Here’s a fun fact: Deviled eggs are called that because “devil” was once used to describe foods that were highly seasoned.
Here’s another one: Mark Cuban ended his 15-season run on “Shark Tank” to spend more time with his family and to focus on his own startup, Cost Plus Drugs.
His final investment was in Deviled Egg Co., a restaurant chain that only serves one thing.
That’s it?
Yep. The menu consists of nothing but deviled eggs — available in 19 flavors including crab rangoon, gyro, and sriracha bacon — and deviled egg salads.
Founder Raechel Van Buskirk started Deviled Egg Co. as a side hustle out of her Omaha, Nebraska, home in 2017. She opened a food trailer with business partner Alexi Wellman, and now has two restaurants and one storefront in the Dallas area, per CNBC.
The “Shark Tank” judges were fans of the eggs, but it was Cuban — who lives in Dallas and owns a minority stake in the Dallas Mavericks — and Barbara Corcoran, who put down a joint offer of $250k for a 20% stake.
Is it sustainable to serve only deviled eggs?
There are already several chains that only offer one thing, or have a limited menu.
Crumbl Cookies’ menu is predominantly just cookies in fun flavors, yet in 2022, sold 300m+ cookies and made $1B in sales.
Deviled eggs may be an easy appetizer to make yourself — and they probably aren’t as popular as cookies— but Deviled Egg Co. claims to be profitable with $1.2m+ in revenue in 2024, and to already have interest from potential franchisees.
Factors in its favor:
- A limited menu means lower overhead, more reliable quality, and less food waste.
- It’s easier to train staff to make a bunch of deviled eggs than a sprawling or complicated menu.
- Health-conscious Americans are really into protein right now — 63% of US consumers want protein-packed snacks — and eggs are a reliable source.
- Younger consumers are shifting toward on-the-go snacks over full meals.
BTW: Our favorite weird niche? Alien Fresh Jerky. It’s got beef jerky and extraterrestrials. What more do you need?
