What happened to The Dough Bar after Shark Tank? Details explored

Shark Tank is a reality TV series that premiered on August 9, 2009, where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of wealthy investors, known as "sharks." In exchange for equity in their companies, entrepreneurs seek financial investment and mentorship.

One notable pitch was featured in season 9, where Ondrea and Marques Fernandez presented their health-focused brand, The Dough Bar. Their company offered protein-packed donuts. After their appearance on Shark Tank in January 2018, the company saw significant growth but later faced challenges.

Their Instagram post dated May 16, 2022, read:

"Today is our LAST production day‼️😢 It’s a very bittersweet moment for us here at The Dough Bar, but we’re finishing off strong."

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The Dough Bar's journey during and after Shark Tank

The Dough Bar's pitch on Shark Tank

Ondrea and Marques Fernandez pitched on Shark Tank to offer a healthier alternative to conventional donuts. They sought $300,000 for 15 percent equity in their business. The married couple presented baked donuts, which had lower fat and higher protein content compared to fried donuts. They emphasized transparency with customers regarding nutritional information to help track calories and macros.

During the pitch, the couple provided samples of their doughnuts, which garnered positive feedback from the sharks. Their glazed doughnuts contained 200 calories, and the plain ones had 150 calories. The Dough Bar mentioned that they recorded $1.2 million in sales from June 2015 to January 2018 and anticipated reaching another $1 million by the end of 2018.

The sharks showed interest, with Barbara Corcoran offering $300,000 for 20% equity, while Lori Greiner presented a similar offer. Ultimately, after some negotiation, the Fernandez couple accepted Corcoran's offer.

A leading daily The Coloradoan reported that the sales of The Dough Bar went up to nearly $2 million, within nine months of closing their deal on Shark Tank. The publication further stated that under Barbara Corcoran's guidance, Ondrea and Marques opened The Doughnut Club Bakery in Fort Collins, Colorado, in April 2019.

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The Dough Bar's bankruptcy and reopening

According to The Coloradoan, founders Ondrea and Marquez Fernandez relocated The Dough Bar from California to Fort Collins in January 2019. In October, Fort Collins-based bakery filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The company was operating online and at a pop-up store at Flatirons Crossing in Broomfield. In an email to the same publication, Ondrea Fernandez noted that they decided to reorganize their company's debt to continue operating. Relocating required "an onslaught of capital," but they had "high hopes and a great vision for the company" at the time.

Meanwhile, The Doughnut Club at 501 Riverside Ave. reopened in June 2020, eight months after closing due to The Dough Bar's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. While navigating bankruptcy, The Dough Bar diversified its offerings to include monkey bread, cinnamon rolls, and whoopie pies, all available at The Doughnut Club.

However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of The Doughnut Club retail locations, as stated on their Instagram post dated August 3, 2022. They cited "rising cost of materials" and "shortage of labor" as the prime reason for this closure.

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Personal and professional changes

In May 2022, Ondrea and Marques Fernandez stopped working at The Dough Bar to care for their young daughter who had health issues. They shared a series of their family photo following an announcement on Instagram, saying:

"our precious newborn daughter was life-flighted to a Children's Hospital with kidney failure and nearly lost her life...and will require intensive 24/7 care for quite some time...we have made the necessary decision to prioritize the health of our family and step away from the business right now."

As of now, the engagement on The Dough Bar's Instagram and website remains inactive. The website currently displays the message:

“The Dough Bar Opening Soon. Message from May 5th, 2023: Hello Dough Bar Fam! We're working on a few exciting things on our end! STAY TUNED!!!”

This suggests that there has been a lack of recent updates or activity regarding its products and services.

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Watch innovative pitches from aspiring entrepreneurs on Shark Tank as the episodes air every Friday at 8 PM ET. All the previous episodes are also available to stream on Hulu and the ABC website.