The Bumbling Bee Vegan Fast Food Update | Shark Tank Season 12
It can be hard to find good vegan options when eating out. Because of this, mother and daughter duo, Cassandra and India Ayala, have created a vegan fast-food company, with mouth-watering options. Will they buzz away with a deal on
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to The Bumbling Bee after
The Bumbling Bee appeared on
| Shark: | Result: |
| Mark Cuban | No Offer |
| Kevin O’Leary | No Offer |
| Daniel Lubetzky | No Offer |
| Lori Greiner | No Offer |
| Robert Herjavec | No Offer |
Shark Tank The Bumbling Bee Update
- Entrepreneurs: Cassandra and India Ayala
- Business: Vegan fast-food restaurant
- Ask: $150,000 for 10% equity
- Result: No deal
- Shark: None
Cassandra and India brought their company, The Bumbling Bee, to
Cassandra got the idea for the food business after leaving her 25-year career in real estate. India joined later and the two officially started The Bumbling Bee in Virginia Beach out of a food truck, while slowly growing and expanding the business into more food trucks.
The ladies proudly share that even though their food is fully vegan, they still won the award for “best hot dog” in their area. Further, The Bumbling Bee was such a huge hit that they decided to open up their first restaurant in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2019, which is run by India.
As the popularity of The Bumbling Bee grew, so did their branches of operation. In January 2020, The Bumbling Bee expanded to a second branch in Boulder, Colorado, and is run by Cassandra’s other daughter.
Additionally, The Bumbling Bee made $324,000 in 2020 and they’ve come to
When asked about their story, Cassandra shared that she was raised by an alcoholic mom, though she is sober today. As a young child, she had to endure being homeless and dumpster diving for meals.
When she became an adult, she committed to working hard so that she would never have to live like that again. The sharks were all touched by what she shared, although none were willing to invest.
Guest shark Daniel Lubetzky isn’t particularly drawn to the food, nor does he feel there is anything unique about it. For those reasons, he is out.
Similar to Daniel, Mark Cuban says there isn’t anything proprietary about what they’re doing, so he’s out too.
Robert Herjavec is also out. He says there are several vegan fast-food restaurants in California, so there’s just too much competition for him to invest.
Lori Greiner advises the women to not expand to more locations or food trucks, but rather to keep building on what they already have. She is the next shark out.
Last but not least, Kevin O’Leary, while touched by Cassandra’s story, says the company is too soon to be investable. He is the last shark to go out, and the ladies left
Keep reading The Bumbling Bee update to find out what happens following the tank!
As for our The Bumbling Bee update, the company is still in business but they’ve taken on a different format. They have closed their stores in Virginia Beach and Boulder and have shifted to selling on college campuses.
As of August 2023, The Bumbling Bee has partnered with Aramark and the College of William & Mary to establish a Hive location in the heart of the campus that is open to students, faculty, and the public.
Hopefully, this new partnership will bring them more success going forward!
If we get more news on a The Bumbling Bee update, we will let you know!
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Andrew Smith is the founder and owner of Shark Tank Recap. He is a longtime Shark Tank fan that has been watching it for years and has seen every episode multiple times. His friends know him as the Shark Tank expert, because he can answer any question about the show! His favorite Shark Tank products are Bertello's pizza oven and Bug Bite Thing!