EXCLUSIVE | Where is Long Table now? Samuel Taylor opens up about his journey to multimillion-dollar brand after 'Shark Tank' snub
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Shark Tank' star Samuel Taylor did not land a contract the first time he appeared on the show but he remained unfazed by the experience.
Taylor owns Long Table Pancakes, said at the time of his exit from the show, "I didn't get a deal today, but I got some great advice from the Sharks, and hopefully with the power of the 'Shark Tank' behind me in terms of getting to tell my story to people and that advice, I hope to be in a very different position in a couple of years."
His story resonated with many people. Long Table's website had an explosion of traffic following the airing of his episode.
The Sharks unanimously agreed that the pancakes were the best they had ever tasted when the company visited 'Shark Tank' in 2023. Long Table will once again compete on 'Shark Tank' on February 2. MEAWW got a chance to talk to Taylor.
Speaking of their 'Shark Tank' appearance, Samuel told MEAWW, it was "Buck wild. My former career was in the theater and I did a little bit of circus. (It’s how I met the acrobat.) For a while, I fell off of an 18-foot ladder into a trap door for a living - Shark Tank was wilder than that."
Samuel told MEAWW that he and his wife were heartbroken to go away empty-handed from the Tank. Samuel and his wife Lindsey put so much effort into their pitch, and coming up empty was difficult.
For future 'Shark Tank' entrepreneurs, Samuel advises, "Know your story. Tell it like you mean it. And if your pitch includes any acrobatics, don’t forget to point your toes."
However, their part segment had a strong response from viewers. They received around five times the number of orders they had set as an optimistic objective.
The 20,000 orders even caused the site to crash momentarily. Samuel also heeded the Sharks' advice on the company's social media presence.
'Shark Tank' made it easy for Samuel's business to prosper, but how has it done since then? Fans are thrilled to learn that Long Table Pancakes will be returning to the show!
A year ago, Long Table was a one-person shop with $250,000 in lifetime sales and 900 social media followers. Since then, the firm has grown into a multimillion-dollar brand with over 120 retail locations and a full-time team of five.
Despite not getting funding from Sharks Samuel tells MEAWW, "We’re raising now. If you think the Sharks missed the boat, go to longtablepancakes.com/invest."
Things have been sure "crazy" for Long Table Pancake since 'Shark Tank'. In one year, they grew from a farmer's market stand to a 1.6 million-dollar enterprise.
"You can do the math on how that went: stressful, exhilarating, and a lot of hard lessons on the way!" he says.
What advice did Long Table Pancake founder Samuel Taylor get from Sharks?
When asked if any of the advice shared by the Sharks helped Samuel or his business, he said, "The advice that made it into the final segment was good, but it wasn't the core of the advice they offered me in the room. They told me that I had a great story and needed to be on social media, sure. But they also pointed out (which didn't make the final cut) that we hadn't identified one scalable method for new customer acquisition, and we needed to before we could make the leap from a great small business to an investable business."
Long Table's following grew on Facebook and Instagram as a result of increased active posting and the popularity of the 'Shark Tank' section. The firm was also included on the New York Post's list of 18 of the greatest 'Shark Tank' items to purchase online in 2023, with well-known 'Tank brands' such as Wicked Good Cupcakes, the Squatty Potty, and Scrub Daddy.
Long Table collaborated with Chicago-based Seedhouse to rebrand, resulting in new packaging with hand-drawn drawings that reflect their narrative and vision.
When describing this business engagement, Samuel states, "They are absolute pros, and we knew we wanted a brand identity that spoke to our values, our regenerative agriculture farm connections, and the many stories we have to tell - circus acrobats, heirloom grains, and more."
How was Long Table Pancake founded?
Long Table sells 100 per cent heritage grain pancake and waffle mixes that are both tasty and healthy. The Long Table story began in Chicago in 2015, with the company's best-selling popcorn flour mix, which Taylor created to wow an acrobat.
P.S. Samuel and the acrobat married and had pancakes at their wedding.
Samuel said that he founded Long Table with $5,000 and the handmade pancake recipes he had been using to wow an acrobat he met during a show in which they both appeared.
"Years later, the acrobat and I got married, gave out pancakes at our wedding, and started a farmer's market stall," he told MEAWW.
Long Table mixes are made with ingredients purchased directly from regenerative farmers, resulting in a fluffy pancake high in fiber and protein - genuine food you can feel good about giving to those you care about.
Long Table creates its mixes with 100 per cent heritage grains cultivated on regenerative farms, resulting in the ideal high-fiber, high-protein pancake.
Where can you buy Long Table pancake mixes?
Long Table's 100 per cent heritage grain pancake and waffle mix is now available at all 70 Fresh Thyme Market stores in the Midwest. Fresh Thyme customers can get all three of Long Table's outrageously delicious and healthful types in-store, including popcorn, blue corn, and gluten-free mixes.
With the purchase of Fresh Thyme, Long Table's national retail footprint has grown to 114 stores in 18 states, in addition to its online store and Amazon site. The goal of their work at Long Table is to put better pancakes on the table today so that the world might be healthy tomorrow.
This is why they get their heritage grains from local regenerative farmers. Fresh Thyme is an ideal partner for Long Table since they have established a model for benefiting communities through genuine, local food.
When it comes to growing their product line, Samuel believes it will take time, but it will happen. Heirloom grain pancake mixes still have plenty of runways.
Samuel envisions a plethora of different goods they may produce in the future.
'Shark Tank' Season 15, Episode 13, airs on ABC on Friday, February 2, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Modern Picnic, Torch, Au Baby, and Genius Litter, as well as an update from Long Table.
For those who miss the episode, it will be available on demand the following day and on Hulu. Additionally, viewers can explore past seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
