The first temporary tenant to sign on to Baltimore’s Harborplace will no longer be serving customers who pass by the city’s familiar pavilions.
Crust by Mack, the bakery that arrived at the Inner Harbor last year, has ended its retail operations, according to owner Amanda Mack. While Mack intends to remain in the new space, occasionally opening for studio time to show off a new crab pie or pastry, customers aiming to grab a quick bite will have to look elsewhere.
The decision follows a year of “people’s wallets tightening,” Mack said, and profits shrinking for restaurateurs expecting to capitalize on seasonal goods.
“If you’re going to the market and paying more for things, so are businesses,” she said of challenges within the industry. “If you are unable to pivot, you could leave with nothing.”
Mack’s latest pivot will be deepening Crust by Mack’s presence in catering and special events, which was already the more profitable leg of the business. It’s not enough anymore to have a quality product, she said; consumers need to be offered an experience.
“In this age, when people want something, they want it instantly,” Mack said. Prior to Nov. 1, when the retail side of her business closed, efforts to create more seasonally focused menus proved too costly and time-consuming. Creative decisions made around promoting salmon and grits or blackberry-baked chicken led to losses for Mack, who ended up having to shift between manufacturers and suppliers to keep the quality she wanted and satisfy customer demands.
People in the Inner Harbor who aren’t tourists tend to come from work downtown, she said, which has led to increased interest in her company’s ability to host work events or cater.
The Crust by Mack experience will lean heavily on a more consistent menu for catering, still centered around baked goods like mac and cheese and broiled honey Old Bay wings to the Maryland blue crab pies. Desserts, such as rice and banana puddings, small tiered cakes, and pies will also be available.
Mack still plans to expand Crust by Mack’s collaborations with local businesses and build up access to her offerings within the community. Previously she’s offered reduced catering rates to local brands and has worked with some organizers to provide a free space for events. Mack’s food will continue to be available through pop-ups, special to-be-announced brunches and co-working events as well.
“We’ve always been a small-base, big-impact bakery,” she said. And while Mack understands that closing her doors may change how some access the eatery, she “isn’t going anywhere.”
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