Where Is Avocaderia From Shark Tank Today?

In recent decades, avocados have become a commonplace fruit in many American kitchen bowls. Just how popular are avocados? The Washington Post claims avocado sales in 2015 were double the numbers sold in 2005 — maybe this explains how avocado proposals became an engagement trend in 2018. Regardless, the fact remains that many Americans enjoy avocados as part of their daily eats. According to Statista, Americans consumed 2.7 billion pounds of avocados in 2020 alone. So starting a restaurant dedicated to this vibrant and creamy fruit seems like a good business venture, no?

Insider outlines how a group of Italian-born friends and entrepreneurs, Francesco Brachetti, Alberto Gramigni, and Alessandro Biggi, were on to something when they decided to take a chance on an avocado-based restaurant in 2017 in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Bocconi showcases how this was not Biggi's first successful venture into business startup and management. After successfully running two other startup companies, with $70,000 in hand and an inherent love for avocado toast, Biggi and his friends took a chance: They used their combined funds to open Avocaderia. 

Lucky for this team of entrepreneurs, the customer base in the area seemed eager to consume everything from avocado smoothies to avocado burgers. Of course, it shouldn't come as a surprise that success leads the best entrepreneurs to look for ways to expand their operations. For help with this piece of the business, this team turned to ABC's "Shark Tank."

Instead of making your own watermelon and cucumber salad featuring creamy chunks of avocado, you could simply walk to Brooklyn and order one of Avocaderia's top-notch salad options. Of course, walking to Brooklyn is probably easier for someone who lives nearby than it is for someone who lives in California.

So, what's the obvious solution? Having more than one location to choose from makes these avocado-based dishes infinitely more accessible. This was precisely Alessandro Biggi's thinking when he pitched the company's investment opportunity to the "Shark Tank" cast on Season 9, Episode 22 in 2018. Biggi headed to the show asking for $300,000 for 10% of the Avocaderia business. The New York Post claims the company earned nearly $75,000 in January 2018 shortly after opening, but the business partners were hoping to expand their avocado business to more New York neighborhoods as well as add locations in Miami and San Diego. 

Biggi's overall goal, which he shared with the Sharks, was to generate more revenue, hopefully surpassing $4 million in sales over the next consecutive year. The experienced businessman sweetened his chances of an accepted offer by serving the judges avocado toast with cherry and sun-dried tomatoes. In the end, after some negotiation, Biggi struck a deal with Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran for $400,000 for 20% equity.

So, where is Avocaderia now?

Under the terms of Avocaderia's deal with Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran, each entrepreneur agreed to invest $200,000 for 10% equity which amped up the avocado-based business' valuation to $2 million. Shortly after striking a deal on "Shark Tank," Alessandro Biggi shared that the business would be expanding to a few other New York locations in the coming year, with one in the Chelsea neighborhood (per Insider). Beyond the creative menu which offers unique signature bowls and a variety of toast options, Insider notes that the inside of the Industry City location boasted chic decor and picture-worthy appeal.

According to the Avocaderia website, the business has expanded throughout New York and now has four locations across Manhattan. Based on the extensive range of more than 240 Yelp reviews, the heath-focused restaurant has accumulated a median score of 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you live near an Avocaderia restaurant, you may no longer have to work as hard to find fast food restaurants that have healthy options since most Avocaderia customers describe the food as fresh and healthy. Some reviews describe the fare as overpriced and lacking exceptional flavor, but these negative opinions appear to be in the minority.

However, based on Avocaderia's social media presence on Instagram, these three businessmen are still making the most of avocados. In fact, in 2022, Avocaderia opened a location on 5th Avenue in New York, began selling Avocaderia-based apparel, and even launched a breakfast cart service for the busy streets of New York City.