John Oliver offers New York bakery Red Lobster equipment if they sell “John Oliver Cake Bears”

John Oliver uses cooking equipment that belonged to Red Lobster as a bargaining chip to put his head on a cake.

On the June 2 episode of Oliver’s HBO show “Last Week Tonight,” the host announced that the show had purchased content from a shuttered Red Lobster location in Kingston, New York, in the middle of filing for bankruptcy of the company. The show then rebuilt the restaurant inside the studio, serving only the restaurant’s famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

Eric Deising, the owner of Deising’s Bakery & Restaurant in Kingston, had taped a note to the front door of the closed restaurant asking if he could purchase some of the equipment, according to News 12 Westchester, a media outlet based in Yonkers, New York. . “I’m one of the vultures that was circling Red Lobster,” he told the outlet.

“I need a 36-inch flattop grill/oven and a commercial kitchen convection oven if you have one,” Deising’s note reads.

“I got into this because I was looking for a piece of equipment,” Deising told News 12. “If you don’t need it – because I don’t think you need it for cookies – let me know,” he said: addressing Olivier.

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“I have good news and bad news”

Oliver responded to Deising on his show by saying, “OK, first of all, with all due respect, if you wanted some material from this Red Lobster, leaving a note on the door is a weird way to get. The restaurant just closed. It’s like going to a cemetery and leaving a note on a tombstone that says, “Hey, can I have your socks?”

Deising was shown watching “Last Week Tonight” on his cell phone during News 12’s news segment, prompting Oliver to start his own show.

“I love that he watches our show the same way everyone else does – on the phone in the middle of a work day without even a hint of pleasure on his face,” Oliver said.

Oliver said he planned to ignore Deising’s request for kitchen equipment until he saw positive reviews of Deising products. One review that really stood out to Oliver was one with a photo of the bakery’s cake bears.

“I have good news and bad news for you,” Oliver said, speaking to Deising.

“The bad news is that we have already donated the Red Lobster cooking equipment. And even if it didn’t, it didn’t have the 36-inch flat top oven/grill or kitchen convection oven you were looking for,” Oliver said. “The good news is, however, that we are willing to purchase these items for you on one condition. All I want in return is a pastry with my face on it for sale at your bakery, specifically a bear cake with my face on it. I want to be a cake bear.

Oliver said he would prefer the cake to be a decent size, but he wouldn’t be picky about its appearance.

“I trust your vision. As long as it fits the general description of ‘John Oliver Cake Bear,’ I’ll be more than happy,” Oliver said.

“I want a bear cake”

“So that’s my offer. And because I know the normal way of asking for things isn’t really your style, I wrote this offer on a piece of paper like this one that’s currently stuck on your bakery door,” said Oliver speaking to Deising.

“So what do you say,” Oliver continued. “Say yes I beg you. Please say yes, because we have already purchased the material. It is here, waiting to be delivered to you,” he said as he left his office to show two kitchen utensils with big red bows tied to them.

“Look at that convection oven,” he said. “It’s exciting to do convection. All you have to do is simply start selling John Oliver Cake Bears. And it’s all yours. The bear is in your backyard, Deising’s Bakery.… Make me a bear cake. I want to be a cake bear.

Gabe Hauari is a national news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deising’s Bakery John Oliver Cake Bear, Red Lobster Offering Explained