Crumbs Cupcake founders paid $350 to revive defunct brand

• Crumbs’ Bake Shop began in 2003 as a one-stop shop on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
• At its peak, Crumbs was valued at $66 million and went public in June 2011. But it went bankrupt in 2014.
• Jason and Mia Bauer, who founded Crumbs Bake Shop in 2003, are now back with an online cupcake shop.

A beloved New York-based cupcake empire that went bankrupt nine years ago look for go back.

Crumbs Bake Shop, a hugely popular cupcake shop founded in 2003, was relaunched by founders Jason and Mia Bauer. They bought the brand last year — seven years after it filed for bankruptcy, the New York Post announced May 2.

According to a filing with the United States Patent and Trademark OfficeJason Bauer had applied to take over the “Original Crumbs Bakery” brand in February 2021. The app costs $350.

The turnaround is another chapter in Crumbs’ dramatic history that began in 2003 with a single store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Bauer’s creations – which ultimately totaled over 75 flavors including a Girls Scouts Thin Mints option – were a huge success and the business grew. It got so big that Crumbs was acquired by a holding company for $66 million and went public in June 2011.

But the company – which spawned 70 stores in 2013 – was too aggressive with its expansion plans.

The dizzying speed of growth and strong competition from other desserts finally overthrew the empire. Crumbs announced in July 2014 that he was close all stores and deposit for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

“We felt like we were leaving it in the hands of people who would grow it,” Jason told the The New York Post on Tuesday. “It was heartbreaking for us to see our baby close.”

Bauer’s recent attempt is the second time someone has publicly attempted to bring the brand back from the dead.

Marcus Lemonis, the CEO of Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises, has partnered with investment firm Fischer Enterprise to revive the crumbs in August 2014. But that business failed – Lemonis ended up selling his participation in a “significant loss” in 2015, by The Post.

Now the Bauers are reviving their cupcake shop, selling their offerings online and in supermarkets — though they told the Post they plan to open a flagship store in New York City within the next few years.

They also have a new growth strategy.