# Cronut

> A $5 croissant-doughnut hybrid drew queues and international imitations.

- Owner: Dominique Ansel
- Kind: Food & drink
- Sector: Food & beverage
- Seed date: 2013-05-10
- Peak date: 2013-06-05
- Spread Score: 27 (Niche, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Scarcity drop, Dupe economy, Press loop

## Summary

Dominique Ansel sold the Cronut in New York. Daily sell-outs drew national coverage, resellers and overseas imitations. A decade later, Ansel said it still sold out daily.

## Timeline

- 2013-05-09 — Grub Street (Press) — Grub Street previewed the pastry before sales began.
- 2013-05-10 — Dominique Ansel (Retail) — Dominique Ansel Bakery began selling the Cronut in New York.
- 2013-05-20 — ABC News (Press) — ABC News reported daily queues and sell-outs within an hour.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/cronut

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Cronut.” Case HIS-01026. Spread Score v1.2: 27/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01026