A bakery’s worst nightmare has got to be a WeightWatchers phenomenon sweeping through its customers. Reporter ALAN WOODS investigates one innovative solution.
CRUMBS bakery in Bexley Road, Northumberland Heath, has served the parents and pupils of Erith School for years.
Selling treats from sausage rolls to doughnuts, everything was well until the year turned and the month of the annual new-year diets arrived.
The founding of a WeightWatchers group by one of the bakery’s regular customers did not help and baker Debbie McFaul soon found her customers working out rather than buying doughnuts.
In order to combat her dwindling customer base, Mrs McFaul decided to launch her own range of WeightWatchers products in January.
The 47-year-old bakery owner explained: “Everybody just thinks it’s all high fat food in a bakery so I thought it would be a good idea to make a range of products that are suitable for everybody.
“So many customers were saying to me ‘I can’t have one because I’m on a diet.’ “The range has been really popular - I can’t keep up with orders for it.
“I have found a niche market even though I didn’t mean to.”
Mrs McFaul uses WeightWatchers magazines and recipes from the internet to make her range of home-made cakes and soups.
Crucially these products have a low ‘points count’ as every WeightWatchers user has a limited number of points to consume daily.
The cakes in the WeightWatchers range are smaller than the regular fat-filled treats on offer but they come at a fraction of the price too - just 30p each.
Mrs McFaul continued: “It’s not just WeightWatchers' people buying them.
“I’ve found if a customer wants a smaller cake, for example for a child, they’re buying them too - a lot of people also want a cake but not a big one.
“As well, if you’re watching your money you can get a cake and it’s cheaper than the average.”
Jo Cole, founder of the Northumberland Heath WeightWatchers group, says she is thrilled her friend Debbie’s new business idea has become so successful.
The 33-year-old, who lives in St John's Road, Erith, said: “Debbie came down to my meeting and gave free samples out to the members and got lots of great feedback from customers as well.
“I was always in the bakery buying sausages rolls and sugar doughnuts but now I can go in and get something nice that is within the boundaries of what I can have.”
More than 40 members have already enjoyed the low-calorie range.
The WeightWatchers group meets every Friday at 6:30pm in the Northumberland Heath Children’s Centre, in Brook Street.
WeightWatchers members now eat:
Lemon macaroons
Chocolate brownies (small)
Cranberry and white chocolate cookies
Carrot and ginger soup
Spicy tomato soup
WeightWatchers members used to eat:
Sausage rolls (lots of them)
Sugar doughnuts
Chocolate cake
Chocolate eclairs
Iced fingers
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