Help Save Tastykake!
How can we let Philly's landmark snack die on the assembly line?
Help Save Tastykake!
Ronnie Polaneczky, Daily News Columnist
NOOOOOOOOOO!
Our very own snack-food powerhouse, Tastykake, announced today that it might merge with another company or sell itself, thanks to miserable finances.
It's a shock to the system, isn't it? Like the shock you'd get from washing down a pack of Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes with a bottle of Jolt?
The company 's move to the Navy Yard was supposed to bolster Tasty's bottom line by improving production efficiency. But CEO Charlie Pizzi says that commodity costs - you know, flour and eggs and such - are higher. Plus the company's biggest buyer is in Chapter 11 and not purchasing as many krimpets, cakes and pies as it used to.
Please.
Folks I know say sales are off because Tastykakes just aren't as good as they used to be. I haven't recently purchased anything other than Krimpets (do NOT get between me and that butterscotch icing...), so I'm dying to hear your thoughts about Philly's home-grown junk-food company.
What do you think of Tastykakes these days? The ingredients, the taste, the packaging, the overall quality - anything at all having to do with the quintessential Philly experience of inhaling a locally baked combination of sugar and fatty goodness?
From a customer's point of view, what do you think Tastykake can do to save itself?
How can we Save Our Snacks?
For one thing - Tastykake's should be sold at the Linc, Park, and WFCenter - what's up with that? Let's get that done. I love the facebook group trying to get Tastykake's at the CBPark.— MeYous&Thems- I don't get all the hate. Why not support Tastykake? Love them and their products. Going to Wawa to pick up a cupcake now!— frenchbulldog2010
- Not when you know something from the inside...— TheRealTruthTK
- I love all kinds of Tastykakes, especially with my morning coffee. Mmmmm! I too noticed a difference with the cakes, but only the ones in the boxes that you buy at the grocery store, not the one for individual sale at the local mini-mart. They really skimped on the icing and it wasn't as creamy. It was almost as if there wasn't enough water in the icing when it was made. I definitely only buy them individually now but the prices are steep. It will be sad to see them go.— psu_ce94
- Ahhh! My childhood! We used to drive past the (old) factory every Sat. on the way to my grandparents house. It smelled sooooo good! They have just started to sell then here in Western NY. We were so happy to see them in the store. My mom used to send them once in a while ans we always buy them when we go back home for a visit! Nothing beats a Butterscotch Krimpet or Peanut butter Candy cake!!!! I would miss them dearly id they disappear!— parrisreddog
- I was born and raised on Tastykakes... but, I no longer buy their products because of false advertising. I tried to express my opinion directly to the company on several occasions at their website but the 'contact us' never worked. Their products have changed so much over the years that, even tho I don't eat either Little Debbie's or Hostess products, I don't care if Tastykakes stay in business or not. I am sure the creators of the original would be horrified if they knew what their products have become under the current owners, CEO's, or whoever it is that is running it into the ground. Don't blame the economy, if you offer a great product, people will buy it! Sadly enough, Tastykakes are no longer the great product they used to be.— jennifer59
- We had TastyKake snacks when we were in D.C. Can't find them in Los Angeles, San Francisco etc. The fruit pies are great. All we have out here are the Hostess pies which are toxic.
1 -TastyKake should sell more products online. They do have a portal.
2 -TastyKake should find an aggressive California distributor. There are a lot of people here. Though Californians tend to avoid sugary stuff publicly, we all sneak junk food and the fruit pies are really not bad in the scheme of things.
Good luck TastyKake— Lemmy Caution - i dont care for the pies either now and i think i have changed some taste in the cream ones i only buy tastykakes for me though hope they stay around and change the pies back to the way they were get them out of that tray
— liza2660 - I know this is an old topic but I googled 'TastyKake Quality' because I am sick of buying bland flavored pies and cakes. The cake is dry, bland and is just not good anymore. Their pies are allright but it suffers the same issue: bland crust. It's too bad they changed their ingredients at the cost of 'going green'. Or is it 'going greed'. maybe both? I buy little debbie's now. Tastykake disappoints. Let them go bankrupt for all I care.— ewest306
- People I have given them to in other states talk about how they have never tasted something so good before. I live in the midwest now and the only place to find them so far has been walmart.— SSC1978
When my phone rings here at the Daily News, nine times out of ten the caller begins the conversation with, “Yeah, so what happened was…”.
Because this is Philly, the caller doesn’t say, “My name is Bob” – or Mary – “and I wonder if I could have a moment of your time?” Philadelphians are too direct for that. They just say, “Yeah, so what happened was…”, and then tumble into a tale they think oughta be shared with a wider audience. I love getting these calls (even the ones where it becomes clear, after 30 seconds, where the caller sowed the seeds of his own misery), because they give me chance to connect with fellow citizens in a way that no other job allows. Well, okay, no other job for which I’m remotely qualified.
That’s why my blog is titled “So What Happened Was…”. To me, it’s the quintessentially Philly way of saying, “Once upon a time.” When I hear it, I know a good story is coming. And I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Ronnie Polaneczky has been an award-winning columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News since 1999, offering a front-steps perspective on every aspect of city life, from the sublime to the stupid. In her past life, she was the editor-in-chief of Atlantic City Magazine, associate editor at Philadelphia Magazine and a fulltime freelancer published in Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Reader's Digest, Men's Health, MarieClaire and others. She lives with her husband, daughter and various pets in the city's Fairmount section, where she dreams of one day singing The National Anthem at an Eagles game. In addition to her column and blog, you can enjoy Ronnie's musings in podcast form here.
Read more from Ronnie Polaneczky at Earth to Philly, the Daily News blog on anything and everything "Green
Reach Ronnie at polaner@phillynews.com.
