If you eat fruit and have friends and/or loved ones, at some point in your life you might have ordered an edible arrangement from the franchise of the same name.
What's not to love about fruit salad on barbecue skewers?! Even the NYPD and T-Pain are fans.
But if you have ordered one, it's likely you would have placed your order by phone or on the Internet, begging the question: Why does Edible Arrangements need 25 NYC locations?
This place's proliferation is the mystery of the city. pic.twitter.com/t5y0rxdKXq
— Rosa Goldensohn (@RosaGoldensohn) April 6, 2015Edible Arrangements, founded in 1999 by veteran florist Tariq Farid, provides a product that requires little prep time (the Edible Arrangement website offers a seven-minute pickup option). In-shop pickup is free and delivery by refrigerated truck costs $14. So the storefronts do serve a purpose central to the Edible Arrangements mission. But does New York City need the services of this many? Edible Arrangement conspiracy theorists abound:
Who are the people keeping edible arrangements in business? Where is the demand part of that supply-demand equation?
— Daniel Grimaldi (@danielgnyc) July 17, 2013truth. RT @joselynhughes Hey Edible Arrangements; stop pretending you're a business and tell me what you really are.
— Leah Goldstein (@brother_ladies) May 23, 2010Yes, but what is Edible Arrangements REALLY selling?
— Nick Jones (@nickjonesland) October 30, 2014It seems that their shops do roaring trade on Valentine's Day:
Line out the door @edible arrangements in #bedstuy. Eat fruit not chocolate? pic.twitter.com/wanGRP38
— Marian Isel Barragán (@MarianIsel) February 14, 2013Yes. Ten hours later..The Edible Arrangements on Fulton is still packed. #bedstuy
— Nichelle Stephens (@niche) February 14, 2013And there's a franchise-wide commitment to staying open that has seen New Yorkers through some tough times:
Don't worry guys, Edible Arrangements is staying open #sandy
— Kyle Paoletta (@KPaoletta) October 29, 2012Though there are locally sourced, artisanal alternatives to Edible Arragements, the chain has managed to keep the competition at bay, possibly by means of the inclusion of kale in their product:
My favorite part about @Edible Arrangements is the kale... #NotNormal pic.twitter.com/ZkW5CNrdKq
— Drew Litavis (@DrewLitavis) February 14, 2014However, consensus seems to be that DIY versions of Edible Arragements just don't make the cut:
I disrupted the Edible Arrangements industry, which means I made my own "bouquet," and it sucked. http://t.co/vYoIz80a1E
— Philip Bump (@pbump) February 13, 2014And while some have remarked that edible arrangements are a gift that appeals especially to women, some surprising fans include the NYPD and T-Pain.
There's a guy delivering edible arrangements to this police station pic.twitter.com/7d2rKjLadN
— Andrew Ritchie (@__a_c_r__) December 12, 2013Thank you for the Edible Arrangement @TPAIN and the thank you for playing a legendary FADER Fort set. @thefader pic.twitter.com/R2EccwWwBG
— Jon Cohen (@faderfam) April 7, 2015
