Bethenny Frankel is facing backlash from a small business owner who claims the former Real Housewives of New York City star accepted a custom birthday cake worth thousands of dollars without properly thanking or crediting the bakery.
The owner of SugarHi Boca in Boca Raton, Florida, took to TikTok to share her experience with Bethenny, alleging that her team reached out last year for a massive custom cake for Bethenny’s birthday party in Miami.
According to the bakery owner, she had been debating whether to share the story publicly.
“I have debated telling this story for so long. I have a story about Bethenny Frankel,” the owner said.
She explained that after opening SugarHi in Boca, Bethenny’s assistant allegedly contacted the bakery about creating a large custom cake for the event.
“Last year, after we opened SugarHi in Boca, Bethenny’s assistant reached out asking us to make a huge custom cake for her birthday party in Miami,” she said.
The owner claimed that while Bethenny’s team suggested they would pay, she felt the offer was not genuine.
“And they did that classic, ‘Oh, we’ll pay!’ but in the way where you know they don’t mean it,” the owner continued. “So I took the gamble as a business owner. I said it was an honor, which it was. ‘Just please tag us if she posts it.’ And they said no guarantees. Okay, fair enough.”
The bakery owner said the project became a major undertaking for her small business.
She claimed they flew in their lead cake decorator from New York and spent thousands to complete and deliver the cake.
“We spent, give or take, $4,000, including the cost of the cake, and we drove four hours round trip to deliver it,” she explained.
According to the owner, Bethenny did end up posting the cake across her social media platforms, but the bakery was not initially tagged.
“The next day, Bethenny posted the cake everywhere, stories, reels, carousels, posts. Daily Mail picked it up. Food God posted it. She tagged the venue, photographer, the glam team, the videographer, everybody except us,” the owner claimed.
She said the bakery was eventually tagged, but only after people began asking where the cake came from.
“Eventually, we got tagged in like slide 5 of a carousel after tons of people were asking where the cake was from. And honestly, we got no business from it, no followers. But the part that bothered me the most wasn’t even losing the money. It was the lack of acknowledgement, not even a thank you.”
The SugarHi Boca owner said what bothered her most was not just the alleged lack of promotion, but what she viewed as a lack of appreciation from Bethenny.
@sugarhi_official 🍿Bethenny asked for a cake, and then this happened… #sugarhi #bethennyfrankel #customcakes #supportsmallbusiness #influencersinthewild ♬ original sound – sugarhi_official
She also compared the experience to working with other high profile clients, claiming they handled things very differently.
“What’s interesting to me is that we have made cakes for a president’s granddaughter twice. They use an alias. They paid in full. They never asked for anything for free, and they were incredibly gracious,” she said.
The owner clarified that she understands influencers do not owe businesses free promotion just because they receive products. However, she argued that the situation feels different when a celebrity allegedly reaches out to a small business asking for free product.
“And before people say influencers don’t owe free promotions, I agree with you. This is how they make a living and it can’t all be for free. But when you reach out to a small business asking for free product, isn’t that different?” she asked.
The bakery owner also brought up Bethenny recently praising a Publix cake online for free, saying the moment felt frustrating given her own alleged experience.
“Especially because last week, Bethenny walked into Publix, bought a chocolate cake, loved it, and posted it for free,” she said. “Publix doesn’t need Bethenny Frankel. Small businesses do.”
The owner then claimed Bethenny recently reached out again, this time asking for a gift for billionaire friends who had a granddaughter.
“Plot twist, two weeks ago, she DMs me again asking for a gift for billionaire friends who had a granddaughter. This time, instead of offering delivery, I said, ‘When do you want to pick it up?’ Oh, surprise, she ghosted me, which tells you everything you need to know.”
@sugarhi_official 🎂Everyone is entitled to their opinion and perspective. If you don't like the cake, or my take on it.. just keep it decent ❤️I have followed Bethenny for years. Loved her! I've bought tons of things because she influenced me!!! Jumped at the chance to make her cake. Truly disappointed me (il Bethenny liked the cake, or…she wouldn't have had it on display for the world to see AND she wouldn't have asked me again 2 weeks ago 🍭l will continue to work with influencers. Most of them are lovely, have so much integrity and respect for small businesses. 🎤One of my best friends is legitimately the sister of the billionaire that Ms. B named drop 🪬Any anti-Semitic comments will be deleted. So inappropriate and hateful #sugarhi #customcakes #bocaraton #bethennyfrankel ♬ original sound – sugarhi_official
The TikTok comes amid ongoing conversation about Bethenny’s influence in the consumer and product space. Bethenny has built a massive social media presence through her blunt reviews, brand recommendations, and product callouts, often saying that her opinion moves major sales.
But this latest claim has sparked a larger debate about celebrity gifting, small businesses, and whether influencers should be more mindful when accepting expensive products from brands hoping for exposure.
As of now, Bethenny has not publicly responded to the bakery owner’s allegations.