Gourmet Cinnamon Roll Shop Opens This Week In Anne Arundel, Business Was On 'Shark Tank'

GAMBRILLS, MD — A gourmet cinnamon roll shop opens Friday in Gambrills. The business, named Cinnaholic, is known for its appearance on ABC's "Shark Tank."

Cinnaholic is located in the Waugh Chapel Towne Centre between Elevation Burger and the Huntington Learning Center.

The eatery will bake a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls every 20 minutes. Guests can customize their treats with more than 20 flavors of frosting and plenty of toppings.

Every cinnamon roll is vegan. They are 100% plant-based with no dairy, lactose, eggs or cholesterol.

This natural approach is important to Gambrills franchise owner Laurin Wallace. The franchisee is originally from the Midwest, and she has lived in Maryland for the past 20 years. Wallace is 98% vegan, but she still loves crab cakes.

"I am very passionate about health and wellness, sustainability, and growing ties with my community, all pillars that make Cinnaholic such an incredible company," Wallace said in a Monday press release. "When I was looking for my next steps in life, I knew I wanted to partner with a company that shared my same values, and Cinnaholic is the perfect brand to bring to the Gambrills community."

Related: Gourmet Cinnamon Roll Shop From 'Shark Tank' Opening Soon In Gambrills

The grand opening celebration will be Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During the event, every customer will get a single cinnamon roll of their choice for $2.

The most popular cinnamon roll flavors are:

• Old Skool – Classic cinnamon roll with vanilla frosting
• Cookie Monster – Cream cheese frosting, cookie dough, chocolate chips and chocolate sauce
• Caramel Apple Pie – Caramel frosting, homemade pie crumble, fresh apples, caramel sauce
• Campfire S'mores – Marshmallow frosting, graham cookies, marshmallows, chocolate sauce
• Shake, Rattle & Roll – Peanut butter frosting, fresh bananas, pretzels, peanut butter cups

Cinnaholic additionally offers edible cookie dough, cookies, brownies, "Baby Buns" and "Cinnacakes." Seasonal menu items currently include the s'mores cookie, candied almond roll and Biscoff roll with solid fill cookie butter.

The eatery can also cater larger events.

'Shark Tank' Appearance

Cinnaholic founders Florian Radke and Shannon Radke appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2014 when they only had one store in Berkeley, California. The business owners pitched their company in season five, episode 28.

The experience was exciting and terrifying for the Radkes. The entrepreneurs described their pitch as "very quick, to the point, and intense."

"There were several months of preparation and research we had to do before making it to the final round," Cinnaholic said on its frequently asked questions page. "The only time we had direct contact with the 'sharks' was during filming. We are beyond grateful to the network as well as the 'sharks' to have been given the opportunity to appear as a guest on the show. We'd do it all over again in a heartbeat!"

On the show, the Radke's agreed to sell a 40% stake of Cinnaholic to investor Robert Herjavec for $200,000. Herjavec offered the deal with the condition that Cinnaholic pivoted away from selling its treats in stores and transitioned toward shipping them nationwide.

Cinnaholic agreed to those terms on the show, but later declined and decided to stick to physical stores. The deal fell through, and Cinnaholic parted ways with Herjavec.

A full clip from their "Shark Tank" segment is posted here.

"After much thought and discussion, we decided to go in a different direction and focus on expanding our storefronts instead," the Cinnaholic FAQ page said. "Robert and his team were extremely cooperative and pleasant to work with despite our declining their original offer."

Opening More Locations

Cinnaholic launched in 2010 as an independent, family-owned bakery. It now has more than 70 eateries across the United States and Canada. The chain has another 30 locations in development, and 50 anticipated for 2023.

There are already sites in Gaithersburg and Baltimore. A second Baltimore restaurant and an Owings Mills location will open this year.

Cinnaholic said it was recently ranked on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500® list.

The Gambrills store is situated at 1403 South Main Chapel Way, Suite 105. Photos of the shop are posted here. The business expects to be open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Patrons can learn more by visiting cinnaholic.com, calling (667) 264-3317 or emailing [email protected].

Customers can also follow Cinnaholic on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Related:

• Nando's PERi-PERi Closes Restaurant At Westfield Annapolis Mall
• Annapolis Arcade Bar Adds Karaoke Rooms, Video Games, Recording Studio
• Cousins Open Donut Shop In Anne Arundel County After Months Of Anticipation