cake to cool slightly and walked back out.

Immediately he was accosted by Tom, who was waiting for him. “Is it ready?”

Alan nodded his head. “Would you like to order a slice?”

Tom nodded his head, checking the menu. He hadn’t actually looked at it earlier since Alan had directly told him the coffee cake would be there. He saw the price of the coffee cake and was surprised. “Only $5 for a slice of the cake?” He felt that the pricing seemed to be off.

“Unlike the coffee, the ingredients for the cake are average. $5 is already taking into account my perfect cooking method. Otherwise it would probably only be $3 per slice.” Alan explained.

Tom gave him a look of understanding.

Alan went back into the kitchen and cut a slice of cake for Tom. Then he put it on a plate and carried it back out into the cafe to serve his first slice of coffee cake in the cafe.