08/05/2026
Can we have an honest conversation?
This isn't just about The Butcher & The Baker.
We've experienced it ourselves, and we've heard the same stories from other businesses and service workers. Somewhere along the way, being rude to the person behind the counter, on the phone, or answering a message has become almost normal.
It shouldn't be.
The overwhelming majority of our customers are incredible. You encourage us, support us, chat and laugh with us and remind us every day why we chose to build this business. This post isn't about you. It's about the moments that have become far too common over the last few months.
"We're sold out."
"We couldn't/can't get that."
"That's our price."
"No."
Those may not be the answers someone wants to hear, but they're honest answers. Honesty should never be met with disrespect.
Here's what many people never see.
You see a box of peaches or crawfish. We see the hundreds of miles driven, the fuel, the loading, the unloading, the electric bill and the risk of bringing them here.
You see a loaf of fresh bread. We see late nights, early mornings, and hours of work so it's fresh.
You see a price tag. We see payroll, insurance, utilities, taxes, thousands a month in credit card fees so a card can be used, equipment, spoilage, and the decision to pay our employees a livable wage because we believe people deserve to be valued.
You see a specialty product. We see days of phone calls, supplier relationships, planning, and taking a chance because we want our community to have something different.
None of that is required.
We choose it.
We choose the long hours.
We choose the extra trips.
We choose the risk.
We choose to invest in this community because we believe it's worth investing in.
Today, we're also choosing to set a boundary.
You will not be rude or disrespectful to our employees, our family, or our children over peaches, special orders, pricing, products, or anything else for that matter.
If you have a question, ask us. If you disagree, let's talk. If you think we made a mistake, tell us. We'll own it and make it right. Don't like our prices, we'll explain them.
But disrespect is not part of the conversation.
Our employees are family. Our children are watching how adults treat other people. Adults bullying children is never ok to me. No sale is worth teaching any of them that being mistreated is simply "part of the job."
If we continue to see these services met with disrespect, we'll have to reevaluate whether we continue offering them. Not because we don't care, but because no product, no special order, and no sale is worth sacrificing the people who make this business possible.
We aren't setting this boundary because we want to lose customers. We're setting it because we refuse to lose ourselves trying to keep them.
We'll keep working hard. We'll keep telling the truth. We'll keep investing in this community. We'll just do it while standing behind the people who make it all possible.
That's who we are.
Let's remember, Businesses don't always close because they ran out of money.
Sometimes they close because the people behind them ran out of hope, joy, and the belief that what they were doing still mattered.
