CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Christina Rojas, also known as The Batchmaker, got her start in baking early.
"I used to have an easy bake oven," Rojas told WCNC Charlotte. "I used to buy box brownie mixes and add another egg. [I] loved food so much I would spend all my allowance money on more food."
Now, she’s making money thanks to her love of food.
"I had no idea what I was in store for, I did a couple of all-nighters where I would sleep at the bakery," Rojas said.
The Batch House first opened in late 2019, with crowds clamoring to get a taste of the goodies in the case.
"The crowds were crazy," Rojas recalled. "The line was wrapped around the building, and we weren’t prepared, we sold out the first three months consistently."
Saniya Sampson is a regular customer and was there when the lines were crazy.
"It tastes really good like it's homemade, like my grandmother made," Sampson said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, business still boomed, but then a flood hit, causing the bakery to shut down. The new Batch House finally re-opened in October 2021.
"The line was down the block so much that all the neighbors thought there was a walkathon – always asking, what’s going on," Rojas said.
Now, though the Batchmaker is trying to figure out what’s going on as business slows considerably.
"It has significantly slowed down," Rojas said. "We don’t have a lot of walk-in traffic so we have to push more on social media I notice if I post a video of me making a new creation, people will walk in but before people would just come."
She thinks changing post-pandemic habits is partially to blame.
"A lot more people are traveling, a lot more people are going out to restaurants because COVID-19 put a pause on everything, a lot of celebrations at home have been paused," Rojas said.
The baker known for her creative creations is getting creative in business, too.
"We started DoorDash because a big thing people were saying was that 'I wish I was closer,' and then we also partnered with Goodie Bag," Rojas said. "Goodie Bag works with local eateries to sell leftover items at a discounted rate on their app. "we'll sell our previous day goodies on there."
She also recently decided to change her hours of operation, staying open later on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and closing Sunday through Tuesday.
After everything the beloved baker has battled she’s hoping mixing it up – yet again – will be the recipe for prolonged success.
"We’re hoping with all these efforts encourage people to start coming in more," Rojas said.
Contact Michelle Boudin at mboudin@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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