Hey Riddle Riddle – Patreon Preview #337: Ray Kayca's Cakes, Rakes and K-Cups w/ Rekha Shankar

Release Date: August 22, 2025
Featuring: Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, John Patrick Coan, special guest Rekha Shankar

Episode Overview

This Patreon bonus episode plunges listeners into a workplace improv scenario at “Ray Kayca’s Cakes, Rakes, and K-Cups,” with the cast playing store employees navigating an exceptionally dysfunctional pre-opening shift meeting. The segment, infused with the show’s signature absurdity and quick-witted banter, tackles employee grievances, cake mishaps, stinky workplace rumors, and outlandish business solutions—barely skirting the premise of riddles, as is tradition for this podcast.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Chaotic Shift Meeting

• Situation: The store team gathers ahead of opening. The focus is on issues with the closing shift’s performance—specifically, repeated mishaps involving Ray Jr., the owner’s son.

  • “[Ray Jr.] left the freezer open. And all the ice cream cakes allegedly melted. Allegedly into our drainage system. And now allegedly, it smells like Oreos everywhere.” — (C, 01:08)
  • “Allegedly, the rats that are obviously in our sewage system have been eating all of it. And now they're gigantic.” — (B, 01:34)

• Cake Status: Ice cream cakes are nearly wiped out due to the freezer accident; standard cakes survive but are not big sellers.

• Running “Allegedly” Gag: The team repeatedly uses “allegedly” to dodge direct accusations, lampooning workplace gossip management styles.

2. Name Confusion and Power Dynamics

• Fun with Names: Multiple employees share similar names, causing confusion and a comedic roll call:

  • “‘Beth. Beth.’ ‘Hold on now. I thought your name...I thought your name was Beth.’ ‘I had it legally changed last night.’” — (A & D, 03:18–03:23)
  • Characters embrace this by suggesting that name tags can be swapped at will and legal name changes are casual.

• Promotion Humor: The chain of command is murky. The “regional vice manager” attempts to command authority but receives little respect.

  • “You're the regional manager.”
    “I'm the regional vice manager, okay? Oh, come on.” — (C & A, 08:00–08:02)

3. Stinky Cake Fingers: The Ray Jr. Problem

• Finger Accusations: Ray Jr. is rumored (not so subtly) to be sticking his “sticky, stinky little fingers” into cakes and onto handles, causing product returns due to odor.

  • “Ray Jr. likes to put his little fingers, little stinky fingers in the cakes.” — (B, 02:41)
  • “This part's not alleged. I'm his former babysitter...Those fingers are stinky.” — (C, 05:24 & 05:49)

• Workplace Solutions: As cakes and rakes are both returned for being too smelly, the group agrees (sarcastically) to sanitize “everything,” including cake cups and rake handles.

4. Work Culture & Ghostly Gossip

• Ghost Story Detour: The meeting spirals into a dimly lit pseudo-ghost story about the night shift being fired after confronting Ray Sr. about his son.

  • “Two weeks ago, the entire crew of the night shift came together to Big Ray...with some complaints about Ray Jr. They were all fired.” — (A, 07:22)

• Self-awareness: The meeting often goes off the rails, with characters poking fun at themselves for losing track (“We get a little lost in the sauce”) and using the language of modern memes (“Slay Mama”—04:01), indicating the cast’s improvisational skill.

5. Store Improvement Ideas

• Brainstorming Session: The episode closes with a pitch session—a classic device for more bits:
  • “Some of the music we play inside the store turns people away. Alkaline Trio? No thank you...One Direction? We could be playing more of it.” — (D, 09:36–09:47)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Overuse of ‘Allegedly’

  • “And allegedly, guys, we only have to say allegedly once.” — A, 01:28

• On Smelly Rake Handles

  • “The part that people expect to be smelly—the rake part—is not the smelly part. The handle is smelly and people are suspecting...” — C, 06:24

• Shifting Blame to Pay Docks

  • “I have to dock your pay if I find out you're eating cookies. I have to do that and I still am.” — (A & B, 08:12)
  • “‘What does Dock mean?’ ‘Means you get more money...like when you add a dock to a port so that more ships can come in and out.’” — D & C, 08:25–08:29

• On the Instability of Store Management

  • “He [Ray Sr.] is so protective of his son, okay? So I just don't think we should engage in any way...” — A, 07:50

Important Timestamps

• 00:02–01:25: Opening shift meeting, introduction to cake disaster and introduction of the “allegedly” running gag.
• 02:40–03:39: Name confusion antics escalate (the “Beth/Biff” moment).
• 05:24–05:49: Babysitter confirms Ray Jr.’s childhood stinkiness (“Those fingers are stinky”).
• 06:07–06:51: Issues with K-cups and rakes, more returned products due to “smelly handles.”
• 07:22–07:50: Ghost story setup and reveal of the entire night shift being fired.
• 09:36–09:52: Store improvement ideas: critiques and pitches for the music playlist.

Tone & Style

The entire episode is layered with deadpan, quick-fire improvisation and surreal workplace satire, gently lampooning retail hierarchies and “team spirit” tropes. The banter is both self-aware and intentionally meandering, with the group welcoming tangents and embracing confusion as a feature, not a bug.

For more hijinks and unfiltered group improv, listeners are encouraged to join the Patreon Clue Crew for full-length bonus content.