Long Table Pancake Mix is a premium, popcorn-based pancake mix made from heirloom wholegrain flour, and the company says that it makes the lightest, fluffiest pancakes in the world. Long Cake even surprised the Sharks with a celebrity guest who just loves their pancakes. But will this be enough to get the Sharks to take a bite and leave some dough on the table? Read our Long Table Pancake Mix Shark Tank update to find out.
What is Long Table Pancake Mix?
Long Table is a company which manufactures a premium, popcorn-based pancake mix made from heirloom whole grain flour. The company is based in Chicago, Illinois.
All of Long Table’s pancake mixes are made from stone-ground whole grain flour, and the ingredients are all sourced directly from organic and regenerative farmers.
Who created Long Table Pancake Mix?
Prior to starting Long Table, founder Samuel Taylor was involved primarily in theater. He worked at the University of Chicago as a Lecturer teaching the Playhouse Shakespeare technique, and he also co-founded The Back Room Shakespeare Project, which performed Shakespeare in bars, with only one rehearsal and no director. The Project began in Chicago and ballooned into a nationwide movement with similar operations starting in 15-20 additional cities.
Samuel is also an acrobat, and a member of the acclaimed Looking Glass Theater Company in Chicago.
How did Long Table Pancake Mix get started?
While working on a production of the Looking Glass Theater in Chicago, Samuel met Lindsey, an acrobat who was also working for the theater company. Samuel says that he he badly wanted to impress this charming acrobat Lindsey, so he decided to make her some pancakes which would be both nutrition-dense enough to carry her through one of her performances while at the same time, be so light, that it would allow Lindsey to continue to float through the air on her aerial silks.
Samuel said that he looked for the perfect whole grain heirloom flour from which to make these special pancakes, and when he wasn’t able to find one, he invented a new pancake flour out of popcorn. Lindsey says, “He invented a flour for me, so of course, I married him.”
What happened to Long Table Pancake Mix before Shark Tank?
After founder Samuel Taylor came up with the recipe for his popcorn-based pancake, he decided to take a risk, and he invested $5k of savings into a big steel whisk, a griddle, and his first round of ingredients, and he decided to start working farmer’s markets as a side hustle to his acting career in Chicago.
Then, in 2020, when the Covid pandemic shuttered the theaters, Samuel decided to keep working on the pancake mixes, and he focused on selling the packaged mixes online. He also started wholesaling his products in some local markets, and when his Shark Tank episode was taped, he told the Sharks that he was in 20 stores in the Chicago area.
Samuel didn’t decide on his own to apply for Shark Tank; rather, David Schwimmer, a famous actor who was a friend from the Looking Glass Theater Company, was a regular customer and big supporter of Samuel’s product, and it was David, a big Shark Tank fan, who convinced Samuel to apply to take Long Table into the Tank.
Prior to taping its episode, Long Table had total revenues of about $250k since the company started, and it averaged just $20k per year between 2015-2019.
What do customers think of Long Table Pancake Mix?
On the review site Judge.me, Long Table’s Pancake Mixes have 1,452 ratings, and they receive an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars, with a whopping 1,292 ratings at 5 stars. When Long Table pitched in the Tank, they were not yet selling on Amazon, but their products are now available on the web’s largest retailer, and so far, they have just 10 ratings, but all of them are a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.
What are customers saying about Long Table Pancake Mix?
One satisfied customer kept it short and sweet, “We love this mix! Seriously the best pancake mix ever. Our whole family loves it!”
Another 5-star reviewer wrote, “This morning I made pancakes using the popcorn mix, and it was delicious! My 5 year old didn’t even ask for syrup they were THAT flavorful.”
We had to really search for negative comments about Long Table’s products, and one of the few negative comments we found stated:
“They do not honor their refund policy. Emailed the refund department, and they first pointed me to some other instructions to better cook the pancakes because they were coming out terribly and completely flat. I responded back that the Kernza pancakes are still coming out flat as paper, and I would like a refund. I have now emailed them 4 times for a refund. Two months later still zero response.”
Overall, Long Table Pancake Mixes appear to be extremely well liked by those who have purchased the products and then followed up by writing a review.
When did Long Table Pancake Mix appear on Shark Tank?
Long Table Pancake Mix appeared on Shark Tank in Season 14, Episode 10, which aired on January 6, 2023. This episode featured guest Shark Gweneth Paltrow, actress and founder of lifestyle brand GOOP.
Long Table appeared in Season 14, which saw many companies, such as ReadyFestive, leave the Tank with a new Shark as a business partner.
What happened to Long Table Pancake Mix on Shark Tank?
Samuel Taylor opened his Shark Tank pitch on Shark Tank in dramatic fashion when he pointed to an acrobat swinging high above the Sharks on a pair of aerial silks. He told the Sharks, “This is Lindsey, the love of my life, and I fell in love with an acrobat, and this led me to a surprising discovery.”
As Lindsey continued to perform on the silks, Samuel explained to the Sharks that when he met Lindsey, he badly wanted to impress this pretty acrobat with a pancake that would be nutritious enough to carry her through one of her performances, but light enough, so that like her, it would practically float.
Samuel told the Sharks that he knew that he needed whole grain flour to make his lighter-than-air-pancakes, but he couldn’t find anything that worked for him, so he invented a new, very light, whole grain flour from popcorn. At this point in the pitch, Lindsey dramatically spun down from the silks, and said to the Sharks, “He invented a flour for me, so of course, I married him.
Sam next explained to the Sharks that his product uses only heirloom grains, sourced directly from organic and regenerative farmers, and the grains are stone ground to produce the flour. At this point in the pitch, the Sharks sampled a number of pancakes, and the consensus was that these were the best pancakes that any of the Sharks, including Lori Greiner, who is not a pancake fan, had ever eaten.
A second dramatic surprise appeared in Samuel’s pitch in the form of well-known actor David Schwimmer. When Schwimmer appeared on the scene, Guest Shark Gweneth Paltrow looked really surprised and jumped up to give him a hug as they had made a movie together years ago.
David Schimmer explained to the Sharks that he was not an investor, just a big fan of the Long Table products, and that he knew Samuel from working together at the Looking Glass Theater Company in Chicago. Schwimmer also told the Sharks that as a big fan of the show, he encouraged Samuel to apply to pitch. After he said his piece, Schwimmer left the Tank, and the Sharks, at first, looked as if they were ready to bite.
Did Long Table Pancake Mix get a deal on Shark Tank?
Long Table was not able to successfully land a deal on Shark Tank. The Sharks loved the product, but they discovered a major flaw in the marketing strategy of the company.
After falling in love with both the origin story of the product, and the amazing pancakes, the Sharks seemed ready to pounce; however, once they started to dig into the numbers and marketing practices of the company, the Sharks were showing more concern than interest for the business.
Lori started by asking for the retail price of the pancake mixes, and she learned that they retail for $11.25 per unit, and the cost to manufacture is $3.10. Barbara quickly responded that “You know you have a premium price; there’s probably 35 bags out there that sell for between $3-$10.”
Samuel indicated that he knew that they were at the top of the market, and this led Kevin O’Leary to ask about sales. Samuel explained to Mr. Wonderful that between 2015 and 2019 they averaged about $20k per year in sales. O’Leary was not impressed, and this led Guest Shark Gweneth Paltrow to ask, “Where’s the distribution?”
Samuel told Gweneth that they sold their products in 20 independent markets in Chicago and on their own website, but they did not sell items on Amazon. This led O’Leary to follow up by asking if Samuel had done any work on social media. Samuel explained, “social media is not my strong suit,” and it was evident that this answer quickly whisked most of the Shark’s enthusiasm out of the Tank.
The Sharks were now ready to reveal their thoughts, and Lori Greiner started by telling Samuel, “You’ve created a product that captured someone’s heart. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that story.” She then explained that while she thought the pancakes were really good, she is not a pancake fan, so she couldn’t get behind the product.
Barbara Corcoran quickly went out explaining that she doesn’t like a business that does not get off to a strong start. Gweneth countered Barbara’s thinking by saying that she understood why an actor might need more time to learn about and grow a business, but she also said that the business was too small for her at the moment.
Mark Cuban worried that Samuel’s very strong interest in regenerative agriculture and a farm-to-consumer supply chain, while a worthy cause, seemed to be driving his company, rather than allowing the product to drive the company. Mark said he was a big believer in Samuel’s mission, but he does not like to invest in a company which puts mission first and product second.
Mr. Wonderful spoke last, and he clearly stated what all of the Sharks had been alluding to. O’Leary told Samuel that he had a fantastic love story behind his product, but he had to have a social media presence. O’Leary said that all of the Sharks had learned that companies need a social media presence, and if Samuel would just go out there on all of the platforms and tell his love story everyday, his sales would be in the millions.
Long Table Pancake Mix Shark Tank update, what happened after Shark Tank?
It is clear that Long Table founder Samuel Taylor took the Sharks’ advice to heart, as his products are now found on Amazon, and the company has a social media presence across multiple social media platforms.
Long Table also experienced a very strong Shark Tank effect immediately after its episode aired, as the business doubled its lifetime sales in just the first 24 hours immediately after its Shark Tank episode.
Long Table has also expanded its product line, now offering new, limited edition pancake mixes, as well as a line of naturally-infused maple syrups. While founder Samuel Taylor did not land a deal on Shark Tank, he did learn from his experience, and with both a new social media presence, and a social media director in place, the company looks to be on a very positive upward trajectory.