Frequently Asked Questions
General
What does vegan mean?
Are you a nut-free premises?
Are you a gluten-free premises?
Are your treats lactose-free?
Do you make sugar-free treats?
Do you make any non-vegan desserts?
Do you have a storefront that we can walk into and buy one treat?
Why are your hours so short?
Can I call ahead to have you put treats aside for me to pickup later?
Do you have birthday cakes ready for pickup?
Can I get a birthday cake with special decoration?
How do I get a wedding cake?
How can I order a birthday/specialty cake?
How can I get your treats at a shop or cafe near me?
Do you deliver?
Do you accept debit or credit cards?
Wholesale & Business-Related
How do I start a wholesale account with you?
Will you make a donation to my charity?
Can I work for you?
Can I volunteer/co-op for you?
Will you meet with me to discuss starting a business?
Weddings
How far in advance do we need to book our wedding with you?
How much do your cakes cost?
I’m on a tight budget; what can you do for us?
Do you have a photo album of cakes for us to choose from?
What can you offer instead of a wedding cake?
Which and how many flavours can we have?
Do you have cupcake stands to rent?
Do you deliver?
Can you make just the cake toppers for us?
How do I book a consultation?
What happens at the consultation?
We have already booked our cake with someone else, but have just discovered we have some dairy, egg or gluten allergies that we need to cater to. Can we order something from you for them?
Can we order a small cake from you, and then buy cheap sheet cakes from a local supermarket to make up the servings?
General
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What does vegan mean?
This means that our premises and products are 100% free of dairy and egg products, and are mostly organic. There are no animal products (or by-products) on site or in our food. The closest you’ll find is a picture of Miss Kate’s cat, which mysteriously makes its way into every photo album she makes…
- Are you a nut-free premises?
We are not a nut-free premises. There are peanut, walnut, coconut and pecan products on site. We cannot guarantee that a product is nut free. In fact, with some of the staff we have, whoever makes your treats may actually be nutty themselves… we kid, we kid! Teehee!
- Are you a gluten-free kitchen?
We are not a certified gluten-free kitchen, although we do offer gluten/wheat-free products. All precautions are taken to ensure cross contamination does not occur, but we cannot guarantee it 100%. Only you know how severe your allergy is. If it is severe, we advise you to not order from us. We don’t want to make anyone sick!
- Are your treats lactose-free?
Absolutely! No dairy means no lactose. You won’t find it anywhere in our bakery.
- Do you make sugar free treats?
We are currently working on recipes with Agave Syrup. When we create a product that meets our standards, we’ll post it immediately! Thanks for being patient with us.
Sorry, but we will never prepare any treats with artificial sweeteners.
- Do you make any non-vegan desserts?
Nope, never. We will not make any exceptions. There are plenty of fantastic non-vegan bakeries around Ottawa, and we will recommend one to you if need be.
- Do you have a storefront that we can just walk into and buy one treat?
Yes! And we would love for you to come by! Please come visit us at 507 Bronson Ave., and check our Hours page to see when we’re open!
- Why are your hours so short?
Auntie Loo’s was originally designed as a wholesale company by its owner, Amanda Lunan. When the Bronson Ave store was secured, neighbours and customers began inquiring about the shop being open to the public. We love to listen to our customers, so the store was made available to the public.
In time, as we grow, we hope to be available to you for longer hours. Thank you for supporting a small, local business!
- Can I call ahead to have you put treats aside for me to pick up later that day?
Sorry, but no! We used to be more lenient on this, but after having numerous no-shows (even after many “I PROMISE I will be there!”s), we will no longer put treats aside. We think it is unfair to withhold from the people who have specifically come to the shop to get some desserts! If you are concerned about us running out of your favourite snack, please consider ordering ahead the day before. Thank you for your understanding!
- Do you have birthday cakes ready for pickup?
All cakes must be pre-ordered, but never fear! Cakes can be ordered with as little as 24 hours’ notice, if they are of an average size and only require a simple message. Please note that if you would like to order for Saturday, place it as soon as possible as space is limited and the weekend fills up fast!
- Can I get a birthday cake with special decoration?
Absolutely, we would love to make something special for you! Any extra decor does incur further cost. Please note that we require a minimum of one week for any orders with special decoration. This applies to our simple birthday/celebration cakes, which are “buttercream” iced cakes. Larger, or fancier, cakes require much more notice (in most cases a minimum of 60 days). Please contact us for further details.
- How do I get a wedding cake?
Click here to set up a free, no obligation consultation. We have no minimum on our wedding cakes and each cake is custom created. Check out our Wedding FAQ for answers to many of your questions!
- How can I order a cake?
Cakes can be ordered from this page, coming into the shop in person, or calling us at 613-238-2566. Please make sure you have received confirmation from us before considering your order placed! We are very busy and try to respond as quickly as possible.
- How can I get your products at a shop or cafe near me?
We are always on the lookout for new vendors! Please head over to our “Find Us” page, where you will see a list of our current vendors. If you do not see what you are looking for, we have created a letter that can be printed out and given to the shop/cafe owner! Let them know there is a demand for delicious, vegan treats and send us an e-mail to let us know where you’ve dropped it off. From there, we’ll do what we can!
- Do you deliver?
We don’t currently deliver for small orders, as our base price for delivery and setup is $50. We are considering our options for courier services, and will keep you all up-to-date when we start offering this service!
- Do you accept debit or credit cards?
Yup! We’re all growed up now. We accept Debit, Visa and Mastercard (no AMEX!).
Wholesale & Business-Related
- How do I start a wholesale account with you?
It’s easy! Just contact us via email/in person/telephone, and we’ll send you our wholesale pricing and terms & conditions. If you like what you see, we can set up a meeting to get the ball rolling!
- Will you make a donation to my charity?
We at Auntie Loo’s Treats do our absolute best to give back to the community, especially as they have done so much for us. Whenever we are able, we do make charitable donations (either in the form of money, treats or gift certificates). However, we also have a quarterly, allotted charity budget that we do have to maintain, which means we cannot donate to everyone who approaches us. Please do get in touch with as much notice as possible, as we tend to allocate our donations several months in advance. Additionally, (as a hint) we are 100% more likely to make a donation to people who take the time to actually visit us & know what we’re about. We can then discuss whether we would make a good fit for their charity or event. Our likely recipients are those that support women’s rights, gay rights, and animal rights.
- Can I work for you?
We are honoured that you would be interested in working for us! We are not currently hiring, but we do keep resumes on file. It is always best to come see us in person, and bring your resume with you. We love meeting new people no matter what, so stop by!
- Can I volunteer/co-op for you?
We have, in the past, taken on volunteers and co-op students who have gone on to work for us or have been hired elsewhere with our recommendation. We are not always looking for volunteers or co-op students, but you are more than welcome to get in touch, and we can
see if we have a spot for you!
- Will you meet me to talk about starting a small business?
We’re very proud that we’ve been able to start a small, local business that has grown from the ground up, and we encourage everyone who is looking to do so as well. During our slower months (few and far between these days!) we might be available to chat, but we are not in
a position to give you advice on how to get your business up and running. Additionally, while we are thrilled to have so many people who are interested in baking contacting us about starting their own bakery, it is against our policy to show non-employees or affiliates “the ropes” so-to-speak.
- In the not-too-distant future, Mandi Loo will be launching her very own business advisory in which interested parties will pay an hourly rate to ask the questions they need answers for! We will announce when this service becomes available.
Wedding
- How far in advance do we need to book our wedding with you?
We recommend an absolute minimum of 60 days; however, we book on a first-deposit paid, first-booked basis. We only take on as many weddings a weekend that we know we can handle. Last year, we had fully booked our summer and fall dates by May. Some weekends book up much faster than others, but it is never predictable! So, bottom line… the sooner, the better!
- How much do your cakes cost?
All of our cakes are custom priced. We don’t have a minimum order requirement, and we always work within your budget to let you know what options we would be able to provide. Please do not be shy about sharing your budget; we are not going to try to get every last penny out of you!! We want to get you the most for your money, and will do what we can to get you the wedding cake of your dreams!
- I’m on a tight budget; what can you do for me?
We have a few options for you. Have you considered having a small, cutting cake and supplementing the servings with cupcakes? Alternatively, what about a display cake with our sheet cake in the back to serve to your guests? If you’d like a bigger cake than you need servings for, why not have a couple of display tiers to add to the size without having all the extra servings? The point is – there are many options we can discuss to play around with what you want in relation to your budget.
- Do you have a photo album of cakes that I can choose from?
Nope, absolutely not! We have lots of photos of cakes that we have done in the past, but these are meant to be for inspiration and a showcase of the work we’ve done. Your cake will be unique to you and your wedding; everything we do is custom-designed! We do not replicate other peoples’ work, and we do not replicate our own. When you come in for your consultation, you are more than welcome and are very much encouraged to bring in photos of cakes that you like, but we will just use these as inspiration to create something one-of-a-kind. There are always details that can be tweaked and altered to make the cake as unique as you are!
- What can you offer instead of a wedding cake?
We have a plethora of other treats that can substitute for a wedding cake! The most obvious option would be cupcakes, which can be displayed on a tiered cupcake stand. We are also able to set up a dessert bar with all kinds of different nibbles and treats for your guests’ pleasure. Be sure to head over to our Products page to see all the other options we offer! We also have Wedding Morning Breakfast Packs, which can be picked up by a friend or family member on the morning of the big day. These are an assortment of our breakfast treats, and make great snack packs as you will probably be too busy to think about getting something to eat that day!
- Which and how many flavours can we have?
All of our wedding cakes can be made using the cupcake flavours you see on our products page. We offer one flavour for each tier of cake, or one flavour for each dozen cupcakes. So go wild! We don’t charge extra for multiple flavours.
- Do you have cupcake stands to rent?
Yup! You can rent our tiered cupcake stands for $65 – a portion of which you get back when the stand is returned to us!
- Do you deliver and set-up?
Absolutely. This is a requirement for cakes 3 tiers and up. In the general Ottawa area, we charge $50 for delivery and set-up (if the cake is gigantic and we need to make multiple trips, this will increase). Outside of this area, the price will have to be calculated by mileage. We are like little cake fairies – ideally, you should not have to see us on your wedding day!
- Can you make just the cake topper for us?
Sometimes! We have to judge our workload accordingly, and will give precedence to customers purchasing their cakes from us as well. You can always send us a message to see if we’ll be available to do it for you.
- How do I book a consultation?
Use our form here! You can call or show up in person, but if Miss Kate is not around, we will request that you submit a form online anyways. We schedule our consultations on Wednesday and Friday evenings, and one Sunday a month. Alternate arrangements can be made if required.
- What happens at the consultation?
A few things! First, these consultations are complimentary for TWO people. If you want to add anybody else on to the appointment, it is an extra $5 per person. When we meet, we sit down and have a little taste test. The flavours you get are chosen at our discretion; it is an assortment of the flavours that we have available at the shop that day. If you are interested in taste testing a specific flavour, we will have to charge extra for that. If you require gluten-free tastings, please make sure you let us know in advance! From there, we discuss your wedding (date, number of guests, colours, themes), and your ideas for your wedding cake or treats. We’ll work together to create a custom design that is unique to you. Once we’ve calculated how much everything will cost, you are free to take the information home before making a decision about your order! We do not send a sketch away with you, as this protects our design creation. If you decide that you are ready to book with us (either at the consultation or at another date), then we will take a 50% deposit which will secure your date and order.
- We have already booked our cake with someone else, but have just discovered we have some dairy, egg or gluten allergies that we need to cater to. Can we order something from you for them?
Sure, we don’t mind. We require that you adhere to our minimums (i.e. A dozen cupcakes or one pan of brownies, etc). Otherwise, if you have just one guest to cater to, you can take the risk and send someone to stop by our storefront the day of the event to pick out individual treats. We do not set aside individual treats in our shop, so if you would like to make sure we have something for your guest(s) on the day, we recommend just ordering the minimum amount in advance!
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Can we order a small cake from you, and then buy cheap sheet cakes from a local supermarket to make up the servings?
We strongly advise against it. It’s not because we just want you to buy more from us, though – it is actually a very serious issue for us small-scale bakeries. Many bakeries will put a clause in their contract forbidding this practice, with good reason. As we take great pride in our cakes, we would dread to think of guests associating an inferior, previously frozen, shortening-laden product with our bakery. We make everything as fresh as possible, and use the highest quality ingredients. Additionally, how does a couple decide who will get the cheap, machine-made cake vs. the handmade, high-quality cake? However, we aren’t naive, and we know that people will just hide it from us if they intend to take part in this practice. We don’t put this clause in our contract for this reason, but we encourage couples to be open about their intent so that we can fully explain why we feel strongly about not doing this!
