‘Cupcake Guys’ Pivot From Football To Baking On Food Network

‘Cupcake Guys’ Pivot From Football To Baking On Food Network

Remember the Cupcake Guys? Last year, Brian “Rak” Orakpo and Michael “Griff” Griffin starred in a commercial for Microsoft Surface Pro 6 in which the former NFL players introduced their cupcake business, a bakery they opened three years ago in Austin, Texas, with business partner and college friend “Little Bryan” Hynson.

Now the Cupcake Guys are going bigger. They have a special airing Saturday at 1 p.m. on Food Network and streaming on discovery+. It’s no coincidence the program’s airing on Super Bowl weekend, when all things football-related get a little more attention.

In Cupcake Guys Training Camp, executive produced by Michael Strahan, the threesome assist three bakers in following their dreams of having their own bakery. During a 48-hour period, each gets a baking truck and tries their baking and selling skills, with one winner receiving seed money to help them achieve their entrepreneurial drams.

The Cupcake Guys understand the technical side of baking, and their skills are on display during the the show.

“I think it’s a little different when you get a baker outside of the kitchen and into a food truck,” says Griffin. “It’s a smaller space. They’re not familiar with these ovens. Different things can happen, it can change the product when you cook under different conditions, so it was really interesting to see how the bakers adapted.”

“Being profitable, being consistent is hard in that environment,” says Orakpo. “When you start a business at home, it’s a comfortable place, you can take your time with preorders. You can be very consistent.”

They know from experience. Griffin and Orakpo, who played at University of Texas together and later were teammates with the Tennessee Titans, were looking for entrepreneurial options after football.

“We wanted to get a jumpstart on the next part of our career while we were playing. We looked at a few different options, and we decided the best thing for us to do was what we loved to do—eat sweets and make sweets. We put two and two together,” Orakpo says.

They quickly realized franchising was their best option and connected with Gigi’s Cupcakes, a bakery chain with locations across the country. “We lacked business experience, so franchising was a more simplistic, turnkey option. We had to do a lot of small things, but we had a big corporation to help us make the transition smoother,” Orakpo says.

“The process was already in place, and we have a good support system,” Hynson says.

The pandemic hit as the Cupcake Guys’ bakery finished its second year. Like other small businesses, Gigi’s had to make adjustments.

“We created a lot of new processes to stay safe, and I think we’ll use a lot of these going forward to enrich our store,” Griffin says. “They ensure we keep the store clean. And we got our pick of a top crop of employees. They’re great and they’ve really helped us through COVID.”

Of course, the big question, since the Food Network special is bowing this weekend, is: Who do the Cupcake Guys think will win the Super Bowl? Hynson says he’d like to see Tom Brady pick up another ring. Griffin and Orakpo disagree.

“It has to be Kansas City,” Griffin says. “Patrick Mahomes is representing the Big 12.”

Published at Sat, 06 Feb 2021 15:51:19 +0000