Dulces Bakery: Could a cloud kitchen save this business? Owners want to give it a try
“It was unbelieveable. We had the best week we’ve had in the entire eight years we’ve been in business. It was non-stop,” said Jose, who called me on Monday to tell me they were so overwhelmed by demand for their confections that they spent the weekend wondering if they could find some way to keep g
MANCHESTER, NH –Last week Jose and Angela Mojica announced they were making the tough decision to close the doors of Dulces Bakery, 87 Amherst St., on Feb. 10.
Coming back from COVID was harder than they imagined.
“Staffing was the biggest problem we had,” says Jose, who says they struggled to find counter help and an experienced baker to lend a hand to Angela, who does it all. In addition to the bakery, they have three school-age kids to manage and, some days, there was no choice but to close early or not open at all, for lack of someone to keep the ovens baking. So last week they posted on Facebook that it would be their last week.
Then, something amazing happened.
“It was unbelieveable. We had the best week we’ve had in the entire eight years we’ve been in business. It was non-stop,” said Jose, who called me on Monday to tell me they were so overwhelmed by demand for their confections that they spent the weekend wondering if they could find some way to keep going, at least through the end of the month.
“We already paid February’s rent so we thought maybe we will give it a try, as a cloud kitchen,” said Jose. “We’re gonna try going back to basics with our tres leches cakes and cups and then hopefully follow with the French macarons. It will be a pilot for us. And if it works, we will expand the menu from there.”
SLIDESHOW
One of the things that got them thinking was a call from someone in Boston who made them an offer they were able to refuse, but it also planted a seed of hope.
“They wanted to know if we wanted to do a cloud kitchen down there. That’s when I said to myself why would I do that – I have a kitchen right here,” said Jose. It wasn’t an idea he’d considered before, so he and Angela spent the weekend talking it over. A cloud kitchen would be a way to keep their dream bakery going and, hopefully, growing again.
As of now the are stil taking orders for custom birthday, wedding and special occasion cakes, and the public can order items for delivery through Door Dash or Grub Hub any time they have a craving for a tres leches cup – Angela’s signature confection that comes in a variety of flavors and yes, they are all completely addictive.
“We didn’t want to give up on our dream. But there has been a lot of stress and a lot of tears through all of this. But then after the week we had Angela and I just want to make sure we have no other option. If we can make a cloud kitchen work for a few months, hopefully by summer we can reopen the bakery to customers,” Jose said.
Although the bakery does well enough, it isn’t self-sustaining as a family business, so Jose recently went back to work, landing a full-time job at Eco-Lab to supplement their income. And while the added income is a relief, that leaves everything about the bakery on Angela’s shoulders. It’s overwhelming.
“She’s tired. It’s been a lot for her, and I told her it was up to her in the end. We talked it through and we didn’t want this to be the end, and so we agreed that a cloud kitchen would be manageable, and if we can keep it going for a few months, then I think we can find out way back,” Jose said.
“I just don’t want people to think we did something like a publicity stunt or something. This time last week we were ready to accept that it was over. But the community showed us something. They really came through, and told us they don’t want to see us go. So, we’re going to give it one more try.”
They’ve launched a new website to reflect the changes and will be open for pick-up orders Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
If you would like to pre-order bakery items for pick-up call Dulces Bakery at 603-606-2613.
