Cinnabon is an American chain of baked goods stores and kiosks, normally found in areas with high pedestrian traffic such as malls, airports and rest stops. The company's signature item is the cinnamon roll. As of December 2017, there are more than 1,200 Cinnabon bakeries operating in 48 countries. Its headquarters are in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States. The company is co-owned — with Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, Jamba, and Auntie Anne's brands — by Focus Brands, an affiliate of private equity firm Roark Capital Group, based in Sandy Springs, Georgia, operating over 5,000 stores. History The first Cinnabon opened on December 4, 1985, Federal Way, Washington at SeaTac Mall, now called The Commons at Federal Way. Cinnabon was an offshoot of the Seattle Based Restaurants Unlimited restaurant chain majority owned by Rich Komen with minority partner and CEO Ray Lindstrom at the helm. Komen and Lindstrom wanted to create the perfect cinnamon roll, eventually hiring Jerilyn Brusseau to finalize the recipe since Brusseau was famous for her baking in the Seattle area. The first bakery began by serving only its cinnamon rolls with a sign touting "World Famous Cinnamon Rolls". Cinnabon's first franchise-operated store opened in August 1986 just outside of Philadelphia at the King of Prussia Mall. Cinnabon stores today can also be found in gas stations, universities, rapid transit stations, casinos, and amusement parks. Cinnabon was bought by AFC Enterprises, Inc. in 1998 for $65 million. In 2004, AFC Enterprises, Inc., sold Cinnabon for $30.3 million to FOCUS Brands, Inc., which is owned by the Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital Group. The headquarters moved to Greater Atlanta in 1999. In 2020, British retail group EG Group announced a partnership with Cinnabon to open 150 branded stores in the UK over 5 years. On October 8, 2018, Cinnabon partnered with Pizza Hut to release mini Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, (also known as MiniBons outside of Pizza Hut) labeled "Cinnabon Mini Rolls" in Pizza Hut. These cinnamon rolls have been in Pizza Hut ever since. In 2020, Pizza Hut brought back the Triple Treat Box, containing 2 medium one-topping pizzas, five breadsticks, and ten Cinnabon Mini Rolls. International locations Current locations Cinnabon has franchise operations in 48 countries and places which include: Armenia Australia Azerbaijan Bahrain Belarus Bolivia Brunei Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cyprus Czech Republic Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Greece Guatemala Honduras