CookieGate: Romney Cookie Comments Create Flood Of Business For Hometown Baker

A Mitt Romney gaffe has brought a wave of customers to one Pennsylvania mom-and-pop.

Bethel Bakery, a 57-year-old Pittsburgh staple, found itself in the national spotlight after Romney compared its cookies to snacks found at 7-Eleven. The slip-up came last week when the GOP presidential candidate met with local residents at an outdoor lunch in Bethel Park, Pa., during which he joked about a batch of cookies.

"I'm not sure about these cookies," Romney told a woman at the table. "They don't look like you made them. No, no. They came from the 7-11 bakery, or whatever."

Oops. Turns out, the treats that Romney "wasn't sure about" came from Bethel Bakery, a local favorite since 1955.

As news outlets and Twitter pounced on the gaffe, John Walsh, the owner of Bethel Bakery, decided to capitalize on the national recognition. The next day, Walsh launched a "CookieGate" special, giving away half a dozen cookies with the purchase of a dozen.

"Our customers came out in droves to support their 57-year-old hometown bakery," Walsh told The Huffington Post in an e-mail. Cookie sales at Bethel Bakery jumped 132 percent last week compared to the previous week, with more than $4,000 worth of cookies sold, Walsh said.

One of those customers was the local office of the Obama campaign, which quickly bought five orders, Bloomberg reported.

"Bottom line," Walsh said, "always welcome visiting dignitaries to your community with a tray of your best and freshest baked goods, because you never know what the response will be."

Bethel Bakery isn't the first small business to get a boost from the 2012 presidential race. Earlier this year, Rick Santorum paid a tiny Minnesota woolen mill $138,000 for more than 3,000 custom-made sweater vests -- his trademark garb -- to give to campaign donors.

Comments

[wordshll]

03:11 PM on 07/27/2012

If Romney never jokes he is a stuffed shirt and thinks he is too good for those around him. But if he jokes with them, then he is running them down. The poor guy can't win with some folks can he?
So the cookies were store bought and he was right....so how does that make him the villian? It does not. He was probaly just joking with them and they knew it...so did the news media who immediately tried to use it against him.

[wordshll]

03:05 PM on 07/27/2012

People are often judgmental of others who they know so little about. Try reading the whole story and you may often see it is far from being like it was described. We often only see a part of the whole picture and therefore come to the wrong conclusion. Think about it!

[wordshll]

02:59 PM on 07/27/2012

To the idiot below whose IQ is even lower. Mitt was joking about the cookies, not in a demeaning way, but like everyday folks often joke. No these cookies are too good to have been made by you. hyou just haved bought them from some grocery store? The Ultra Liberal News Media tried to make something out of it. The bakery who made the cookies did and probably were glad for the chance.

As for Mitt's comment about the Olympics, his trouble is he spoke candidly, and told the truth aboutther state of the security, something which most politicians would not dare to do. He should have said," everything is great. The Brits Really know how to put on a show".

But like I said, he was just plain out too honest for them, or the crooked Liberals that love to edit the news to their liking. It ruffled their feathers (the Brits) that he did not lie and say everything was fabulous when it was not. And of course it made the Democrats and the Liberals day. They could now deflect attention away from the sorry state of our economy....which sucks!

[lewis1970]

05:59 AM on 07/27/2012

Who cares a S - - - about this sponge brain 'Romney' or what ever his name, why he came to England ? he have nothing to contribute here or anywhere. If he ever becomes the next Leader of the USA, the american people have a lot to worry about. Thanks f - - - he is not Brit.

[BinghamLofts]

06:59 AM on 04/28/2012

so the cookies were store bought.

[Sherry Powell]

04:51 PM on 04/27/2012

John Walsh, the owner of Bethel Bakery is one Smart Cookie! Good for him... That's why his bakery has been in operation since the 50's... 57 years making the best darn cookie in town!

[DanoX]

07:25 AM on 04/27/2012

"I'm not sure about these cookies," Romney told a woman at the table. "They don't look like you made them. No, no. They came from the 7-11 bakery, or whatever."

Funny how his mind so naturally asumes that if something looks good it must have come from a corporation.

[butchbuss00]

04:00 PM on 04/26/2012

I WILL VOTE FOR ANYONE WHO RUNS AGAINST THE FAILURE WE HAVE NOW

[DanoX]

07:26 AM on 04/27/2012

HYPERBOLE IS THE BEST THING EVER!!! AND I'M SERIOUS! CAN'T YOU TELL BY MY ALL CAPS POST!?

[srpw0903]

09:58 AM on 04/27/2012

Great photo....U R full of hot air....ROFL

[NRMLUNIT]

08:42 PM on 04/25/2012

I would like to see Willard or Ann on the Price is Right. What a hoot. The only thing either of them would set foot in a 7-11 for are votes.

[tjwdraws]

03:17 PM on 04/26/2012

Or Supermarket Sweep. LOL!

[Sue Bryant]

03:50 PM on 04/26/2012

Is that show still on? It was so bad, but so good.

[NRMLUNIT]

08:29 PM on 04/25/2012

I don't believe Romney has ever had a cookie from 7-11, and if he did how would he know it?

[izzysmydog]

07:50 PM on 04/25/2012

I'm from Pittsburgh and Thank goodness they didn't take him to Primanti Bros. for a sandwich.. I can hear the comment now... For those who don't know it's a sandwich with meat, fries and cole slaw on italian bread served on waxed paper... That would be soooooo beneath him...

[jimmyb2020]

06:36 PM on 04/25/2012

Romney would have preferred Made In China Fortune 500 cookies. He and his Wall Street cronies don't support products made by American workers. "Job creator?" Romney has been a job EXPORTER. He wanted to bankrupt Chevy, Chryler and Ford which would have fallen too so we'd all have to buy imports. Foreign manufacturers will be funnelling billions to Carl Rove to support Romney and his job exporting policies.

[schaf1]

05:09 PM on 04/25/2012

Like he's ever walked into a 7-11. Highly unlikely.

[jbeachboy32]

04:44 PM on 04/25/2012

so is everyone here voting for him to be president?

[patches04]

04:43 PM on 04/25/2012

This man has no idea about the poor and/or middle class. NONE!

[draymond1]

06:15 PM on 04/25/2012

And Obama does?

[some1inPa]

06:32 PM on 04/25/2012

Boy have we missed some opportunities. We could have sold flags with 57 stripes. Wrote a new Austrian language book. Too much more to put down, but these would have sold!!!!

[Elvira Walker]

08:48 PM on 04/25/2012

If you know his history, then, you know that he lived poorly.