Scalpers, trademark infringement, and back-alley trading: it's your weekly cronut update. Ever since the crunchy confection hit NYC last month, the city has been on an ever-growing sugar high, and it's only getting crazier.
First, entrepreneurs started hawking their services on Craigslist, waiting in line and delivering cronuts for up to 40 bucks a pop — see the CRAZY ads below. Then, a new flavor (maple-lemon glaze) arrived and the lines got even longer. What usually happens when a high-end item becomes a national trend? The knock-offs come next.
All over the world, bakeries have begun to roll out their own not-exactly-cronuts to feed the curious masses: From the "doissant" in Washington, D.C.'s Chocolate Crust bakery, to the MoVida Bakery in Melbourne, Australia (they're still deciding between “croisnut” and “crodough.") Though Dominique Ansel wisely trademarked the original moniker, he's fine with imitators taking a whack at their own recipes.
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And you might just be stuck trying one of the knock-offs, since Ansel has also been forced to limit the amount of cronuts sold at one time. Last week, you could buy six, but, with the onslaught of scalpers lurking outside his doors before dawn, that number has dropped to two per customer. Still, that hasn't discouraged go-getters from padding their incomes by selling cronuts on the side. One construction worker told the HuffPo he planned to clear $120 by re-selling his allotment. He adds, "Tomorrow, the price is double." (Huffington Post)
Image: courtesy of Niko Triantafillou, DessertBuzz