A Baker’s (Vegan) Dozen Meet for Sweets at Babycakes in LA September 8, 2010

Babycakes in downtown Los Angeles is an all-natural vegan bakery that makes "mostly organic, gluten-free confections," from cupcakes and cookies, to donuts and muffins.

Vegan Ladies of LA kicked off our first Meetup on Sunday at Babycakes in downtown Los Angeles where 13 of us gathered to make new friends and enjoy what this vegan bakery is most famous for — cupcakes! I’ve been resisting tasty treats like these so long I had a hard time believing I could really indulge. Reality set in pretty quickly though. I was done with the red velvet and halfway through my carrot cupcake before I realized I forgot to get a pic of them for my blog.

Founded in New York City by Erin McKenna in 2005, Babycakes makes all-natural, “mostly organic and gluten-free confections.”

Babycakes was out of the gluten-free versions of the cupcakes I wanted so I tried the spelt flour versions instead. Spelt flour is made from a grain similar to wheat but a whole lot healthier. So I cannot vouch for the gluten-free cupcakes but the spelt flour variety were quite good. The red velvet was my favorite but I should have known better than to get the carrot. I was there to splurge and carrot cake tastes way too healthy for me.

Since I couldn't resist my red velvet and carrot cupcakes long enough to take a close-up, this is the best I can do.

Though cupcakes are their claim to fame, Babycakes also bakes:

• Cakes
• Cookies
• Cinnamon buns
• Donuts
• Brownies
• Macaroons
• Scones
• Biscuits
• Bread
• Muffins
• Apple Pie

They never use white refined sugar, opting instead for agave nectar or, for some items, unrefined sugar. And they never bake with wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, casein or eggs.

My only complaints about Babycakes are the prices and the seating.

I wanted to try the cookie sandwiches with frosting in the middle. But these were very small cookies by most anyone’s standards and they wanted five dollars for them. Instead I got two cupcakes for $6.75, still a little pricy for my generally frugal budget. As for the seating, there were just a couple of small tables inside and one slightly larger table out front that only sat four of us. We made the best of it though, so immersed in good food and great company that no one seemed to care.

That's me on the far right loving this get-together of 13 of the smart, fun, friendly Vegan Ladies of LA -- 13 of 92 that have joined since Jasmine (center) started the group less than two weeks ago!

SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW

Website/Blog — Of all the websites I have reviewed, Babycakes is hands-down the most impressive. In fact, it is one of the friendliest, cleanest, easy-to-navigate websites I’ve every seen. They’re right-on with every element, from the blog to the reviews page, to the ingredients list. The only suggestion I would make is providing more background information about founder Erin McKenna. The ”voice” of the blog is hers so a profile of her on the About Us page would be a nice touch.

Twitter — Babycakes has two Twitter pages, one for its original NYC location and another for the store in LA. Aside from a larger follower count on the NYC version, both Twitter accounts are very similar. The following-to-follower ratio could be more balanced. For instance, of the NYC Twitter page’s nearly 7,000 followers surely there are more people whose tweets Babycakes could benefit from following than just 119. The variety of tweets is pretty good, with plenty of engagement and some RTing. But many of the tweets look too much alike, as they are little more than lists of cupcake flavors, particularly on the LA page. One type of tweet Babycakes should definitely add are links to their new blog posts.

Facebook — Babycakes has two Facebook pages, though this is the one they link to on their site. More than 5,000 people “like” it and a number of people post to the wall on a regular basis. It would nice to see Babycakes engaging on the wall with their fans. This page is also missing location and contact information. The “Boxes” tab with “Discussions” can be deleted as there is nothing there and all the discussing is happening on the wall anyway. They could also use more photos, perhaps a picture for each baked item they sell, in all colors and varieties. And unless they plan on clearly designating a Facebook page for each location, I would disable the second page as having two pages is otherwise confusing. 

Though famous for their cupcakes, Babycakes makes a wide variety of baked goods, such as these scrumptious looking breads and donuts (Photo credit: Antoanet Aburto)

Yelp – As all brick-and-mortar busineses should, Babycakes has a Yelp page. Two in fact, one for the NYC location and one for LA. Both are used quite frequently, though not by Babycakes. There are a number of glowing reviews, but the negative ones (at least most recently) seem to outweigh the good. Good or bad, responding to reviews is an excellent opportunity for businesses to strengthen relationships with customers — not only with the person they are addressing directly, but also with anyone who sees that Babycakes cares enough to take the time to give a quick “thank you” or to address a negative comment, even if it is only to say something like, “We always strive for improvement and appreciate your thoughts.”

Flickr and YouTube — My research did not turn up a Flickr or YouTube page for Babycakes. Each would present an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the inherent SEO benefits. For instance, if someone is looking for a vegan red velvet cupcake recipe, perhaps Babycakes’ image of said cupcake on Flickr would turn up in the search results, presenting an opportunity for people to learn about Babycakes and click through to the website if they like.

As for YouTube, Babycakes founder Erin McKenna seems a personable type who does an excellent job of being the fun, friendly face and voice of the organization. There is tremendous potential for her to create what could be an impressive series of on-camera cooking demos, for example, that would be ideal for a YouTube Babycakes Channel.

If you’d like to try Babycakes but do not live in the LA or NYC areas, do not despair my vegan (or curious non-vegan) friend. Babycakes delivers anywhere in the country via Federal Express.

And this just in today from Babycakes’ blog. Soon I won’t have to fight the traffic to get to Babycakes downtown, as they’re looking to expand close by, in West Hollywood!

Special thanks to Antoanet for letting me share a couple of her pictures here. You can follow her on Twitter @ChicaVegan.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

Subscribe to My Blog

Follow me on Twitter

The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, please see my Social Media Action Plans.

Eating Real Food Daily in L.A. June 26, 2010

To my surprise, Real Food Daily is the only vegan restaurant in L.A. where everything on the menu is guaranteed organic.

Since learning that more than 90 percent of soy grown in the U.S. is genetically modified (GMO), my days of eating just anything labeled “vegan” are over. In other words, just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean it’s good for me. Nine out of 10 times, I’m choosing organic now, regardless of price. Because if it’s genetically modified, it’s not organic and cannot be labeled as such.

The generous offering of vegan restaurants is one of the many things that attracted me to L.A., but as I discovered after eating there, Real Food Daily (RFD) is the only vegan restaurant in the L.A. area that is 100 percent organic! Fortunately there are two locations, in Santa Monica and West Hollywood.

Though I’d heard of RFD before my move here, it was Vegan Food Critic Jazz Siebert who introduced me to the place last week. We met at the West Hollywood location on La Cienega for a lovely visit and fine vegan fare to match.

The customer service there is exemplary: the hostess who seated us was as sweet as her smile suggested, and our lovely server met our every need with grace and ease.

As for the food, I had the Spicy BLT Wrap chock-full of the thickest, richest “bacon” I’ve ever had, vegan or otherwise. Matched with a spicy vegenaise and Caesar salad, it made for one of those meals you’re still thinking about many days after. I followed it up with a root beer float that could have used more of the vanilla ice cream that is the richest and creamist vegan variety I’ve ever tried.

Real Food Daily was founded by Ann Gentry who, 25 years ago, recognized the need for a higher standard of vegeterian food in America. She started RFD as a home delivery service before opening the first restaurant in Santa Monica in 1993 and the second in West Hollywood in 1998. Today, everything on the menu is available for take-out and catering.

As the only all-organic vegan restaurtant in L.A., RFD attracts a number of health-conscious veg celebrities. In fact, founder Ann Gentry is something of a celebrity herself. Not only is she the author of The Real Food Daily Cookbook, but she has her own show on the Veria Channel called Naturally Delicious.

As for my mini Social Media Action Plan for Real Food Daily, it would be built upon what is already an exceptional social media presence:

The website/blog. The website is easy to navigate and effectively positions Ann Gentry as the face and voice of RFD, including her own blog. The social media icons are prominently displayed and an interactive element invites visitors to share their RFD stories for their possible inclusion on the website. The menu is also provided in its entirety, and you can place your order online.

I had the Spicy BLT Wrap chock-full of the thickest, richest "bacon" I've ever had, vegan or otherwise. Matched with a spicy vegenaise and Caesar salad, it made for one of those meals you're still thinking about many days after.

Beyond that, I would suggest adding a Blog button into the main navigation at the top and bottom of the page. I would also suggest that each blog post include a picture or video element. Also, since RFD has its own YouTube Channel, I would add the YouTube icon to the left margin beside the Twitter, Facebook and RSS feed buttons. Same goes for the Flickr icon, if and when RFD creates its own Flickr account.

To each blog post, I would also suggest adding share buttons, such as the Facebook “Like” button and Twitter’s “Retweet” button at the very least.

Twitter. Not only does RFD update its Twitter page regularly with fun, interesting posts, but they engage and RT others. Their following/follower ratio is good, though they do have room to follow many more people without getting anywhere close to the preferred 1:5 to 1 ratio. They have yet to create any lists yet though, which would serve RFD well to help organize the people they want to follow closely and engage with on a regular basis.

Facebook. Overall, RFD’s Facebook page is exemplary, including an RSS feed of Ann’s blog, posting of RFD events and an impressive collection of photos. The video page is blank though. And while it may be by design, the menu is noticeably missing.

YouTube. When I learned that Ann has her own TV show, I had high hopes for RFD’s YouTube page. As of this writing though, there are just 6 videos uploaded, so there is much room for growth to make the most of YouTube’s potential for SEO benefits and driving traffic to the RFD site.

Vegan Food Critic Jazz Siebert (left) introduced me (right) to Real Food Daily. Check out her review of RFD, and other vegan restaurants, at TheVeganVerdict.com.

Flickr. In searching Real Food Daily on Flickr, a number of pictures turn up in the search results, but by other users. Real Food Daily does not appear to have its own Flickr page. Though seeing pictures of food taken by customers is helpful, RFD would surely benefit more from presenting its own professional photos of its signature dishes. Plus, they could then take advantage of the SEO benefits, while also encouraging click-throughs directly to the RFD website.

Yelp. As expected, RFD’s Yelp presence is impressive. Both the Santa Monica and West Hollywood locations have their own Yelp pages, each of which have more than 300 reviews, the vast majority of them positive.

Of course, what’s more important than Real Food Daily’s social media presence is the food itself. For more on that check out Jazz Siebert’s Yummy review of RFD.

By the way, I noted some Yelp reviewers suggesting RFD is overpriced. For instance, my Spicy BLT Wrap with Caesar salad was $10.75. However, since this is the only vegan restaurant in L.A. where I am guaranteed an all-0rganic meal no matter what I order, I think the peace of mind (and body) that comes with that is well worth the price indeed.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

Subscribe to My Blog

Follow me on Twitter