Cinnaholic, an all-vegan bakery franchise, announced its upcoming appearance on “Shark Tank,” airing Friday, May 9, at 9 p.m. on ABC Television. During the episode, entrepreneurs Florian and Shannon Radke will share the success of their gourmet cinnamon roll bakery to the Sharks, with the goal of obtaining a deal that allows Cinnaholic to reach individuals across the country.

“When we first began to conceptualize Cinnaholic in 2010, never in our wildest dreams did we imagine our vegan cinnamon rolls receiving such national exposure and adoration,” says Florian Radke, co-owner of Cinnaholic. “From the first day I tried Shannon’s vegan cinnamon rolls, I knew we had something special. Our fantasy of opening a successful bakery became a reality after the instantaneous support we received when our doors opened in our home city of Berkeley. By going on Shark Tank, we are hoping to expand our business and bring our delicious vegan offerings to consumers nationwide.” 

According to a recent Vegetarian Times study, 7.3 million Americans are vegetarians, 1 million are vegans, and an additional 22.8 million are following a vegetarian-inclined diet. With restaurant goers asking for more vegetarian and vegan offerings when dining out, Cinnaholic’s “Shark Tank” appearance could be the first step in replicating the bakery’s flagship Berkeley store success and providing entrepreneurs and foodies the opportunity to serve its delicious and vegan offerings to cities across the country through franchising.

With the growth of other restaurant concepts on Shark Tank, such as Tom+Chee and Cousin’s Maine Lobster, Cinnaholic hopes to join the ranks of these concepts and see smart growth of the brand over the next year.  With a successful mail order program and the opportunity for franchise development, CInnaholic is poised to disrupt the sweets industry and prove that there is a place for an all-vegan concept in the space.

“We have both vegan and non-vegan customers from across the country that order our gourmet cinnamon rolls through our mail order program and have been asking for years for a Cinnaholic bakery to come to a city near them,” Radke says. “The opportunity to appear on Shark Tank will allow us to increase the visibility of our business and help us achieve our dream of expanding Cinnaholic nationwide.”