The Popular Chain With Roots In Seattle (No, It's Not Starbucks)

It's hard to say the words "Seattle" and "chain" without Starbucks popping into your brain. It is, after all, one of the most well-known, multinational food and beverage chains to have emerged from the Emerald City. But there's another famous chain that launched and grew in roughly the same region and 1980s time period – one not so commonly associated with Seattle: Cinnabon.  A working royal in the kingdom of shopping-mall food courts and a fixture in the franchising style of chain stores, it may feel like Cinnabon has been part of the American food landscape forever. But the brand has a very Pacific Northwest backstory. 

The first Cinnabon opened inside of SeaTac Mall (now The Commons at Federal Way) in 1985, just south of Seattle. The original concept was simple but very focused: create a signature cinnamon roll that people couldn't resist. Early branding featured the phrase "World Famous Cinnamon Rolls," focusing on a single standout product with signature ingredients such as Makara cinnamon grown on Indonesian cassia trees — the not-so-secret ingredient behind Cinnabon's signature scent. The approach kept people coming back again and again, making it easier for the franchise to grow.

The story of that signature roll wouldn't be complete without a relatively obscure chef named Jerilyn Brusseau, a local baker that Cinnabon founder Rich Komen brought in to perfect the recipe. Brusseau was already famous for her bakery's rolls, and toiled through a lot of recipe versions before finding the formula that differentiates Cinnabon from other store-bought cinnamon roll brands. 

Franchising happened quickly with Cinnabon, expanding the cinnamon-roll love within the first year of the first store's opening. It now includes at least 2,100 stores, including all but two U.S. states, and 65 countries and territories. That's a far cry from a single, humble bun store in Washington State. But it's certainly not the first Seattle-area brand — nor the only — to romp its name across state and country lines. 

Starbucks is by far the most globally recognizable Seattle-born food brand, spreading its roots outward from a tiny, still-operating store in Seattle's Pike Place Market. Also tucked within the famous market was the original Sur La Table, which gained fame as an upscale kitchenware store in 1972 before spreading its presence across the country. The company's renowned cooking classes and one-on-one in-store sessions with culinary experts reflect how Seattle chain businesses — including Cinnabon — quickly find their niche and thrive within it. 

Aside from national or global aspirations, Seattle has quite a few well-loved restaurant chains that stick close to home. Perhaps the most embraceable is the Pagliacci Pizza chain that started in 1979 with a single pizzeria and now dishes out pizza to devotees in a dozen Seattle-area restaurants. Whether tucking in tight or spreading wide wings with cinnamon rolls, kitchenware, and coffee — Seattle has a knack for building tasty brands with loyal fans.