Tuesday, March 29, 2011

We Finally Got A Piece Of The Pie

This weekend, The Cupcake Gallery is getting a sibling:  The Uptown Pie Company.  Opening on April 2nd, it'll be located in the same space as The Cupcake Gallery (1319 West Wilson) and will have the same baker/owner, Darius Williams.  You can check out its website for prices and flavors.  We cannot wait!

Update:  A piece of the pie -- at 25% off.  That's the deal Darius is offering to Uptown Update readers.  Click on the coupon below and print it out to get a discount on Grand Opening Day only, Saturday, April 2nd.  Can't wait to try your wares, Mr. Pie Man.

17 comments:

  1. Wow. Check out their website, and just reminded myself of the fact that I haven't had any good pie in quite some time.May the drooling begin...

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  2. It's such a shame that the owner of the Cupcake Gallery has treated some of his customers so poorly, because honestly... I would love some tasty pie in addition to another chance to support a local business.

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  3. I hope this business does well. I tried the cupcakes a few times and was not impressed. I'll give the pie a go and see if that redeems anything.

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  4. Jamie,

    I've been there a few times and I think Darius is great. He always strikes up conversation and he's always super helpful. Did you tell him how you feel? I couldn't imagine him not trying to please a customer.

    Meanwhile - I can't wait for the pies. The cupcakes are always tasty (Elvis and Strawberry Shortcake are my all time faves)

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  5. Did Darius just post pretending to be someone else?? Only neglected to create a different user?

    Not cool!

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  6. For those who weren't around back then, UU, here's what your headline might sound like.

    We Finally Got A Piece Of The Pie

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  7. Nope - I'm not pretending...it's really me! Jamie and her husband Rodney used to be great customers. There was some misunderstanding. I reached out a few times. I didn't get anything in return but bad Yelp reviews. I've tried numerous times, but, they won't talk to me.

    No lie, The Elvis and Strawberry Shortcake are my faves!

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  8. Hate to say it, but the Cupcake Gallery has gone downhill. The first 3 or 4 times my wife and I visited, the cupcakes were amazing. After the month long vacation, when then “fancy” flavors were added, their mission seemed to turn more towards quantity rather than quality. Unfortunately, I cant say that I’ve had a good cupcake from there since last summer.

    I wish them the best over there at CG and Uptown Pies, but I hope the pie business doesn’t take away from the quality of the cupcakes even more.

    And to respond to the previous post about the owner not treating people well...that kinda stinks. I can’t say I’ve ever been treated bad, just indifferent. You can see it reflected in the Yelp reviews...bad or flaky service...declining quality...etc.

    Also, is it me, or does the owner seem to like to bite off more than he can chew? The Sugar Whip (cupcake truck) is no more. The Lunch Machine (lunch truck) has been talked about since last year, but hasn’t rolled out. The deal website “localholla.com” was supposed to launch in February, but has yet to. And like I said before, I hate to say it, because I like to see local business succeed. I just think he needs to take a step back and figure out one business, perfect that, then maybe worry about starting up all these other ones.

    PS—It is kinda strange for him to post as a customer using his own “Everyday Cookin” account. Isn’t doing himself any favors...just making him look bad.

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  9. Rick,
    Appears that you are correct. Maybe an associate or employee of his is posting under his profile? Benefit of the doubt for now.

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  10. Except, ChiTownPhilly, that he says it WAS him.

    If he had posted as himself and just explained the situation or talked to Jamie sincerely, it would have looked better. But for now, it looks dishonest and awkward.

    The cupcakes are delicious. I'm a fan of the Elvis, but I'm also a fan of honesty.

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  11. I have been to Cupcake Gallery several times, and while I appreciate having them in the neighborhood, their prices do not match their quality. Some of their cupcakes are good, others are so-so. If I am going to pay $3 or even $4 for one cupcake, I expect it to be delicious.

    I will stop by to try a slice of pie for $3.50. But, paying $21 for a apple pie is over twice what Whole Foods changes using organic ingredients. I hope I am impressed.

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  12. I really love Cupcake Gallery and I'm happy to have them in Uptown.

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  13. Cub Reporter, your pie price comparison is unfair. You should really be comparing the price of a slice at Uptown Pie to the price of a slice at Whole Foods - if you can even buy it by the slice there.

    That said, the cupcake prices seem awfully high for the quality. Molly's Cupcakes in Lincoln Park are WAY better and right at the same price point.

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  14. rick: yes, it appears he did with his first post.

    Darius, the issue I have is that yes, we were GREAT customers and even referred you many customers at NW via your truck. The fact that you consider suddenly not responding to FB messages regarding the order of cupcake for our Wedding- 2 WEEKS before the wedding as a "misunderstanding" says quite a lot. This was our wedding and it was a HUGE deal for us and we had to scramble at the last minute and find a new baker. You simply replied with a "sorry about that" and gave me some lame excused that you "never check your FB messages" though oddly you had asked me via FB message for our finaly list of flavors. Nevermind that we had DOZENS of FB message exchanges that you responded to in a very timely manner. Maybe 8 dozen isn't a large enough order to bother with when you are scheduled to go on vacation. You should have told us that WEEKS or MONTHS before on the many occasions we came into your store, bought cupcakes and discussed things.
    Luckily for us, after calling half a dozen bakeries that could not accomodate us on such a short notice, a friend of a friend heard about our situation and worked miracles for our wedding day.

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  15. Yikes, sounds like a really bad and personal situation. I'm certainly sorry you had that experience... Sounds awful.

    But this is a post about pie and a coupon to boot :)

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  16. Actually, Meg, it wasn't a personal situation, it was a BUSINESS situation.
    Sadly, several other individuals have found themselves in similar situations and it really breaks my heart because there was/is so much potential and the neighborhood could really profit from great local businesses.

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