Mavs Cakes & Bakes - Small food biz coping with COVID19

[00:00:07] Hey, I'm Simone known as the Heart Chef and I'm speaking with small business owners to find out how they're coping with quarantine

[00:00:14] With lockdown and all the drastic after effects of the coronavirus

[00:00:20] So join me as I speak with a couple of very interesting food entrepreneurs and find out how they're doing

[00:00:27] Hi, so I'm talking to Marvoni and Peters of Mavs Cakes and Bakes an amazing bakery in Bandra that

[00:00:40] Produces all kinds of delicious decadent creations not just sweet stuff, but also

[00:00:46] amazing pork roasts and

[00:00:48] Incredibles burgers and sandwiches and what have you but that's not what we're going to get into today

[00:00:54] I'm going to be talking to Marv. That's what everyone lovingly calls her

[00:00:58] About how her business has been affected by COVID-19 corona lockdown quarantine and all that jazz. Hi, ma'am. How are you doing?

[00:01:07] I'm good girl. How are you doing? I'm good as good as can be after being in lockdown

[00:01:15] Losing my marbles a little bit but trying to stay sane and that's why I thought this is a good time to reach out and find out how my friends are doing and

[00:01:23] Of course friends with small businesses is what the series is about

[00:01:26] So I want to ask you've been shot for two and a half months

[00:01:30] You are one of my friends with the small business who decided not to stay open

[00:01:34] So tell me why you took that decision

[00:01:36] Simply because the boys have kids at home

[00:01:41] One of the guys live he lives all the way in Nigha and he has two small children

[00:01:47] So obviously that that wasn't an option at all to ask him to come into work

[00:01:53] Star has old parents at home too

[00:01:56] So I just don't want to take a chance with them and of course I have kids at home

[00:02:02] Definitely don't want to take the chance with anything

[00:02:04] So the family became priority that you know above job and above profits and about breaking even and keeping the business running

[00:02:11] Yes, you didn't want to expose young kids. You didn't want to expose older parents and how big is your stuff?

[00:02:19] We're about four people

[00:02:21] Okay, so this would have multiplied into that many people risking exposure

[00:02:26] Exactly. Yes. Okay. So then was it a difficult decision to make?

[00:02:30] Considering that you are a small business and you know being shot even for a week

[00:02:35] Translates into a lot of losses. Did you know at that time how long lockdown would last?

[00:02:40] We didn't really think that it would last so long but

[00:02:45] Yeah, it was really difficult for us. I mean they said okay just a month and it we would be fine

[00:02:53] But now that it's extended. Yeah, things are really bad

[00:02:56] Tell me how bad because when we're thinking now you're in a food business, right?

[00:03:00] So you already have a lot of perishables your inventory needs to always be I know you you're obsessive

[00:03:06] So I know that if your stuff is not super fresh you you don't accept it. You don't lower your standards

[00:03:11] So what do you do with all the stuff man?

[00:03:14] So we actually had to throw away a lot of stuff from the refrigerator

[00:03:22] No one could really take it home because everything happened so quickly

[00:03:27] So

[00:03:28] Yeah, we just had to get rid of everything the only thing that's probably

[00:03:33] There is just stuff like cocoa powder which doesn't really have an expiry or anything

[00:03:38] But yeah long term shelf life stuff. Yes, but yeah

[00:03:42] We had to throw away a lot of stuff empty all the refrigerators and get rid of all the meats and

[00:03:49] Everything that was there in it. So yeah, that was a major major loss over there

[00:03:54] That just hurts my brain on so many levels because you're using

[00:03:58] Gana she's using imported meats, you know, Oscar Maya

[00:04:03] Strips, yeah, yeah all this beautiful frosting you have incredible ingredients. Oh my god

[00:04:10] I can't imagine the loss and also your butter and all the most basic things that

[00:04:15] Yes, the dairy items took a major hit. So if we look at numbers

[00:04:20] We're talking a loss roughly off how much if you can put a number to it

[00:04:27] Honestly girl, I don't know that

[00:04:29] Shit and let's not probably say it out loud because you'll probably feel more depressed

[00:04:33] That's a lot of lot of stuff which means

[00:04:37] That's definitely made our dent in your in your savings as well because are you are you continuing to pay?

[00:04:43] Salaries for your stuff or did they have an understanding that they would get paid once they came back to work?

[00:04:48] No, we're still paying salaries and we will continue to pay salaries on

[00:04:54] Until we open I do not want to stop paying people. Yeah

[00:04:59] That's a pain the rent at the store and everything. Yeah, I

[00:05:04] Did not expect anything less from you because I mean and your mom with with two kids and you're

[00:05:10] You know managing yourself with all of these crazy restrictions and still you've stuck guns and you're like that's it

[00:05:17] My team is my family. I'm not gonna let them down. That's amazing. Yes. Yes

[00:05:21] But clearly this is not being reciprocated by the people who are providing services

[00:05:25] Like I believe Adani sent you a shameless bill for the two and a half months that your studio has been shot for

[00:05:32] 14,000 rupees

[00:05:35] 14,000 rupees what was your normal normal electricity bill when you were functioning fully function?

[00:05:41] So we would get a bill of around seven to eight thousand rupees

[00:05:45] So what they've done is because they can't come and check the meter. They're just sending us an estimated bill

[00:05:51] Which is ridiculous because I mean I what am I supposed to risk going there to the store to get a picture of the meter and send it to them?

[00:06:00] Wow, and they've clearly inflated it by doubling the the previous amount and saying okay, just pay us 14 grand

[00:06:07] Yes, yes, so that's crazy. Yeah. Wow. Wow so much for support during COVID

[00:06:13] And in terms of future plans now you are

[00:06:19] Considering opening up. I mean what what's the deal over there? Have you decided a date or are you waiting for some information?

[00:06:25] We're just waiting for some information to see

[00:06:28] If there are any more restrictions that are coming up

[00:06:32] But yes, we should open quickly. We'll probably open just for a few hours during the day to see how it goes

[00:06:40] But yes, we will be back soon and only take away obviously no no dining at the at the studio, which is

[00:06:48] Yeah, so we just do take away so now a lot of people have been messaging us calling us

[00:06:54] Okay, it's a food and everything and we missed actually a major major season

[00:07:00] I mean we missed Easter where we got we have so many orders and everything

[00:07:05] Easter eggs that were going out and

[00:07:07] We just had to say no we can't do it this year. So yeah, that was a major loss for us Easter

[00:07:14] But yeah, we'll be back soon

[00:07:18] All your fans must be like dying for your food because you had regulars who would order in meals and you know

[00:07:25] Not just celebration things but on a regular basis not just cakes not just Easter stuff

[00:07:30] So I'm wondering how you know that has affected everyone because

[00:07:35] Bandra a lot of places shut down and I think

[00:07:40] But

[00:07:43] Asking us when we're opening it's also the people in the area who are waiting to see us they're like when are you guys coming back?

[00:07:49] Oh

[00:07:51] Duggos catwalks that you see yeah

[00:07:55] Yeah, yeah, yeah, but stastel goes in and he feeds everybody so yeah

[00:08:00] He lives nearby. He's walking

[00:08:03] Starr is walking distance. Yeah, but yeah, we still kind of take care of them

[00:08:07] There are some nice people in the area who helps take care of them as well

[00:08:11] So yeah, we still have the cats and the dogs there to feed

[00:08:14] Okay, that is at least some welcome good news

[00:08:17] And and start the person star that mavis referring to constantly is Stalin who is really a star

[00:08:25] He's he's very very talented and extremely

[00:08:29] Wacky with all his cake decoration and all of the absolute minute

[00:08:35] Work that he does detailed work and yeah, we'll talk about him later though

[00:08:39] But I guess he's a star on so many levels if he's taking care of the cats and dogs and mavis

[00:08:43] Really, I'm looking forward to myself for you opening up and when I can come to Bandra and hang with you and eat all your delicious stuff

[00:08:50] so all the best and

[00:08:52] Good luck because I guess it's gonna be also a little

[00:08:55] strenuous when you open up to

[00:08:57] Kind of you know with all the social distancing the gloves the

[00:09:01] Mass sanitization and yeah

[00:09:04] It will probably be a bit of a strain and also start traveling from other parts of the city to come to work

[00:09:10] Yeah, hope it all kind of you know falls into place seamlessly

[00:09:15] Yeah, that more importantly in fact most importantly that you recover all of the money that's been lost because of this all the best

[00:09:22] Yeah, thank you for talking to me. Thank you so much. You have a good evening man. You do it. Bye