According to bakery owner Voahangy Rasetarinera, Musk’s company Tesla had placed an order for 4,000 tiny pies for $16,000 from a Black-owned bakery in California. Days after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk promised to “make things right” with a San Jose bakery after Tesla cancelled an order worth thousands of dollars, The Giving Pie has reported that the bill dispute with the Silicon Valley behemoth has been resolved. Musk’s company, Tesla, had placed an order for 4,000 tiny pies worth $16,000 from a Black-owned bakery in California, according to bakery owner Voahangy Rasetarinera, who wrote on the cafe’s Instagram and Facebook accounts a few days ago.
On Valentine’s Day, Tesla unexpectedly cancelled the order by SMS
Rasetarinera claimed that after receiving the order, she asked employees to work extra hours, bought food and supplies, and rejected down at least three other catering orders. On Valentine’s Day, Tesla unexpectedly cancelled the order by SMS. On its Facebook page, the owner of The Giving Pie published her story about “how Tesla’s action hurt my small Black women-owned business”. “To me, it was clear that Tesla’s corporate culture prioritized convenience over accountability, disregarding the livelihoods of small business owners like myself,” she said in a statement.
“This experience serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability faced by small businesses when dealing with larger corporations. Despite our best efforts to uphold our commitments and provide quality service, we are often left at the mercy of decisions made in corporate boardrooms.” As soon as the incident garnered widespread media attention, Musk commented on an article on X, saying, “Just heard about this. Will make things better with the bakery. People should always be able to count on Tesla to do its best. Before Musk’s answer, Rasetarinera told NBC Bay Area that she spoke with someone at Tesla who indicated that there was a misunderstanding. They also demanded that she cater two gatherings in March.
She, on the other hand, declined the offer, noting, “Unfortunately, I cannot do their catering event because with all the business that we got, we depleted our stock of crust, and then we also have Pi Day to prepare for, so there’s no way”. In an email to the Guardian, the bakery owner confirmed that “Tesla just paid the $2k that I was out of.” According to NBC Bay Area, Giving Pies has received enormous support both locally and internationally. Over the weekend, hundreds of consumers waited up at the store to purchase pies. Rasetarinera was “blown away” by the response. “I am blown away. I’m like, ‘I didn’t do it for that.’ I’m so grateful. It’s amazing. People are amazing,” she said. She noted in her first Instagram post that the occurrence gave her the opportunity to reflect on her journey as a business owner. Rasetarinera also got donations from around the United States, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
