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Commerce Multiple Payments: Allows for gift cards and credits to be applied in checkout before the remaining total is charged to a credit card.

Commerce Admin Checkout: Allows staff to use checkout on behalf of customers, build custom orders, optionally overriding the price and session registration limits, and to apply manual payments and discounts to orders.

Zingerman’s Bakehouse bakes the bread and pastries for the legendary Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Bakehouse also runs a popular hands-on baking school, offering public classes throughout the year. The Bakehouse needed a robust online platform to power its class registration system, but its website was built on an aging PHP infrastructure and lacked key features. Zengenuity replaced the legacy system with a custom Drupal Commerce platform that provides a seamless experience for customers while supporting the unique operational needs of its staff.

Describe the project (goals, requirements and outcome)

Goals

  • Replace the outdated custom PHP registration system with a scalable, maintainable platform.
  • Improve customer experience with self-service features like cancellations, gift card usage, and class credits.
  • Reduce manual work for staff by automating refunds, waitlist handling, and reporting.
  • Offer customers a clean and seamless registration with optional add-on purchases.

Requirements & Delivered Features

  • Drupal Commerce-based Registration Flow: Classes modeled as purchasable products, enabling registration plus optional add-ons like tools and books.
  • Gift Card Integration: Custom integration enabling customers to pay with physical or digital Zingerman’s gift cards.
  • Self-Service Cancellations: Let customers cancel bookings online, with automated refunds, credits, or enforcement of cancellation policies.
  • Class Credit System: Automatic issuance of credits for eligible cancellations, which can be applied at checkout.
  • Waitlist & Capacity Controls: Attendance cap management with automated waitlist sign-ups when classes are full.
  • Add‑On Product Support: Customers can add optional accessories to their class registration; appropriate sales tax is calculated based on Michigan regulations.
  • Admin Tools & Reporting: Built-in tools for staff, including downloadable rosters, revenue reporting per class/session, and tracking of gift card and credit usage.

Outcomes

  • Customers gained full self-service capability, including registering, canceling, and using credits or gift cards, without needing to call staff on the phone.
  • Staff saved significant time through automation of class management and financial workflows
  • The Bakehouse now has a maintainable, scalable platform built for future growth

The Finished Product

Class session listing Class sessions allow for add-on products and support waitlists for sold-out classes. Customized checkout supports gathering registration information Customized checkout panes support gathering required information for students who are registering. Gift card usage in checkout Gift card support is provided by the Commerce Multiple Payments module, which Zengenuity built for this project and now maintains on drupal.org.Back to top
Why Drupal was chosen

Zingerman's Bakehouse was managing class registrations through a legacy PHP application that couldn't keep up with their growing needs. The system didn’t support essential features such as self-service cancellations or integration with their gift card program. Staff had to handle almost everything manually, from issuing refunds to generating class rosters, which introduced friction and wasted time. As class offerings expanded, the limitations of the platform became more costly and cumbersome.

Drupal was selected for its flexibility and ability to model complex workflows. Drupal Commerce allowed classes to be treated as purchasable products, enabling a familiar registration flow with powerful customization under the hood. The platform made it possible to implement business-specific rules for self-service cancellations, class credits, and waitlist automation. The open nature of Drupal allowed for integration with Zingerman’s existing gift card system to be built, and the Views module provided robust reporting tools for staff. With Drupal, the Bakehouse gained a professional-grade, scalable solution that significantly reduced manual effort while improving the customer experience.

Technical Specifications

Drupal version:

Key modules/theme/distribution used: