Dallas-Fort Worth has sweets shops dedicated to fancy doughnuts, cake balls and even dessert grilled cheese. Now, there's a gourmet cinnamon bun shop: Cinnaholic.
"I think [cinnamon rolls] are all the rage," says Lynn Matarelli, the Southlake franchisee. Good thing: Cinnamon rolls are the main menu item at Cinnaholic.
Cinnaholic is in fact a vegan dessert shop, but its owners aren't quick to label it as such.
Its cinnamon rolls are made with yeast, flour and a butter substitute and egg replacer. (Plus "some magic," Matarelli says.) They come topped with decadent frosting, available in about two-dozen flavors, made with a cream cheese substitute and sugar.
You'd never know the cinnamon buns weren't mixed with the traditional milk, butter and eggs, which is why Cinnaholic doesn't advertise the vegan bent. The buns are fluffy, the frosting's gooey. Could've fooled me.
Matarelli, though, has been eating vegan for about 15 years. Her "thing," she says, is dessert, which can be tricky since many sweets are made with animal products or byproducts. She jumped at the chance to franchise Cinnaholic's build-your-own vegan cinnamon rolls after she tried them at the Berkeley, California, original.
Customers pick a frosting -- pumpkin spice, cream cheese or root beer, maybe -- and then select toppings such as fruit, nuts, marshmallows or vegan cookie dough.
Each roll costs between $5 and $6 depending on the number of add-ons, which are 50 cents each. A "baby bun," or a mini cinnamon roll, costs $1.50. Customers can also purchase day-old cinnamon rolls for $2.50 each.
People all over the country might've first drooled over Cinnaholic from their living room couches as company founders Florian and Shannon Radke appeared on the TV show Shark Tank. Millionaire Robert Herjavec forked over $400,000 for 40 percent of the company, and soon a plan launched to open 25 Cinnaholics across the country.
The Cinnaholic in Southlake is only the second store to exist. It opens Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.
If the model from the California original sticks, it could became a new-age coffee shop of sorts, with customers using its free wifi and eating loaded cinnamon buns like they're doughnuts.
Franchisees hope to open six Cinnaholics in the North Texas area in cities such as Richardson, Plano and Dallas.
Recent Shark Tank businesses now in North Texas: Tom + Chee grilled cheese shop, Foot Cardigan sock company and Villy Custom bike shop.
Check out what billionaire Mark Cuban hates most on Shark Tank.
Cinnaholic is located at 2704 E. Southlake Blvd., Suite 102, in Southlake. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. cinnaholic.com.
Flip through a gallery of cinnamon roll photos:
