There are a few distinct types of people in college. You have your chocoholics, your shopaholics, your sleepaholics, and now a new species is emerging in Athens: your Cinnaholics.
On November 7, Cinnaholic opened on Broad Street under the Georgia Heights building, serving up warm, gooey cinnamon rolls topped with a Wonka-worthy array of sweet toppings from cookie dough to apples.
The company, originally founded in Berkeley, California by Shannon and Florian Radke, rose to fame when it appeared on Shark Tank and snagged an initial investment offer from shark Robert Herjavec.
Now, you can invest in a roll yourself. At $5.50, you can get one of the warm (and soul-warming), sweet treats with a flavored frosting and a topping of choice. Not a steal price-wise, but so worth it and big enough to share with a friend.
The sweetest part of the shop? The rolls are vegan, but with no pretention. That’s right: grab your environmentally-conscious, animal-loving, lactose-intolerant friends, because this is going to be your dessert game-changer.
“For me, the vegan piece isn’t emphasized enough,” Jake Bryant, one of the co-owners of the new franchise location. “I never thought this product would taste so good being vegan.”
Bryant is a UGA alum who studied finance and has made an appearance on the Bulldog 100 list for five years. This is his first foray into food franchising, but he is passionate about the product.
Of the 21 toppings and 18 frostings available, Bryant said his favorite really depends on the day.
“A lot of the time, I just like the plain roll with the cream cheese,” Bryant, a father of four, said. “I am also partial to the peanut butter chocolate chip combo. It is phenomenal. I never thought I would eat a cinnamon roll with peanut butter and chocolate chips, but it is tasty stuff.”
I went with banana cream frosting and strawberries and was not let down. While there was enough frosting for about three buns, it made for a delicious combination, paired with the soft, easy-to-pull-apart roll.
Compared to the classic option at Cinnabon, which is 880 calories, the Cinnaholic rolls are also lighter on guilt at 650 calories and 100 percent worth it.
Much like Zombie Donuts and Insomnia Cookies, an added bonus to the cinnamon roll concept is that the store moves quickly, as the standard rolls are already prepared and only require additional toppings. Also, like these other stores, Cinnaholic is open late – until 10pm daily.
Bryant said most of the sales at Cinnaholic’s Atlanta location come after 8 pm, and he expects this to be repeated in Athens. But honestly, we won’t judge if you’d prefer to eat a roll for breakfast.