# Cinnabon

Cinnabon, Inc., is an American chain of baked goods stores and kiosks, normally found in areas with high pedestrian traffic such as malls, airports and rest stops. The company's signature item is the cinnamon roll. As of December 2017, there are more than 1,200 Cinnabon bakeries operating in 48 countries. Its headquarters are in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States.
The company is co-owned—with Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, Jamba, and Auntie Anne's brands—by GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands), an affiliate of private equity firm Roark Capital Group, based in Sandy Springs, Georgia, operating over 5,000 stores.

## History

The first Cinnabon opened on December 4, 1985, in Federal Way, Washington at SeaTac Mall, now called The Commons at Federal Way. Cinnabon was an offshoot of the Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited chain, majority owned by Rich Komen, with minority partner and CEO Ray Lindstrom at the helm. Komen and Lindstrom wanted to create the perfect cinnamon roll, eventually hiring Jerilyn Brusseau to finalize the recipe since Brusseau was famous for her baking in the Seattle area. The first bakery began by serving only its cinnamon rolls with a sign touting "World Famous Cinnamon Rolls". Cinnabon's first franchise-operated store opened in August 1986 just outside of Philadelphia at the King of Prussia Mall. Cinnabon stores today can also be found in gas stations, universities, rapid transit stations, casinos, and amusement parks.
Cinnabon was bought by AFC Enterprises, Inc. in 1998 for $65 million. In 2004, AFC Enterprises, Inc., sold Cinnabon for $30.3 million to Focus Brands, Inc., which is owned by the Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital Group. The headquarters moved to Greater Atlanta in 1999. In November 2020, British retail group EG Group announced a partnership with Cinnabon to open 150 branded stores in the UK over five years. In May 2024, the UK partnership would then be transferred to EG On the Move.
On October 8, 2018, Cinnabon partnered with Pizza Hut to release mini cinnamon rolls labeled "Cinnabon Mini Rolls" in Pizza Hut (also known as MiniBons outside of Pizza Hut). These cinnamon rolls continue to be available at Pizza Hut. In 2020, Pizza Hut brought back the Triple Treat Box, containing two medium one-topping pizzas, five breadsticks, and ten Cinnabon Mini Rolls.

## International locations
### Current locations

Cinnabon has franchise operations in 50 countries and places which include:
* Armenia
* Australia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Belarus
* Bolivia
* Cambodia
* Canada
* China
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* Egypt
* Georgia
* Greece
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Honduras
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Israel
* Iraq
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kenya
* Kuwait
* Libya (Cinnabon is noted for being the first U.S. franchise to open in Libya after the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.)
* Malaysia
* Malta
* Mexico
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Panama
* Peru
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* South Africa
* South Korea
* Spain
* Thailand
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Arab Emirates
* United Kingdom (Partnership with EG On the Move)
* United States (including Puerto Rico and Guam)
* Venezuela

### Former locations

* Austria
* Brunei
* Brazil (A store was set up in São Paulo in 2009, which soon closed in 2011.)
* El Salvador
* Finland (One outlet opened in March 2015, but it was closed in March 2016)
* Israel (Closed in August 2016)
* Jamaica
* Latvia
* Lebanon (Closed in 2020)
* Morocco
* Paraguay
* Poland (Closed in March 2021)
* Romania (Closed in 2018)
* Sweden (Closed in November 2020)
* Syria
* Cinnabon (sīnābūn) in Saudi Arabia
* Cinnabon at Governor's Square Mall, Clarksville, Tennessee
* Cinnabon store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
* A Cinnabon store (right) at the Angola Travel Plaza on the New York Thruway, Angola, New York
* A Cinnabon store at West Valley Mall in Tracy, California
* Cinnabon at the Stoa Korai Arcade Mall in Athens, Greece
* Cinnabon in the Philippines
* Cinnabon location at The Oaks Mall in Gainesville, Florida

## In popular culture

* Cinnabon is featured often in the book series Animorphs.
* In Better Call Saul, Saul Goodman is seen working at a Cinnabon using a new identity.
* The restaurant and its president, Kat Cole, were featured in a 2012 episode of Undercover Boss.
* In episode Halloween IV of Brooklyn 99, Captain Raymond Holt refers to it as “See-nay-bone”.