Cinnaholic Brings Its 85 Franchise Locations Back to Square

Rhea-AI Impact

(Neutral)

Rhea-AI Sentiment

(Positive)

Key Terms

point-of-sale technical

The point-of-sale is the place and moment where a customer completes a purchase — think of the checkout counter, card reader, or online checkout page. It includes the hardware and software that record the sale, accept payment, and update inventory and sales records. Investors care because POS systems drive revenue collection, customer data, and operational efficiency; outages, fees, or weak data from POS can directly affect sales, margins and forecasts.

03/05/2026 - 12:00 PM

Plant-based bakery chain learns firsthand that Square is unrivaled for reliability, flexibility, and scale

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cinnaholic, the plant-based gourmet cinnamon roll franchise, has found the recipe for sweet success by reengaging Square to power its nationwide operations across 85 locations. Cinnaholic grew its business on Square for twelve years, and after a year of trying another solution, the franchise has recommitted to Square's integrated commerce platform – drawn back by its proven reliability and expansive franchise capabilities. With Square as its technology partner, the business has streamlined everything from point-of-sale and customer loyalty to marketing automation and team management. Franchisees can now focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences while staying true to Cinnaholic's mission of satisfying dessert cravings and positively impacting people, animals, and the planet.

Founded in 2010 in Berkeley, Calif., Cinnaholic has grown from a single storefront into a thriving franchise with locations across the United States and Canada. Cinnaholic’s fast-growing business needed a platform that could manage centralized menus and marketing while giving each franchisee independent control. Square's integrated platform provides exactly that – the recipe for scaling operations without sacrificing the quality, values, and customer experience that define the brand.

“We grew Cinnaholic on Square, and though we took a break and tried another provider, we realized Square was the right tech solution to continue scaling our business," said Karen Bustios, Vice President of Operations at Cinnaholic. “And Square's platform delivers the reliability, support, and franchise capabilities we need to scale confidently.”

Across their locations, Cinnaholic utilizes Square's complete suite of commerce solutions, including Square for Franchises for multi-location management that balances centralized control with local autonomy – providing HQ-level visibility while enabling faster checkout, higher sales, and real-time insights at every location. In store, Cinnaholic is using Square Register and Square Stand for payments and point-of-sale hardware and advanced access for team management. For growing their business, Cinnaholic is harnessing Square Loyalty for customer engagement and Square Marketing for automated communications. By consolidating critical business functions into a single, integrated platform, Cinnaholic has simplified management for franchisees. Cinnaholic sees strong results from using Square’s software, with loyalty members visiting stores 40% more frequently than non-members.^[1]

“Cinnaholic's return to Square shows that we're the right platform to support fast-growing quick service franchises as they expand,” said Nick Molnar, Head of Sales and Marketing at Block. “We deliver the reliability, flexibility, and integrated solutions that enable franchisees to operate independently while maintaining brand consistency – and winning Cinnaholic back to Square shows their trust in the business impact we can drive.”

For more information about Cinnaholic, visit cinnaholic.com. To learn more about Square's restaurant solutions, visit squareup.com/restaurants.

About Square

Square helps businesses turn transactions into connections and businesses into neighborhood favorites.

In 2009, Square started with a simple invention – the first mobile card reader, which changed how the entire financial system thinks about small businesses. Square has since grown into a global business platform helping millions of sellers of all sizes participate and thrive in their communities.

Whether independently run or a global chain, Square understands that sellers succeed when they have the freedom to focus on the experiences that keep customers coming back. From point of sale and payments to online commerce, staff management, cash flow tools, and more, Square brings together the tools sellers need to run and grow on one intelligent platform. For more information, visit squareup.com.

About Cinnaholic

Based out of Atlanta, Georgia, Cinnaholic is the only gourmet bakery that allows customers to completely customize cinnamon rolls with more than 20 frosting flavors and over 20 topping choices. Each Cinnaholic cinnamon roll is 100% plant-based and free of dairy, lactose, eggs or cholesterol, allowing guests to enjoy their mouthwatering creations without worrying about certain dietary or allergy restrictions. In addition to the 85 Cinnaholic locations open today, 10 new locations will open in 2026 with another 20 in development. To learn more about Cinnaholic franchise opportunities, call (404) 844-8661. For more information about Cinnaholic bakeries, visit www.cinnaholic.com.

^[1] https://squareup.com/us/en/the-bottom-line/operating-your-business/seller-story-cinnaholic