LIVE from Amy's Baking Company

LIVE from Amy’s Baking Company

LIVE BLOG from Amy’s Baking Company Grand Reopening

Please note these times are MST.

7:12 PM: Sheryl was asked, on Twitter, to be interviewed by the Associated Press. She is on the phone with them now.

7:03 PM: Just got interviewed by all kinds of media outside Amy’s. Watch for us on channels 3 and 10 news tonight! Oh, and the Phoenix New Times did a piece on us.

6:40 PM: I ran into the Phoenix New Times. She said the security has been kicking people out, and sending away the endless run of news vans pulling up. She was hiding behind a pillar!

6:39 PM: I must admit, our dinner was a success. No complaints here. We WILL be back.

6:37 PM: When Samy brought us our credit cards, we split the meal with our friends, we asked to see Amy. He said she was too busy, but when things “slowed down” she would come say hello.

6:35 PM: When looking at the bill, we realized the “deal” on the hummus. The hummus was $3, but the bread was $5. Still not a bad deal, and the bread was good.

6:32 PM: The crowd has dispersed thanks to active security guards. They are currently pacing in front of the restaurant.

6:30 PM: Samy delivered the check, and three servers followed to box our leftovers and to clear our plates. It’s obvious these servers were hired during the job fair, but they are all extremely nice and are taking good care of guests.

6:24 PM: Samy walked over to the window and pulled up all the shades. There was a crowd of people outside just watching trying to get a table.

6:14 PM: Samy came over and asked about the burger. He said the buns are homemade.

6:10 PM: Sheryl is getting a lot of flack on Twitter about being here. She’s being called a “plant”.

6:02 PM: The panini is delicious. The bread is nice and crusty, and the cheese is incredible. The meatball pizza is also really good. Thin crust and loaded with cheese.

5:58 PM: Our food arrived carried by three servers. Apparently we ordered a lot!

5:53 PM: Monti, from an infamous radio interview, just walked in and was greeted by Samy with a hug. She is on MY103.9 and has been receiving threats since the interview aired.

5:51 PM: The server asked again about the plates. We are still working in the appetizer; waiting on dinner. I ordered a ham and cheese panini. Sheryl ordered a meatball pizza.

5:43 PM: The server came over and asked if he could take away our plates. We were still working, but he was very nice. Samy is also walking around talking to tables.

5:37 PM: Our hummus appetizer arrived at the table. The hummus was only $3. Samy came over and talked with us. He said they don’t do happy hour because he doesn’t “cheat people” by changing the price of his food. Said people come in, get this and a bottle of wine. The bread is amazing and the hummus is delicious.

5:33 PM: Samy came over and took some photos with us. There are several people walking around shooting video and taking photos of everyone.

5:27 PM: A server was taking drinks to a table, and Samy came over and showed him the proper way to deliver drinks. He said it helps avoid spills.

5:26 PM: Samy takes the order from our server and enters it into the computer. The servers here are not allowed to enter orders into the computer.

5:22 PM: Our server came over to take our order. The wait staff seems nice, and seems to know the menu well. Found out all sides are separate.

5:19 PM: Samy came over and gave us permission to take photos. He also said we could blog about this. He seems nice. He also called Gordon Ramsay “fake”.

5:16 PM: Finally got seated. I was asked by a lady, while signing my consent form, if I was live blogging. I said, “Maybe.” She said, “We don’t appreciate that.”

5:07 PM: The doors are still locked, but Samy is standing in front of the window chomping on a piece of gum. More security guards are starting to show up.

5:00 PM: Our reservation is at 5:00, and the doors are locked. However, the hostess is out here apologizing for the delay. They are still “setting up” for dinner. At least she is nice!

4:45 PM: Arrive to a line of people waiting to get in, several reporters lurking in the parking lot, and two security guards guarding the main entrance. Let the circus begin!

4:39 PM: Having some technical issues with the iPhone WordPress app. I hope this doesn’t happen during dinner.

4:36 PM: On our way to Amy’s Baking Company. Will there be a media circus in the parking lot when we arrive?

2:42 PM: I will be taking photos tonight, and will update with a gallery tomorrow morning. Also look for these photos to appear on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

2:31 PM: We have dinner reservations at 5:00 PM. I will update as necessary tonight and tomorrow with our experience at Amy’s Baking Company.

Amy’s Baking Company needs no introduction. They have been all over the news, at least here in Phoenix, for the last week or so. After Amy’s appeared on Kitchen Nightmares with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, fans flocked to popular social media sites like Yelp, Facebook, and Twitter to unleash on Amy and her establishment. If you haven’t seen the episode, I highly recommend you watch it. Imagine eating here… how would YOU react in a situation like this? The entire episode is below for your viewing pleasure.

Kitchen Nightmares – Amy’s Baking Company (Full Version)

I have to give credit to my buddy Dennis for introducing me to this circus. He, from the moment this started, has been obsessed with the story and has literally watched Amy’s Baking Company crumble. When the social media storm broke, they closed their doors to wait until the dust settled. In the meantime, their Facebook page has gone literally viral. They had, when this all started, 1,900 Facebook “Likes”. As of Monday afternoon, they had 96,850. This number is growing, and will reach 100,000 in a few hours. They have been averaging around 2,000 new connections an hour. Their Twitter page hasn’t seen much action, but Facebook has been the focus for fans all around the world. I will admit I disagree with people that haven’t been to Amy’s leaving reviews, but that is just the nature of social media. Nothing is going to stop these people, regardless of where they live, of having a voice.


Facebook Comments Go Viral

Facebook started to go viral when Amy (and her husband Samy, owner of Amy’s Baking Company) posted a few things on Facebook. She said some things that were NOT safe for work, and you can view some of those comments below. Again, this is NSFW. Please keep in mind that these comments have all been removed from Facebook. I just noticed earlier today that photos, including their Facebook cover photo, has been removed. Also keep in mind, while reading these comments, that Amy would claim their Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp accounts were hacked and the FBI was “on the case”. That in of itself makes me laugh. Anyway, check these out:

Amy's Baking Company Facebook Post

Amy’s Baking Company: “We Were Hacked!”

You can see this post went viral with the number of comments and the number of people engaging with this post. After a few hours, these posts were eventually deleted, but we can thank the Huffington Post for taking some screenshots of these while they were up.

Amy's Baking Company Facebook Post

Amy's Baking Company Facebook Post

This just gets better.

Amy's Baking Company Facebook Post

This is one of my favorite posts. Please, take my name. What action do you have? I am pretty sure the Facebook terms of use has us covered. They also keep making mention of Reddit, and I am not really sure what happened over there. Yelp is what got me excited about this story. Yelp and Facebook, of course. I would just LOVE to see they file a lawsuit against Facebook and/or the people leaving these negative comments. Classic!

Amy's Baking Company Facebook Post

I told you this wasn’t safe for work.

Amy's Baking Company Facebook Post

Amy's Baking Company Facebook Post

Ha! Obviously their accounts were hacked? Of course, with everything else going on, now this? You have got to be kidding me. Does she actually think people are going to believe this nonsense? This post is where I started to think this was all fake. The more and more I think about this, and trust me… I have been thinking about this ALL week, the more I think this is fake. To get on a show like Kitchen Nightmares, you need money. Samy has money. He even called himself a “playboy” and an “original gangster”. They have also admitted that the restaurant is not about making money, but about giving Amy (if that was her real name) something to do. Imagine the marketing company behind this one… anyway, I will talk more about that later. Just know this was the post that got me thinking about how genius this was if in fact it was fake.

Like I said, all of these posts were removed… but not before some major news outlets could get their hands on them. Even my buddy Dennis was telling me to take screenshots. Oh, and get this. Dennis got to meet Samy! We were actually having dinner with Dennis and his wife, and we were meeting at Fate Brewing Company so we could ride together. On their way to Fate, they stopped by Amy’s. Sure enough, here comes Amy and Samy cruising in a Range Rover. Samy stopped, rolled the window down, and started talking to Dennis. I am still jealous that he got to meet Samy. Hopefully I get the chance to meet him tomorrow during their grand reopening.

Amy’s Baking Company Hires Help

After things started to settle down a little bit, Amy’s decided to hire local PR firm Rose+Moser+Allyn Public & Online Relations. That seems like a really lone name for a business. Anyway, Jason Rose, the Rose behind Rose+Moser+Allyn is notorious for taking on big cases like this. Past clients of Rose+Moser+Allyn include the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, Fox Restaurant Concepts, and Arizona Capital Times. Speaking of Fox Restaurant Concepts, I am still waiting on my gift card from The Lodge. (Remember our horrible service, our comical interaction with management, and the food poisoning we suffered while dining at The Lodge?) Anyway, Amy’s hired them to help clean up the mess, and scheduled a grand reopening for Tuesday, May 21st, 2013. They then took to Facebook regarding reservations. Thanks to Sheryl’s tip, we were able to get an email in just in time. So guess what… we are going to the grand reopening. Not only are we going, I will be blogging LIVE from Amy’s Baking Company. The live blog will be below, and I will make sure to leave constant updates on what is happening, the quality of service, and if I see Amy throw a knife at someone! Follow the live blog below, and share with all your friends. The circus is about to begin!

UPDATE: According to the Phoenix Business Journal, as of 3:02 PM MST, Amy’s Baking Company has cancelled a Tuesday press conference. This was the prelude to the grand reopening. They have also ended their relationship with Rose+Moser+Allyn Public & Online Relations. Well that didn’t last long.

UPDATE: Due to strict media regulations for tonight’s dinner, I will NOT be live blogging but will be taking notes and will updates this post after my meal. I do plan on tweeting during the meal, so make sure to follow me on Twitter at @rickyleepotts and follow the hashtag #AmysBakingCo.

Amy's Baking Company

Connect with Amy’s Baking Company:
Website: http://amysbakingco.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/amysbakingco
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/bouzagloabc
Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/amys-baking-company-scottsdale