
The Sticky, Untold Story of Cinnabon - aaronbrethorst
https://www.seattlemet.com/articles/2017/10/23/scents-from-a-mall-the-sticky-untold-story-of-cinnabon
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jpatokal
Totally random factoid: Cinnabon is huge in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the
few places that gives the US a run for its money in having large numbers of
wealthy and morbidly obese people who drive everywhere and get virtually no
exercise.

I also spotted one in Tokyo earlier this year, nestled in the shadow of the
Mori Tower in one of the toniest neighbourhoods in the country. The rolls were
scaled down to Japanese size expectations, but the shop was still rattlingly
empty every time I passed by around 9 AM in the morning at what you'd expect
to be commuter peak hour.

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scoggs
Does 'toniest' mean wealthy / snobbish? I've never heard it used in this
context. Thanks.

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schlock509
Yeah, I think this is the first time I've ever even heard 'toniest'

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walshemj
Its a slightly older slang term but its obvious me what 'toniest' means.

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Aloha
That's a neat little human interest story!

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mark-r
Yes it is. But the lessons for the HN crowd are to pay attention to the
ingredients of your success. Even after nailing so many aspects of the
business right out of the gate, they had to discover the factors that made for
a good location. A/B testing is a wonderful tool that these folks didn't have.

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scoggs
I also liked the bit about being confident in what you are / what you have /
what you offer. Instead of worrying about public opinion and blow back for
being unhealthy or partnering with a television show about cooking meth the
Cinnabon company embraced everything. It won't work so well for everyone, but
I think companies and products that are a bit more on the unsavory side could
take a big lesson, here.

It's much more endearing than lying or being fake. It's much more endearing to
admit faults or to be honest with your customers and the public about your
goals and how you perceive yourself. People might not love everything about
you, your product, your services or what you stand for but they will find more
reasons to hate you for being a liar than for simply acknowledging what
everyone already knows about you.

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memsom
Cinnabon is a guilty pleasure when I'm visiting family in the US and Canada.
There was only one remaining store in the UK in the Trocadero Centre in London
last time I looked, but it seems they have expanded again and have a bunch of
London locations and a couple outside of London. When I was working in London
I would go every now and again and buy a tray and take them back to the
office. No one ever complained.

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tlb
Stories of chain restaurant origins are really interesting, except I find them
hard to read because I'm so grossed out by the amount of obesity, diabetes,
and heart-disease they've caused. Cinnabon is surely only a little behind
Philip Morris in collateral damage caused.

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assface
> Cinnabon is surely only a little behind Philip Morris in collateral damage
> caused.

I disagree. I had a bad bowel obstruction once after minor surgery. I was
backed up for over a week. My doctor told me to head straight to the local
mall and get a Cinnabon. It flushed me out like it was opening the gates of
the Erie Canal.

It was a miracle. The doctor later told me that he is 14 for 16 for getting
people to start pooping again through Cinnabon.

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Scaevolus
Cinnamon is a laxative, and has been used in herbal medicine for a long time.

In this case, it's the 15 teaspoons of sugar that helps the medicine go down!

