# Cupcake fad is crashing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736 "2014-07-10T01:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/1 "2014-07-10T01:07:14Z")
I’ve got to say, this is one the most bewildering fads I have ever seen in my lifetime. Five dollars or ten dollars for a fucking “gourmet” cupcake. I mean, shit, I’m not the best baker in the world and I can make perfectly edible cupcakes. And if you want three inches of Betty Crocker canned frosting on top, hey, I can do that too! [Crumbs closes.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/07/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-americas-first-public-cupcake-company-in-five-charts/) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/2 "2014-07-10T01:19:13Z")
And once the blow dry bar thing passes, all will be right again with the world. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/3 "2014-07-10T01:36:12Z")
I don’t see what’s so bewildering. Cupcakes are tasty. (Good ones, not the overly-sugary, artificial-flavored crap that only kids like.) They remind people of their youth. Now you can get them in lots of interesting flavors. What’s not to like? I can make “edible” ice cream from cream, sugar, and vanilla in my home, but I still like to go to ice cream shops. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/4 "2014-07-10T01:37:00Z")
What I don’t get with these expensive cupcakes, which I admit liking and buying, is why they don’t do a seriously better job of frosting. If all you do is cupcakes, then I expect a damn amazing butter-cream frosting of various flavors. What I get is very good frosting, but I can do that at home. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/5 "2014-07-10T01:41:06Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > What I don’t get with these expensive cupcakes, which I admit liking and buying, is why they don’t do a seriously better job of frosting. If all you do is cupcakes, then I expect a damn amazing butter-cream frosting of various flavors. What I get is very good frosting, but I can do that at home. Because people like you like and buy them the way they are, that’s why. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/6 "2014-07-10T01:41:28Z")
Every cupcake I’ve bought has had pretty amazing icing on the top, and cost between $2.50 and $3.00. It’s easy to rail against things when you use extreme examples. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/7 "2014-07-10T01:47:57Z")
Oh, no! If I had only known three years ago that there was a publicly traded chain of cupcake stores, I could have shorted it and made a fortune. There aren’t any sure things in investing, but one based on the premise that the cupcake craze was just a fad? That’s just free money. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/8 "2014-07-10T01:51:18Z")
I never even heard of this fad, or Crumbs, until the failure of Crumbs was all over the news. And then there’s this: > [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > And once the blow dry bar thing passes, all will be right again with the world. And that’s even weirder. Just the other day I saw one of these in Center City Philly and thought it was a one-off by some deluded entrepreneur, perhaps financed with daddy’s inheritance. But [apparently not](https://www.google.com/search?q=blow+dry+bar). ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/9 "2014-07-10T01:55:11Z")
Well [here’s a listed company](http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-07-09/sheer-insanity-no-revenue-company-rises-over-1-billion-today-57k-shares-traded)with no revenue, no assets and a market cap of $3 billion for your consideration. At least Crumbs had a real business for a while. Bah, ninjaed, my post was a response to **Greg Charles**. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/10 "2014-07-10T01:56:07Z")
Crumbs failed because their cupcakes were lousy. But yeah, this is a fad that is on the decline. Only the really good, well run cupcake places are likely to survive. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/11 "2014-07-10T01:58:02Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Every cupcake I’ve bought has had pretty amazing icing on the top, and cost between $2.50 and $3.00. It’s easy to rail against things when you use extreme examples. Indeed. I don’t go by our local cupcake shop often, but it’s $3.00 for one, and I’ve never had one I didn’t like. On a bad day, that can cheer me up right quick. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/12 "2014-07-10T01:59:47Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I never even heard of this fad, or Crumbs, until the failure of Crumbs was all over the news. > > And then there’s this: > And that’s even weirder. Just the other day I saw one of these in Center City Philly and thought it was a one-off by some deluded entrepreneur, perhaps financed with daddy’s inheritance. But [apparently not](https://www.google.com/search?q=blow+dry+bar). I first saw them in DC, where I live now. I thought they were some sort of thing that could only exist in a place like DC which has a lot of people with a lot of money to a)spend on something wacky and b) afford the startup cost for a business selling something wacky. Then I went back to visit Philadelphia, where I’m from, and I saw one _there_! After that I accepted the fact that I’m just not meant to understand certain things. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/13 "2014-07-10T02:02:50Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Well [here’s a listed company](http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-07-09/sheer-insanity-no-revenue-company-rises-over-1-billion-today-57k-shares-traded)with no revenue, no assets and a market cap of $3 billion for your consideration. > > At least Crumbs had a real business for a while. > > Bah, ninjaed, my post was a response to **Greg Charles**. Dot Com 2.0? > [@](#): > > CYNK Technology Corp, the **social media** development company that had a market capitalization in excess of $1 billion I think it’s those two words: _social media_. Hey if it’s a social media company, it’s going to be the next Facebook or Twitter! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/14 "2014-07-10T02:03:00Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Every cupcake I’ve bought has had pretty amazing icing on the top, and cost between $2.50 and $3.00. It’s easy to rail against things when you use extreme examples. > [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > Indeed. I don’t go by our local cupcake shop often, but it’s $3.00 for one, and I’ve never had one I didn’t like. On a bad day, that can cheer me up right quick. I’m curious, how crowded are your cupcake shops? Lots of customers, lot of choices? Do they sell other baked goods? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/15 "2014-07-10T02:03:02Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Crumbs failed because their cupcakes were lousy. But yeah, this is a fad that is on the decline. Only the really good, well run cupcake places are likely to survive. I think the really good, well run cupcake places will start selling a lot more coffee, croissants and bottled water at some point; probably in the not too distant future. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/16 "2014-07-10T02:07:46Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > I first saw them in DC, where I live now. I thought they were some sort of thing that could only exist in a place like DC which has a lot of people with a lot of money to a)spend on something wacky and b) afford the startup cost for a business selling something wacky. Then I went back to visit Philadelphia, where I’m from, and I saw one _there_! After that I accepted the fact that I’m just not meant to understand certain things. Nah. You and I are the only ones who _do_ understand things. Everyone else spends their money on overpriced cupcakes and blow drying. (And “social media” companies with no revenue or assets). ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/17 "2014-07-10T02:09:04Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I’m curious, how crowded are your cupcake shops? Lots of customers, lot of choices? Do they sell other baked goods? Pretty crowded, lots of flavors, nothing other than cupcakes. Of course, I probably go inside a cupcake store once or twice a year. My wife brings them home every now and then from work. ETA: Crowded isn’t the right word. Steady, would be a better description. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/18 "2014-07-10T02:10:26Z")
I’ve bought cupcakes from a couple of those specialist shops on a few occasions in the past. They were beautifully presented and very enticing (of course!), but I always found them quite disappointing: stodgy cake and bland icing. I realised that I was basically just paying for the appearance. And they were very expensive for what you get. So I haven’t bought any cupcakes for a number of years now. And I’m sure I’m not alone. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/19 "2014-07-10T02:14:00Z")
the firm is reorganizing. coming soon Muffins ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736/20 "2014-07-10T02:16:26Z")
Supposedly Crumbs went out of business because of poor management and not because they couldn’t sell enough cupcakes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cupcake-fad-is-crashing/692736.md?page=2)