Got a hankering for a cronut? Well, you’ll have to wait in line yourself.
Dominique Ansel, who created the croissant-doughnut sensation at his eponymous bakery in New York City’s Soho neighborhood, has begun cracking down on black-market scalpers who have invaded his bakery by personally kicking them out of line.
Ansel told Today that he’s particularly concerned about how pervasive cronut scalping has beome. “I open the door for everyone every morning at 8 a.m. And I say ‘hello’ to all my customers. It’s only a matter a time before something seems kind of shady.” He added, “It’s funny because I actually don’t have much time to stay updated on all this, but a lot of customers will actively come and tell me about scalpers or trademark violators.”
(MORE: Cronut Craze Creates Black Market for Tasty New Treat)
Fueled by demand and scarcity, a black market of sorts has opened up for those who are unwilling to wait in line for a fluffy croissant shaped (and deep-fried) like a sweet doughnut. Many services have sprouted up on Craigslist promising the hyped pastry for an inflated premium, often at incredible markups despite the fact that one cronut regularly sells for $5 at Ansel’s bakery. One service, Premium Cronut Delivery, charges $100 for one cronut, $200 for two and $1500 for ten cronuts if you’re feeling particularly gluttonous. The site, which adds a 950% markup for each confectionary creation, only makes five deliveries a day, and only on weekdays.
Though each customer was originally limited to six cronuts, the bakery has further restricted customer orders to two cronuts because of burgeoning demand. For those who want a taste of what everyone has been talking about, the line can start forming as early as 5:00 am in the morning. Thankfully, because of the bakery’s new restrictions, “waiting in line for two cronuts isn’t a very profitable business,” the baker noted.