From World Cup soccer to Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, there are so many opportunities to stir up new business throughout the year by creating cakes, cupcakes and cookies that honor unique special occasions. For instance, many bakeries are currently selling shark-themed desserts during Shark Week, an annual franchise that kicked off its 30th installment on Sunday, July 22, and lasts for eight days.
Freed's Bakery in Las Vegas is currently offering shark cupcakes that feature vanilla cake topped with cream cheese frosting and fondant shark fins, and are filled with “red blood” (a.k.a. strawberry puree). Duck Donuts, with franchises in 23 states, is selling a beach-inspired donut assortment that features a blue-colored donut with marshmallow drizzle and a gummy shark to represent the ocean, as well as two others.
“We are continuously looking for unique ways to highlight our in-store, beach-themed atmosphere and what better way to do so than with an assortment sure to cause a feeding frenzy,” says Russ DiGilio, founder and CEO of Duck Donuts Franchising Company.
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| The Busken brothers pose with their National Siblings Day cake. |
Brian Busken, vice president of iconic Cincinnati retailer Busken Bakery, one of the nation’s largest retail bakeries, points out that millennial customers are less resistant to price, especially when you create one-of-a-kind events to help them celebrate.
“You can really leverage these micro holidays,” says Busken, who starred with his brother Dan (president of Busken Bakery) on a hand-piped cake celebrating National Siblings Day on April 10, 2018. “You have to have the ability to react and go back to the decorating room and respond to these unique occasions. It really works.”
