Croissant, anyone? The food scene has had its fair share of trendy foods, and the latest food item buzzing around online is the “Suprême”, introduced by Lafayette Grand Cafe and Bakery in New York City last year, or also known in other places as the “spiral croissant” (Wells, 2023). With flaky layers assembled in a circular shape and available in a variety of flavors, it quickly became a hit and made its literal rounds online, such as in this viral video with over 5.3 million views and 437.9 thousand likes, showing how people coming from places including all over the U.S., Mexico, and India lined the New York City streets to get their hands on Lafayette’s “Suprême”.
Soon after, the social media sensation transformed into inspiration. Maryam Menbari, one of the owners of Marvel Cake, a bakery in Campbell, CA., decided to replicate this pastry in her shop after seeing a video of the Suprême and polished her own recipe in two weeks (Wells, 2023). After people found out that Marvel Cake was serving up these trendy pastries as well, they began lining up for these croissants; “On weekends, people start lining up at Marvel Cake before it opens, and the bakery generally sells out within the first 45 minutes” (Wells, 2023).
Of course, we all know social media is a powerful tool that individual consumers use for their personal enjoyment, but this croissant going viral has prompted businesses to take a stab at adding an influential item to their menu. Social media marketing is not just for mass consumers, but it is also a huge source of financial and creative inspiration for business owners as well, and it seems to be going spectacularly for Marvel Cake.
Here is another video about the croissants at Marvel Cake, which has garnered over 1 million views and 28 thousand likes.
While we’ve seen two bakeries on opposite coasts of the U.S. take part in this trend, the spiral croissant has crossed country lines as well and gone international, where Canadian bakeries are also serving up these tasty treats (“Foodgressing”, 2022). Bake shops in New Zealand, Singapore, and Australia have made their own versions as well (Reynolds). Besides bringing in revenue, taking part in social media trends is a way to boost tourism. While locals who live around the bakeries that serve up the spiral croissants may be enticed to pay them a visit, others who live farther away may even plan out a trip to specifically go and try these pastries or include these bakeries as stops during their trips after getting FOMO or seeing videos on social media.
Social media marketing goes in a circle— it can help businesses like these bakeries participate in trends, and after the bakeries have immersed themselves into the trends, they can use social media marketing again to advertise that they are selling these croissants whether through their own social media accounts or through food influencers, who can capture content at the bakeries and promote the pastries even more. In short, leveraging the Internet can drive a tremendous amount of attention and sales. Social media is truly powerful in the sense that businesses can tap into the cultural zeitgeist, expand their business operations, and gain new customers by hopping onto what’s new. I don’t know about you, but I’ve already put the spiral croissant on my to-try list!
References:
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/bay-area-bakery-spiral-croissant-17769154.php
https://gluttodigest.com/supreme-croissants-spiral-croissant/