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No ‘Happy Birthday’ On Cake? Netizen Says Bengaluru’s Theobroma Forces Customers To Buy Cake Toppers

Theobroma Bengaluru

Cover Image Courtesy: @ritujoon2j/X

Theobroma is one of the best-known patisseries and bakeries in India and is known for its home-style baked goods and desserts. But the patisserie is making waves online for the wrong reasons after one of its outlets in Bengaluru allegedly denied writing “Happy Birthday” on a cake and asked a customer to buy a topper for it. Here’s what happened and what netizens are saying.

Theobroma Bengaluru Refuses To Write ‘Happy Birthday’ On Cake

Ritu Joon, a content creator, recently visited Theobroma in HSR, Bengaluru, to buy a birthday cake. She asked them to write “Happy Birthday Ritu Joon” on it, but the shopkeeper there refused. She was told that they could write the name but not “Happy Birthday” on the cake.

This confused Ritu, as almost all bakeries do not refuse such a simple request to write a greeting on a cake. The shopkeeper at Theobroma asked Ritu to buy a “Happy Birthday” cake topper from their shop, which she could place on the cake. Ritu was quite angry and even wrote, “What is this new technique to force customers to buy these things?” in her social media post. The X user also posted a picture of the cake toppers the shopkeeper asked her to buy.

Also Read: India’s Brownie Empire, Theobroma To Be Acquired By ChrysCapital For ₹2,410 Crore

Netizens React To Cake Topper Incident

Naturally, netizens were quite angry, as they believed that refusing to write “Happy Birthday” and asking a customer to buy a separate cake topper they do not need is simply a technique to mint more money.

One user wrote,  “Capitalism makes these lot do stupid stuff.” Another mentioned that many brands have started adding tricks and loopholes to their discounts to confuse customers. A third user wrote, “It’s a big funded company now… go to smaller bakers, and they’ll treat you better.”

Another user mentioned that “Even normal bakers do that without fuss and said that it is “all business.” It seems no one thought it was normal to refuse to write “Happy Birthday” on a cake, since many people ask bakeries to do so.

Brand Issues A Statement

Theobroma has now issued a statement regarding the matter. In a statement, the bakery shared that, “At Theobroma, our customers are at the heart of what we do, and we want them to feel valued and cared for, especially when they choose us to be part of their special occasions. Given the limited writing space on some of our cakes, our teams have been instructed to write only the recipient’s name so that the cake remains well presented.

For celebratory messages such as ‘Happy Birthday’ or ‘Happy Anniversary’, our teams offer a cake topper as an additional option. Cake toppers are entirely optional and many customers have found them convenient as they are aesthetically pleasing and reusable.”

They also mentioned that the brand remains committed to making every celebration positive and memorable for customers.

Also Read: Bengaluru’s Basque Bakery Claps Back At Customer Over ₹5,250 Dessert Bill, Calls Her ‘Illegitimate Influencer’

What do you think about this? Have you ever faced a refusal like this at a bakery?

Cover Image Courtesy: @ritujoon2j/X

FAQs

What is a cake topper?

A cake topper is a decoration placed on top of a cake. It usually comes with a message or design.

What is Theobroma?

Theobroma is a popular Indian patisserie and bakery known for baked goods and desserts.

What does Theobroma sell?

Ashmeet Guliani: Ashmeet Guliani is a Content Writer at Curly Tales with over three years of experience writing about food, travel, fashion, and lifestyle. With a B.Sc in Home Economics from the University of Delhi, her interest in reading and writing led her to pursue a career in writing. In her free time, she explores cafes, browses bookstores, listens to Hindi retro songs, and watches K-dramas!