C.Cups Cupcakery

I’m a cupcake lover and I’ve been there 3 times so I was so disappointed. And I feel like I've given it a fair chance. While the frosting of the cupcakes is tasty and beautifully decorated. The cake itself is very dry and crumbly. Sometimes gluten free can be that way but I tried the regular cupcakes.

My review is strictly about the service. We arrived in beautiful Pinehurst Village on the morning of Thursday, July 23rd, and after grabbing coffee at a cafe, we arrived at C. Cups just after they opened at 11. I had seen that they offer gluten-free cupcakes, and I was excited to see if they’d have something I can eat. I have many food allergies, including several which might be (but aren’t necessarily) contained in GF cupcakes. We were the first customers in the shop and nobody else was waiting. Because I have many allergies, I am well-schooled in asking nicely for ingredients and approached the clerk with a smile. I asked if she could please share the ingredients in the GF flour they use. “No.” (Nothing else, just “No.”) What? How do people with allergies know if they can eat your cupcakes? “We don’t share our recipes.” (Said unapologetically with an edge to her voice.) I’m not asking for your recipe. I’m simply asking for ingredients, I said, and GF flour often has corn in it. “Ask me specific questions, if you want.” Fine. For starters, I can’t eat wheat, corn, dairy, eggs, soy, or cinnamon, I told her. She just stared at me with an “I can’t believe you’re still here” look on her face. So I asked a specific question. What kind of flour do you use? “I can’t say. I can only answer specific questions.” Oh, good grief… Is it rice flour? “Yes.” Is it a blend? “It’s rice flour.” (Okay, so maybe it’s rice flour, and maybe it’s not. She isn’t very convincing, so maybe she doesn’t know and just can’t be bothered to look or ask. If it has corn or soy, I might wind up in the ER, so my interest is waning.) Do the GF cupcakes have eggs? “Yes.” Okay, fine, I’m outta here. It would have been sooooooo easy to just tell me that from the beginning. After this fine customer service, my husband had no interest in making a purchase, either, so we left. Since then, I’ve had other restaurateurs in Pinehurst - and even the sellers at the Farmer’s Market - be so over-the-top helpful about allergens that I realize it isn’t the local culture to be rude and unhelpful to customers. This is the first poor review I’ve ever posted which is why I’ve waited a few days to do it. I feel the need to issue a warning to others with similar allergies to mine - stay away from this place. From my experience, I can see they have very little interest in accommodating the needs of customers with allergies. Good owners school their staff members on how to deal with this very real problem, and there was obviously no training done here. The only reason I gave two stars is that is an attractive little shop in a good location.