Sweet Success
Sean and Dion Roberson liked going to Cinnaholic so much, they decided to open their own. While living in Atlanta, the husband-and-wife duo discovered the bakery known for its “create your own” cinnamon rolls and made it one of their go-to stops. After moving back to Louisville, they knew they had to bring the concept home.
“We are both from Louisville, born and raised,” Sean says. “We discovered Cinnaholic in Atlanta, and it became our number one dessert option. We always had the intention to move back to Louisville eventually. When we did, we wanted to bring this to where we are from so people can experience what we experienced. That was really our motivation. We wanted to bring Cinnaholic back home.”
Cinnaholic is a national franchise started in Berkeley, California, in 2010 that quickly became a local favorite and was even featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” There are now more than 100 Cinnaholic locations spread out across the country, serving fresh-baked products that are 100% vegan while free of dairy, lactose, egg and cholesterol.
The menu includes a variety of frostings and toppings, all made with the highest-quality ingredients. Customers can design their own special cinnamon roll or choose from one of the selected signature rolls, which include Cookie Monster, Campfire S’mores, Caramel Apple Pie and the classic Old Skool Roll.
Sean says Cookie Monster, which features cream cheese frosting topped with homemade chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate chips and chocolate sauce, is his personal favorite, with many new customers opting for the more traditional Old Skool Roll on their first visit.
“For most people, if it’s their first time coming in, the menu can get overwhelming seeing all the customizations and options,” Sean says. “Ultimately, they land on the Old Skool, which is just your basic cinnamon roll. Besides that, if someone wants something with toppings, they go with the Cookie Monster. It’s pretty rich, and it’s my favorite. I can see why people love it.”
Sean and Dion’s location is the first Cinnaholic in Kentucky and is in the heart of St. Matthews at 4204 Shelbyville Road near Hubbards Lane. Cinnaholic will also feature Sean’s other business venture, West Lou Coffee, with brownies, cookies and more also available.
“The St. Matthews area made sense because we are familiar with Shelbyville Road and the mall,” Sean says. “There’s a lot of people who live in that area and shop and eat. We wanted our first business to be in an area that is a destination for people who live in and around Louisville.”
The store had its grand opening in August, offering guests discounted $2 rolls, and has grown rapidly from there.
“Our grand opening was pretty wild,” Dion says. “We had a lot of things going on and some roadblocks we were able to work through. I want to give a shoutout to our customer base for coming out. They were all so supportive and nice during that time and allowed us grace as we ramped up with a brand-new team and concept. There was a lot that went into those first few weeks, and we still have had great reception. Now we have our regular customers who come for dietary needs. They either are vegan or plant-based or just can’t have dairy or lactose. It’s really been good to have this concept here for folks to enjoy regardless of their dietary restrictions.”
Cinnaholic wants its reach to go beyond its store. They also cater special events, and Dion says she hopes to grow that part of the business.
“We’ve done a few corporate events and weddings,” Dion says. “We try to make that experience exceptional for whatever the reason is. We work with our customers on what their needs are. We have options to deliver or do setup. We would love the opportunity to cater and spread the product to as many people as possible.”
Sean says he also sees an opportunity to visit customers who may have a harder time getting to the current physical location.
“We traveled to a few events last year, and it was eye-opening how many people showed up for us,” Sean says. “A lot of these people can’t get to St. Matthews as easily and are happy to see us and purchase items. It made me think we need to invest in a mobile way to get to more people.”
The couple says it took about a year for the concept to fully get off the ground, and they’ve already learned a great deal about the process and each other. Both want all of their customers to have a great experience when visiting.
“This should be a very fun establishment,” Dion says. “That’s probably been the biggest learning curve for me. While we are running a business, we need to ensure we’re having fun with the process so it’s a great experience for the customer from when they walk into the front door to when they leave.”
“We’re treating our customers how we like to be treated, and it’s showing up,” Sean says. “People are writing good reviews because we are making sure they are getting what they’re asking for. We can go above and beyond with giving them a smile and a greeting and knowing our frequent customers. If you just be yourself and are a good person, you can give great service to someone and they’ll come back.”
Cinnaholic is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information on Cinnaholic, check out cinnaholic.com or call 502-365-4119.
