Basque Bakery, a premium pastry shop in Bengal’s Koramangala, has responded to a wave of online criticism it faced for what many social media users described as “rude” and dismissive responses to customers who called the brand overpriced.
The controversy erupted after screenshots of the bakery’s scathing reactions to Instagram comments began circulating widely, eventually making their way to Reddit. In one such exchange that went viral, the bakery responded to a critic by saying, “Bad math, bad, bad vocabulary. Bye,” after a user left a lengthy comment questioning the brand’s prices, online reviews and claims that it caters to a niche audience.
The response sparked intense backlash, with many netizens accusing the bakery of arrogance and unprofessional behaviour, particularly towards customers questioning value for money.
As criticism mounted, the founders of Basque Bakery — best known for their burnt cheesecakes — addressed the issue directly in a detailed Instagram post, defending their tone and explaining why they felt compelled to react the way they did.
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“WE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE RECENT BACKLASH AROUND A COMMENT WE MADE ON ONE OF OUR REELS,” the statement began. Acknowledging the backlash, the founders added: “We understand that our response was bold. However, we are equally aware of derogatory comments such as ‘overpriced’ and ‘tasteless.’ This is our moment to share our side of the story. We would like to break down the reality of our brand’s situation.”
The founders claimed in the post that what they were experiencing was part of what they described as a growing “scam culture” where small and independent businesses are routinely targeted online. They also claimed that many visitors only come to their store to take photos without buying, and later accuse the staff of being rude.
“A significant number of people visit the store just to take a photo without making a purchase and disrespect the staff and then make manipulative claims of rudeness when they are not having fun,” the note said. The founders also cited a pattern of repeat visitors who keep coming back despite negative impressions of the brand.
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They went on to say, “We realized that authentic talent, especially at the brand level, is deeply undervalued and undervalued in our country due to the normalization of the culture of fraud.”
The statement also highlighted the bakery’s internal practices, with the founders saying their kitchen follows “meditative” processes and maintains what they described as Michelin-level standards. They emphasized that the brand was built completely from scratch, without “investors, funding or family financial support”, and that this independence allows them to maintain what they consider to be authenticity in all products.
According to the founders, this philosophy is closely tied to their “reservations only” model, which they say helps maintain quality and consistency even as it limits mass appeal.
However, the clarification did little to settle the debate. While some users praised the bakery for standing up for itself and refusing to dilute its brand identity, others continued to criticize the tone of the responses, calling the behavior “downright disgusting” and arguing that professionalism should not be compromised regardless of the provocation.
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User wrote: “So you’re saying ‘some people were rude to us so we decided to be rude to everyone who doesn’t say great things about us’? Great strategy!!”
Another user wrote: “I used to be a fan of your Tiramisu. Even though it was one of the most expensive in town. I have also recommended your place to several of my friends. I regret doing so. I do not wish to be associated with a business that calls people ‘poor’ and acts childish when confronted with feedback.”
“A little humility guys,” wrote a third.
“You need to hire a PR team. This is not the place you think,” suggested a fourth.
“It’s your brand and your product so you have every right to decide on pricing to keep your business and employees. People who think it’s reasonable will buy it; those who find it overpriced will just move on. It was never about the pricing – it was about the attitude and the way you spoke to customers. The rudeness shown to people was a real problem,” wrote a fifth.