‘Shark Tank’ Season 11 Episode 7 sees fans call out Mark Cuban for investing in 'unhealthy' milkshake business
Episode 7 of ‘Shark Tank’ Season 11 saw some very interesting business ideas. But as always, not everybody gets to take the money home. The investors also found most of the ideas interesting and took the leap of faith. But our ‘shark’ Mark Cuban is the big topic of debate and discussion today. He is usually encouraging and supportive as a judge and always lays down the best rationale for the viability of a business. But in episode 7, his fans were disappointed at his decision when he went ahead with an investment of $400,000 and a 22% stake in an artisan milkshake business.
The family of entrepreneurs Chelsea, Logan, and Ali, started ‘The Yard’ milkshake bar in Alabama and have grown from a mom-and-pop store to a four-unit, franchise business between 2017 and 2019. Customers can customize the garnish with their choice of toppings. Each standard milkshake costs between $14-20 depending on the contents, and their supersize costs $50. As delicious and decadent as they look and sound, the point of contention here is not the product or the business idea, but the investor’s approach.
Exactly a season ago, (season 10), Mark refused to invest in the kind of a business which he deemed unhealthy and that is why he turned down an entrepreneur who tried to get funds for her artisan cookie dough business. But it was also Mark who happily went ahead and agreed on a whopping $400,000 dollar deal with a 22% stake in ‘The Yard’. This has made the fans unhappy, who otherwise quite appreciate Mark’s perspectives on business ideas. @Novafan23 angrily tweeted reminding viewers of what transpired last season: “WHAT??? was the biggest one yelling about obesity and refusing to invest in the cookie dough lady last season because of the calories...she needs to send this clip to him and demand her check?? #SharkTank”
And we look at it practically, such disappointment is not irrational. As claimed by Chelsea (owner of ‘The Yard’), each serving of milkshake ranges from 650 to 1800 calories, depending on the ingredients of the shake and the toppings. And as we all know, along with, @martinpinnau, such a beverage is “Holy s**t! 189 grams??? That's like consuming 5 cans of Coke. #SharkTank”
In a time, when healthy living and clean eating is being made priority and food startups are striving hard to promote good eating, fresh ingredients, it is kind of disheartening to see people like Cuban investing in food business that are considered unhealthy, not only by health experts but also by himself. This contrasting behavior as well as the choice of investment is making fans outraged. As @LouandReality Tweets, Exactly!!!!!!!! The sugar content in these shakes are OUTRAGEOUS. Some have 189 grams of sugar. You’re investing in milk shakes that have a sugar content of 100-200 grams? You’re joking right? #sharktank”
‘Shark Tank’ Season 11 airs on ABC, every Sunday at 9 pm ET.