FroYo and Cupcake business goes belly up
Gainesville, Georgia-based Sweet Monkey Frozen Yogurt & Cupcakes has seemingly ceased all operations. The franchise concept started in Gainesville in 2011. While the Gainesville location on Dawsonville Highway is no longer listed on the company's website, three other locations in Buford, Cumming, and Atlanta at Emory Pointe are. Despite their presence on the website, all locations have closed. Strangely, in the case of the store at Emory Pointe, there is no signage alerting patrons to the closure and the store looks like it could reopen at any time. While there is signage up at the location in Cumming, it's been up for months and hints at temporary closure where they "hope to reopen again before Christmas."
According to the Sweet Monkey website, the chain had distribution (through unknown channels) nationwide.
"Keeping with our mission to create unique, one of a kind experiences for our customers, we created the world's first Cupcake Push Up (and of course received a patent for it!) You can now find our cupcakes all over the country, from locations like the MGM and Wynn Casinos in Las Vegas, Nickelodeon Universe in Minnesota, Gatorland in Florida, and around 100 other stores and locations around the country and still counting!"
The website goes on to say...
"Sweet Monkey has grown into one of the most recognized neighborhood brands and a favorite with those that have visited us or tried our products! Since 2011, we have opened several more Sweet Monkey stores around metro Atlanta, and with help from our Franchising partners, we are actively expanding into other cities around the country. Look for a Sweet Monkey near you!"
According to a franchise offering on a third party website, "Sweet Monkey Frozen Yogurt & Cupcakes is currently the leading self-serve frozen yogurt chain in the Southeast."
Sweet Monkey was one of a handful of Atlanta area concepts to marry two popular dessert items: cupcakes and frozen yogurt. Cloud 9, based in Roswell also married the two. Cloud 9 expanded from their flagship Roswell location to smaller food court operations in both Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall. Today, all have closed.
Sweet Monkey also attempted to extend their business with the addition of "Mobile Monkey," essentially a food truck version of their business. The reportedly patented unit was designed to be made available to patrons at high traffic events like fairs, sporting events and other outings. Attending the IAAPA Show in Orlando in 2012, I witnessed the "Mobile Monkey" at work, but questioned the viability of the unit. I was unable to confirm the whereabouts of the Mobile Monkey.
5 comments:
They cupcake craze is basically over and sadly stores that can’t diversify will most likely close. I feel bad for the owners, employees and neighboring businesses, but the cost were often outrageous.
Our family doesn’t usually eat a lot of sweets, so I decided to get a dozen cupcakes for a birthday party instead of a cake. When I stopped into one of these places they wanted over thirty bucks for a dozen cupcakes. So, I simply wet to Publix and got and entire cake for less.
I tried to go to Sweet Monkey at Emory Pointe about 2 or 3 months ago. It was like a Tuesday afternoon at about 3PM. Doors were locked and not a single person was working, even though the hours were posted that they were opened. Never tried to go back.
I think its strange that they closed....something isn't right...I would like to know the real reason behind it...
Tinkerbell the real reason was not because of lack of business. The couple who ran it worked 12 to 14 hours a day to give the best product and all baked goods was with the freshest ingredients. The silent partner became greedy can you read between the lines and left the staff and the couple who broke their back to build the business to fall on their face without warning. Did you know the yogurt was custom made with few preservatives
It has reopened but beware nothing to do with couple who ran it.
broke there back cause they were so fat more like it
every time i entered the multiple locations i would personally see the owner and his wife over and over and they always had some sort of cupcake in there hand behind the counter....disgusting
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