Rabid Cronut Craze Actually A Media-Driven, Over-Hyped Myth [Charts]

Remember the cronut, the croissant-doughnut combo that drove New York City (and the world) absolutely guano crazy? Turns out, the buzz might have been a little… manufactured.

Originally introduced by the Dominique Ansel Bakery in May, the cronut craze meant long lines, imposed customer limits, and even a black market. The story went viral and Ansel’s stock skyrocketed, with the cronut capturing the nation’s imagination.

Too bad it was all bullsh**.

According to a new YouGov poll, 68 percent of individuals surveyed have never even heard of the cronut. Additionally, 11 percent said they weren’t sure. So that’s 79 percent who missed the craze.

Also, about those long lines and two hour waits… less than half of the 1,000 Americans polled would wait for the cronut. Only a measly two percent would be willing to wait over an hour.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the cronut isn’t good. It also doesn’t mean that Ansel Bakery somehow lied or even has the infrastructure to pull off a national media scam. But the virality of the story seems to have taken on a life of its own and blown up the story beyond its own reasonable proportions.

The cronut is probably awesome. It’s just not made of pure, mind-controlling military-grade crack that causes people to spend $500 on a box of the tasty confections.

Oh, and I promised charts, so here are some charts courtesy of Business Insider.

Have you had a cronut? What do you think of the cronut craze?