What Happened To Fried Green Tomatoes After Shark Tank?
For more than a decade, we've seen some of the best food businesses appear on "Shark Tank" and have watched small businesses grow into huge success stories. After appearing on an episode, a business' growth typically booms — even if they walk away without making a deal.
In the case of Fried Green Tomatoes, founder Holly Cooper made her pitch on the show and sought $200,000 for a 15% stake in her company, a food truck business that also sells its batter mix and secret sauce on store shelves. Cooper had ultimately done nearly $270,000 in sales in the year prior to appearing on the show, which piqued the investors' interests. After getting into a bidding war with Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran ultimately made a deal with Cooper for a 30% stake worth $200,000 in order to expand the products' reach into big box stores.
It's been nearly two years since Cooper and her business appeared on the show — how is Fried Green Tomatoes doing now?
The Fried Green Tomatoes food truck doesn't appear to have franchised
When asked about her biggest goals for her business on the show, Cooper said she would "love to be able to franchise our food truck," adding that she's had "more than a dozen people" approach her about potentially purchasing a franchise. Corcoran ultimately won Cooper over because of her experience working with Sabin Lomac to franchise Cousins Maine Lobster, another popular food truck that appeared on "Shark Tank". However, when looking at the brand's website, there doesn't appear to be any information on how to start a franchise. Plus, when pulling up a schedule of the food truck's stops on StreetFoodFinder, it looks like the truck only visits areas in Tennessee, suggesting there's no fleet of food trucks franchised around the country. However, the good news is that Cooper's initial food truck appears to be still up and running.
It's unclear why Cooper didn't end up franchising her trucks, though the "Shark Tank" Recap blog suggests the pandemic might have played a role since Cooper's episode premiered in early 2020.
The Fried Green Tomatoes packaged goods don't appear to be sold at major retailers
Another one of Cooper's biggest aspirations was to see her Fried Green Tomatoes batter mix and secret sauce sold in big-box stores. Though there is a "find stores" section on the company's website, there is no method to actually search where the products are sold. Plus, Mashed checked big-box retailer websites, including Walmart, Target, and Amazon, and could not find the products listed. Mashed also checked Kroger, the most popular grocery store in Tennessee, per Supermarket Page, and could not find the items listed there, either.
Cooper's products are still available for sale on the FGT website. The tomato and pickle batters both retail for $9.99, while the secret sauce is listed for $3.99. Plus, customers can preorder distressed hats in red, green, or camouflage for $19.99. It's unclear if Cooper's products are sold locally at big-box stores in Tennessee and are simply not available for purchase through the store's websites.