Sweet Treats (& Tweets) on the Street

Curbside Cupcake's Key Lime cupcake, a customer favorite.

Most of us have those moments, where a brilliant idea we once had (and did nothing about) is later brought to successful fruition by…someone else.  So when I learned of the existence of Curbside Cupcakes early last fall I had one of these “I could kick myself!” moments. Someone else had already done it! And  they were doing it it so well!  A bright pink minivan designed to tool around town like an ice cream truck but instead of hawking factory made, corn syrupy treats this truck sells lovingly baked perfection in the form of a cupcake.

I have had many a’ fantasy of breaking free of the rat race and starting my own gig baking something tasty. I could be my own boss! And then I’d think…yikes. Be my own boss? Well Kristi Cunningham and Sam Whitfield had the idea and instead of listening to the naysayers who told them that they were nuts to start a business during a recession they found a baker, got their vending license, bought a van and had it painted cotton-candy pink.

“What was the worst thing that could happen?” Kristi said. “So it doesn’t work and we go back to our old jobs.”  Then she said, “But the best thing that could happen? People could love it. It could be great!”

Cunningham, who has lived on Linden Street NE since 2001, had spent a career in urban planning and development. She began dating Whitfield in the fall of 2008 and they started to fantasize about cupcakes last spring when he and his co-workers wanted cupcakes but didn’t feel like making the trek to the cupcake-dense neighborhoods of Georgetown or Dupont Circle.

“We thought it would be so cool if the cupcakes came to you. It’s more fun that way. So we go where the people need us.” she said.

The pink van made its debut at the H Street Festival and then rolled the truck out on the streets full time in November. It was later than they had planned but the duo wasn’t discouraged and made the best of it. So far the gamble has been paying off. Whitfield, who quit his job as a lawyer, mans the truck full time while Cunningham is still doing some consulting work. Neither of them is the baker. “She’s a friend and she bakes all day in a commercial kitchen that we rent.” They are keeping the identity of this talented baker anonymous which has really fueled my curiosity!

With virtually no marketing budget Curbside Cupcakes has relied on word of mouth and the miracle that is social networking. They are constantly tweeting and updating their Facebook status with their locations and the daily cupcake menu. If they have enough cupcakes they will ask their followers for a suggestion for the Wildcard stop of the day. But lately they haven’t had any extras. Last week they were sold out every day before 3pm. When I asked if this was an intentional way to drive up demand, Cunningham said no. “There’s scarcity and then there is annoying. We don’t want to disappoint people. On an ideal day, we would end up with three cupcakes left over.”

The continuous conversation between the business and the consumer is as much a part of this story as is the sweet treat itself. Everywhere I see seminars and lectures on how businesses can utilize this new world of social marketing. While many are still trying figure out exactly what that means, Curbside Cupcakes is busy building a base of customers and fans spending zero dollars.

“Our customers drive what we do.” Cunningham said. “We now have a regular stop at Federal Center in Southwest because someone asked.”  Today they are experimenting with some gluten-free cupcakes so the gluten-intolerant can join in the fun too.

Sam Whitfield and a happy Curbside Cupcake Customer

Now I know what you are going to say,  the cupcake has had its moment and then some. Jumped the shark. I was told by a friend in advertising that the ladies in power at the women’s magazines are predicting that pound cake is the new cupcake. Really? Now I love a good pound cake but the cupcake is perfect because it is small, individual and there are no leftovers to tempt you into overindulgence.

While the cupcake may seem to have worn out it’s sweet welcome in some circles, in DC it is still going strong. Georgetown Cupcake is even expanding and opening a shop in Bethesda. So while not everyone is enthralled by the tiny treat it seems enough people are to keep the cupcake wars alive.

Perhaps the cupcake is recession proof and maybe even resolution proof. The truck generally only visits a stop once a week, not enough to break anyone’s bank account or diet. And I can attest they make a great product. The cakes are small, not overly huge. They have a dense, moist crumb and the icing is not too buttery or tooth-achingly sweet. I think their product is as good if not better than Georgetown Cupcake’s, the cake to beat in DC at the moment.

“And we come to you! It’s so much fun to look for the truck and then find it.” she said. To this I can attest. I took my two little boys on a cupcake mission last week and found Sam and the truck at the Capitol South Metro where we enjoyed the Key Lime and a Classic Vanilla.

Cunningham and Whitfield are having fun. They were engaged in November and would love to get married somewhere in the area.

So far they have no regrets about taking the chance on a dream. “I don’t want to be that person looking back over my shoulder saying ‘I should have done that.’ Some people thought we were being naive. I think we were optimistic.”

You can see the Curbside Cupcake menu here.

If you want to stay in the cupcake loop you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

So what do you think? Are cupcakes over or are they here to stay?