Royal Cake Co. in Winston-Salem, N.C., lays off 20 workers.

Byline: Fran Daniel

Dec. 22--Royal Cake Co. Inc. in Winston-Salem has laid off about 20 workers, the company said yesterday.

"Due to less than expected sales for the quarter, Royal Cake found it necessary to lay off approximately 20 of its 230 employees," Jim Whitney, the company's president and chief executive, said in a statement yesterday.

"The company is not closing, just trying to run more efficiently. We are operating normal work schedules and we remain very optimistic about our future here in Winston-Salem."

Whitney's statement did not say whether the company was taking broader cost-cutting measures, but an employee, who spokes on …