Bakery: Cinnaholic gets rolling
“We created the world’s best cinnamon roll experience,” Florian and Shannon Radke, owners of Berkeley’s Cinnaholic, told a panel of investors on “Shark Tank” in May 2014, only revealing after a taste test that the world’s best cinnamon roll experience was 100 percent dairy- and eggfree. What is the world’s best cinnamon roll experience, as conceived by this 4-year-old shop? Picking out one of two dozen frostings for the counterperson to smear onto a warm, naked bun, then choosing as many toppings as the roll (or you) can take. Chocolate chips. Graham crackers. Strawberry jam. The top seller: chunks of uncooked cookie dough. The store displays several pre-designed combinations for those paralyzed by choice, as well as a staff-concocted daily special. Shannon Radke spent a year testing recipes until the couple came up with a spiral-shaped roll they thought would be goodtasting first, plant-based second. The store built up a healthy following of Cal students, Yelpers and “healthy moms” (Florian’s words) before the “Shark Tank” appearance. Television didn’t just bring them new customers — it led to a partnership with Atlanta Franchise Group. Cinnaholic franchise stores will open in Virginia and Texas next month, with 13 more locations on the way, none in the Bay Area. The rise of the vegan movement isn’t the only reason for Cinnaholic’s success, the Radkes say. “People are spending the same amount of money on desserts, but they’re going away from quantity to quality,” Florian says. “Instead of buying a doughnut at a cheap place every day, they’re going twice a week to a doughnut store that’s a little more expensive. We have that advantage on our competitor in the malls.”
Cinnaholic: 2132 Oxford St., Berkeley; (510) 647-8684. www.cinnaholic.com