, it is also taking a toll on small businesses across the country, including pie shops. Estrada said that her bakery is missing out on the extra bump from Pi Day celebrations, on top of losing about $60,000 in its routine sales to tech companies that serve free meals to employees.
Chris Porter, the owner of A La Mode Pies in Seattle, estimates that his business has refunded between $5,000 to $7,000 in presales for Pi Day. His two locations start planning two or three months in advance for the holiday, which is its biggest retail day of the year. It also follows two slow months, January and February, making the Pi Day a "life preserver" for A La Mode Pies.
The canceled pie orders for Petee's Pie Company in New York are even higher. Robert Paredez, who owns the bakery with his wife, said that roughly $13,000 orders have been canceled. Many of those customers have promised to reorder their pies once workers have returned to their office buildings.