A “name your price” bread policy enacted by one Brooklyn bakery is costing the business money, but its chef says they’re not doing it for the sales.
Chef Tony Yamera of Bakery by Textbook said the business hopes to help the community with its “pay what you want” bread policy for customers.
Yarema cites the area’s rapid economic development – and in turn higher cost of living – as his reason for offering bread at low prices, saying that his ultra-discounts are part of a pay-it-forward model, in which some customers can pay more for other menu items, such as pastries or coffees, so the business can continue to give back to the community.
Good, fresh food can be hard to come by in some areas of Brooklyn, at this bakery people can pay $9 or nothing at all and still get the same fresh-baked loaf of sourdough.
Customers were initially sceptical, he admits, and the reaction on social media was brutal. “People were really trolling us, calling us ‘Commies’ and saying things like: ‘We’ll see how long this business lasts,’” said Yarema.
Source: The Sunday Times / @bakerybytextbook
https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/the-brooklyn-bakery-offering-pay-what-you-can-bread-sm6jfpclg?region=global