What is your refund policy?
Due to the nature of the product, any special order(s) is shown to the customer at pick up prior to purchase; unless your custom order was prepaid for.

In the event that your order(s) is prepaid for, if you are not happy with the end result you can receive a full or partial refund if you refuse the product(s); which will be at the discretion of the associate and/or manager on duty at the time of pick up.

If you choose to pay at pick up, a team member will show you and confirm your order prior to payment. Due to the nature of the product, once payment is received and the product(s) leaves the premises a refund WILL NOT be issued. If there is a problem with your product(s), that was not visible to you and/or the associate at the time of pick up and purchase, you have 12 hours to contact the store in which you purchased the product to request a replacement, partial or full refund. No customer refund or replacement request will be accepted after 12 hours from picking up the product(s) from any Water Bar location and/or any of its associates..

Fraud is very prevalent in the food and restaurant industry and unfortunately customers will purchase an item and then request a refund to get a free item(s). We keep this policy in place to be fair to the customer and our bakers/decorating team's time.

Thank you for understanding.

What restrictions do you cater to?
We are the ONLY, fully vegan, gluten free and peanut free coffee shop, bakery and food establishment in the Northern Illinois area (and expanding). We also do not use tree nuts - except coconut. If you have any other allergy restrictions please contact us and we will be more than happy to talk through them with you.

A third party purchased a custom order for me. Can I change my order or get a refund on their behalf?
Any and all custom orders can only be discussed with the person/party that purchased and/or placed the custom order. This helps us keep down on fraud and protects our customers and our bakers/decorating team from fraudulent activity; which is very prevalent today.

Monthly bakery items
Every month we have different pastries, cakes, etc that we make every day. While we have our consistent, daily flavors we also have a lot of seasonal flavors as well. Availability is dependent on daily volume. We always tell guest to come early to ensure they can enjoy the full selection. As we may try to keep the case filled throughout the day it is dependent upon demand.

What constitutes a "custom" cake?
A custom cake is any type of cake that is not pre-made and on display in our bakery counter/shelf. This can include handmade fondant pieces, flowers, or attention to detail that is a little bit extra than a traditional style birthday cake. Tiered cakes and wedding cakes are also considered custom. Adding deliveries to orders also is dependent on availability, so we also consider deliveries "custom".

How much do custom cakes cost?
All of our custom cakes are priced out on an individual basis. We will work with you to figure out exactly what will work for your guest count and budget. Generally, the cost of a custom cake starts with the size, cake flavors, and design work. From there, labor hours are factored in as well. Please visit our Cake Pricing page for some basic information on cake pricing.

Why isn't the cake cost just the base price on the website?
The base pricing on our website lets you know how many servings you will get for each size, and the pricing for BASIC cake work (frosting with minimal decoration). Once we are adding hours of work to the cake, the price will of course be adjusted. Pricing for custom cake work is linked to time. If you let us know your budget upfront, we can let you know what is or isn't possible for your budget, and we can vary designs to work accordingly.

Why is there a certain time frame for placing a custom cake order?
Custom cake work takes time, and unfortunately there's only so much of that to go around! We ask for a MINIMUM of 10 to 14 DAYS notice for custom cake work, depending on the level of customization you're looking for. A 14 day notice means that your order has been placed, priced, and your deposit has been received 14 days before your order is needed. When in doubt, we always say plan ahead! If we are already booked up for a weekend, we will let you know. We often can, and do, accommodate last minute requests, but it cannot be guaranteed, especially during wedding season (April-October). A RUSH fee is assessed for any custom order not placed with less than a two (2) week or 14 day notice.

Why do I need to place a deposit for my custom order?
When we accept your custom cake order, there is a lot that goes into making sure your order gets completed on time. From ordering materials, to hand-making pieces, and even turning down other orders to ensure your order is completed to the highest standard. A deposit will let us know you're serious about placing your order, and allow us to get the ball rolling to completing your order. Deposits are NON-REFUNDABLE, because the deposit will reserve your event date and labor hours. Deposits are 50% of the total of the custom order. Meaning we turn down other orders, order materials ahead of time, etc, to make sure your order is completed to the highest standard. ORDERS ARE NOT CONFIRMED UNTIL THE INITIAL DEPOSIT IS PAID.

Can I taste cakes before ordering?
Due to demand, cake consultations and tastings are available for weddings only. We typically book cake tastings during the week, as weekends can be a bit busy around the shop. However, if your schedule only allows weekend availability we will make every effort to find time to meet with you based on the availability in our schedule. The cupcakes in our shop are the same cake recipes we use for our cakes, and they are available for purchase daily.

Do you deliver?
Yes! We strongly encourage large cakes and specialty cakes be delivered to your event location to ensure there's no issues with transportation. We figure out the delivery cost for you once you provide your location and time. Delivery is available, based on availability and distance. Please inquire to learn more.

If you want to pick the cake up yourself, we have you sign your order form which states that you assume all responsibility for your cake once it leaves our shop. We cannot be responsible for cakes once they leave our shop, as we do offer a delivery service which guarantees a perfect cake to arrive at its location.

I sent an email for a custom cake, when will I hear back?
Email are always answered in the order that they are received. We try to focus all of our attention to our custom work, so just remember, when it takes a slower amount of time to hear back on the weekend, we are dedicating ourselves to our work, just like we will when we are making your order. Typically we get back to customers within 12 to 48 hours.