Quick Take: Cronut Craze Continues to Spread

The daily wait outside Ansel's store. Photo courtesy @AndyBCampbell (Twitter)

We wrote about NYC baker Dominique Ansel and his cronut creation back in May. His croissant-donut mashup became an instant success with customers lining up outside his storefront each morning in anticipation.

There have also been plenty of imitators, and Ansel has had to take the issue to the US Patent and Trademark Office. Bakeries from around the world—Philadelphia, Los Angeles and London—have been reported to be selling their own version of Ansel's cronut. Competitors have been spelling the product differently ("croughnut") and giving it a slightly different name ("Cro-créme"), capitalizing off of this craze.

Also in the works are ways to turn the cronut movement into a charitable venture. According to Ansel's Twitter account, he's developing a charity cronut t-shirt and has been bringing his pastries to NYC food kitchens.