Here's What Happened To Cereal Killerz After Shark Tank

In 2020, "Shark Tank's" 3rd episode of the 12th season featured a memorable entrance, when two young entrepreneurs walked into the room in "Halloween"-style serial killer masks, brandishing giant spoons. Their product? A restaurant that centered around cereal. Playing off the punny name "Cereal Killerz," the two owners, a husband and wife team named Jessica and Chris Burns, pitched the concept of a cereal bar to the five Sharks: Kevin O'Leary, Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban, Daymond John, and Lori Greiner.

The Cereal Killerz Kitchen concept was certainly unique, and the Burns had already opened a location in Henderson, Nevada, a few years earlier and were looking to expand. Cereal Killerz played off childhood nostalgia, and the Burns' own love for breakfast cereals. The restaurant featured over 100 different cereal options, with mix-in ingredients for the breakfast cereal, such as candy. There were also plenty of unique offerings that used cereal, too, in the form of ice creams, milkshakes, cookies, and waffles. It even featured cereals from around the world, as well as specialty and alternative plant milk options for a more classic breakfast cereal experience.

The pair had a fun product with great branding, and brought an amazingly positive energy that involved a heartbreaking story of overcoming periods of financial hardship and homelessness. They were also raising a daughter with Down syndrome, which they said inspired them to become entrepreneurs so they could give her a better life. Cereal Killerz seemed primed for success. They were asking the Sharks for $125,000 for 10% equity to help them expand to a new location outside of the mall they were currently operating in.

After pitching their initial opening, the Burns shared their personal story. The team also had the Sharks sample some of their milkshakes, which really impressed all the hosts. But there was one snag for the Burns and Cereal Killerz that was a big issue for the Sharks. While Cereal Killerz had initially been successful, the team admitted that the current location, which was in a mall, was losing $8,000 a month and the couple had even been forced to close the store for several months. 

Some of this was understandable, as the episode aired during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The couple still said they had some savings they were planning on using to expand, and business was coming back, but it was a real issue for the investors, with Mark Cuban opting out and advising the couple to hire a lawyer or accountant for financial advice. Robert Herjavec and Kevin O'Leary also thought the investment just wasn't secure enough.

Lori Greiner might have been a good bet, and she was really into Cereal Killerz, but her breakfast love was actually an issue, as she had to drop out over a conflict of interest with her previous investment in OatMeals breakfast restaurant. FUBU founder Daymond John certainly felt a connection to the couple, and Chris Burns even showed off a FUBU shirt he owned. But in the end, he passed, too. Cereal Killerz wasn't poised to become one of the best "Shark Tank" food products ever.

While the Burns were obviously disappointed with the result, this is one case where falling short on "Shark Tank" didn't actually hurt the company that much in the short run. After "Shark Tank," Cereal Killerz went on to open its second location. And in a since-deleted social media post (via Eater) a few months later, the couple said that it had turned a profit in just seven weeks. The Cereal Killerz Kitchen opened a location on the Vegas strip, putting them in the heart of the city, and they also expanded back to Henderson, Nevada, with another location. While admitting that getting an investment from "Shark Tank" would have made things easier, the Burns said that retaining total control of their company ended up being for the best.

Cereal Killerz even started franchising, and ended up with a total of five locations after two more stores opened up in Arizona and Utah. They were especially bolstered by a strong social media presence. At one point, the brand had over one million followers on TikTok. It was especially popular for a very Instagram-friendly cereal challenge, which involved mixing all 130 of the store's cereals together — over 5 pounds total — and adding a gallon of milk, with contestants having 60 minutes to finish eating it. Cereal Killerz also found more creative ways to use breakfast cereal, like inventing the LeTaco James, which was a sweet, crunchy taco covered in Fruity Pebbles and filled with creamy soft serve ice cream.

You might have noticed that some of those descriptions of Cereal Killerz after "Shark Tank" were in the past tense. Well, Cereal Killerz is still in business, but it has since seemingly contracted, and it is unclear who now runs the company. Sometime in 2024, it looks like all three of the Nevada locations closed. Las Vegas has a lot of tough competition for dessert for sure, although the Utah franchise can also no longer be found, either, and is marked as permanently closed on Yelp. The sole remaining location is the other franchised restaurant in Goodyear, Arizona.

The Cereal Killerz website is currently under construction, with little information about the state of the company, but it is still taking job applications and there are forms to submit for the cereal challenge. Its social media presence is also still active, with recent posts and pretty regular activity on @thecerealkillerzkitchen on Instagram. However, the accounts appear to have far fewer followers than they did at the company's height just a few years ago, and are exclusive to the remaining Arizona location. There was even a "The Cereal Killerz Kitchen" podcast run by Chris Burns for a year, but that ended in mid-2023. And because the remaining Goodyear location was originally a franchise, it may not even be owned by the family.

While the lack of information about the company and its contraction may seem inauspicious, it does seem like there is still a future for Cereal Killerz. In a recent post on TikTok, the remaining Arizona location shared that it is launching a new food truck. It would probably be too hard to carry around all 130 types of cereal that the shop offers, and it looks like the truck will focus mostly on its popular and unique milkshakes. It also means that expansion is still in the cards for Cereal Killerz, even if the brand has undergone some changes and temporary setbacks.

It's less certain what is going on with the Burns family, as they have gone quiet on all their former social media platforms. But while they may not be as involved as they used to be with the Arizona location, its continuing success shows that they founded something that a lot of people still really like. And it's also clear that the family's childlike love of our favorite breakfast cereals lives on in plenty of customers. That's more than a lot of "Shark Tank" participants can say!