Sunday, May 5, 2019

[UPDATE] Cake Boss Closes Atlanta Carlo's Bake Shops, One to Rise Again as Krispy Kreme

Carlo's Bake Shop has closed both of their Atlanta area locations. Carlo's Bake Shop is based in Hoboken, New Jersey and is owned by Bartolo "Buddy" Valastro, Jr., star of the popular TLC reality show "Cake Boss."   The two Atlanta area shops - both kiosks - were located on the first floors of Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody and Cumberland Mall near Smyrna.  Both locations closed as of this past Sunday.  In advance of their closures the shops were reportedly offering all on hand baked goods for $1 per item. 
The shop at Perimeter Mall made its debut in April 2017 followed later that September by the shop at Cumberland Mall.  Both malls were then owned by GGP and are today owned by Brookfield Properties Retail. 

Sources close to the mall indicate that Winston-Salem based Krispy Kreme has inked a deal to open in place of Carlo's at Perimeter Mall.  Krispy Kreme, owned by coffee-pastry-sandwich juggernaut JAB Holding Company, previously operated a freestanding location on Buford Highway in Doraville, but has not had a presence in the Dunwoody/Sandy Springs area. 

At Perimeter Mall, Krispy Kreme joins a growing list of treat shops such as Starbucks, Orange  Julius, Auntie Anne's, Ice Sensation, Great American Cookies, Häagen-Dazs, Macaron Queen Lolli & Pops and Godiva Chocolatier.  Most recently, Gong Cha, a bubble tea shop, opened a kiosk on the second floor, while Cinnabon closed its shop in the food court near Chick-fil-A.  

It's not yet known what form the new Krispy Kreme kiosk will take but one likely outcome is the uber-cute "Krispy Kreme Doughnut Box" kiosk.  The format is relatively new to America, the first of which opened stateside at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh last August, but the boxes were first installed in malls and shopping centers in the UK in 2016.   
A Krispy Kreme Doughnuts box kiosk in the UK 

The former Carlo's Bake Shop kiosk at Cumberland Mall has reportedly not yet been leased, but depending on the reception that Krispy Kreme  gets at Perimeter, perhaps they would consider it.  

Are you surprised that Carlo's closed both of its Atlanta area locations? Do you think Krispy Kreme will do well at Perimeter Mall? What would you like to see open in place of Carlo's at Cumberland Mall?

Please share your thoughts below  

6 comments:

Ham said...

It is funny that we hear more and more about cutting sugar and many of us or at least trying. At the same time we see more and more of these "treat shops" opening. Maybe everyone is approaching it like me where you no longer have these items in you home so as to avoid temptation. However, you still pick up an occasional individual item as a reward for good behavior.

Anonymous said...

Not surprised at all that it closed. Except for the first month after opening you rarely saw anyone buying anything from the stand. No one does to the mall to buy baked goods

Anonymous said...

Still impossible to find a great cannoli in metro Atlanta. Cake Boss was decent at times, but it was often stale (soggy shell).

Anonymous said...

@Anon 7:29am:
Have you tried E. 58th Street Market? I'm not a huge cannoli fan but I hear theirs are good.

cafeej said...

I can confirm the E. 48th St. Market for the cannoli - best I have had in the area. The key is the shell which I believe they make in house and has always been fresh.

Anonymous said...

I wish they had not closed the bakery I had Carlos bakery goods when I went to Longbranch New Jersey store they had the best baked goods I ever put in my mouth

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