Nashville woman begins working at Nothing Bundt Cakes. Then they make her sign an NDA: ‘A non-compete is CRAZY’
When you start a job, it’s pretty common for your first day to involve a decent amount of paperwork.
Normally, there’s nothing too nefarious buried in this stack. It’s typical employee agreements, paired with information that your employer needs for taxes.
Sometimes, however, workers find that signing up for a job means agreeing to a lot more than they could have ever imagined. Occasionally, these agreements feel disproportionate to the work at hand. For example, one TikTok user recently went viral after claiming that her bakery job required her to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. But why?
Why Did This Cake Store Job Require An NDA?
In a video with over 29,000 views, TikTok user Kendall (@kendalllelizabeth) recounts her experience working at Nothing Bundt Cakes.
According to Kendall, working at Nothing Bundt Cakes required her to sign not only a Non-Disclosure Agreement, but “a two-year non-compete stating that I would not work at any other bakery within two years of quitting, within 20 miles.”
Kendall says this was not an issue for her, as she was getting her Master’s Degree and the job was only part-time.
One specific part of the NDA noted by Kendall is that she was not allowed to “take any pictures or record in the kitchen, in back of house.”
“Nothing Bundt Cakes works really hard to curate a certain image. Like, the bakery super cute and it’s super like—I don’t know, it’s just cute, and kitchens anywhere aren’t cute, so they don’t want anyone to see that,” Kendall explains.
This only caused an issue, she says, if you “frosted a cake that you were really proud of.” In these cases, you would simply have to bring it to the front of house before you could take a photo.
What Are The Other Details Of The NDA?
Apart from images, Kendall says the NDA was primarily concerned with recipes. Sharing any of the recipes, she says, could get you fired. That said, she did not think of the need to sign an NDA as “very weird.”
Overall, she recalls her experience with the chain being positive.
“I feel like, at our franchise, we did everything by the book. Like, I literally had a handbook and I had to read that when I started,” she explains. “Everything was super clean, but still they don’t want the kitchen to be seen cause kitchens are just gross and like, not cute, even if it was clean.”
“We cleaned, like, all the time. We were always cleaning,” she continues. “You can rest easy knowing that your Nothing Bundt Cakes are freshly baked and the frosting is fresh. And yeah, it’s a great place.”
Is This Normal?
Seeing this, one might wonder whether it’s normal for a bakery to make its employees sign both non-compete clauses and non-disclosure agreements.
Regarding non-compete clauses, it likely depends on the state. Many states have outright banned non-compete clauses, while others have severely limited them. Before signing a non-compete clause, it’s best to look up whether such clauses are actually legal or enforceable in your state.
In Kendall’s case, non-compete clauses are allowed in the state of Tennessee. That said, there are restrictions. Whether her specific non-compete would hold up depends on the exact requirements and verbiage of the agreement.
Regarding an NDA, this is not abnormal. A bakery’s recipes could be considered “trade secrets.” As such, they may be incentivized to prevent their employees from sharing the secrets. This can be done legally using an NDA. Other former workers at the chain also claim to have signed NDAs.
Commenters Chime In
In the comments section, many users were complimentary of the chain. That said, not everyone had the same paperwork experience as Kendall.
“I was a manager at NBC for 2 years and was a GSR 2 years before and NEVER had to sign a NDA so this is crazy to me,” wrote a user.
Others expressed surprise at the idea.
“Having to sign an NDA to work at nothing Bundt cake is actually insane lol,” reads one highly-favorited comment.
That said, further users countered that such practices were common.
“Most bakeries that care about protecting their recipes have staff sign an NDA and it’s not a big deal,” stated a commenter. “I don’t know why that surprises people.”
@kendalllelizabeth I will always love a bundtlet #nothingbundtcake #fyp ♬ original sound – kendall elizabeth
The Mary Sue reached out to Nothing Bundt Cakes via email and Kendall via TikTok direct message and comment.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
