The Cupcake Girls

Lori has been back at work for 3 months and just when she thinks she has the 'working mom thing' under control - all hell breaks loose. On top of the demands of a possible Toronto expansion and keeping her personal life in order, Lori comes close to completely bursting at the seams when a franchisee reaches out with a problem.

The Best of Vancouver list is out and Cupcakes isn't on it. Heather and Lori know their product is top notch, but antics in the bakery suggest "customer experience" might be the problem. This is an issue they need to take seriously and face it head on. Meanwhile, Brian plans a surprise that almost lands him in the doghouse with his daughter.

They may have been the original, but it's time to face the fact that they aren't the only shop in town anymore. The cupcake competition is getting fierce. A meeting with marketing experts has Lori and Heather looking to refresh their brand in order to keep their hold on the local cupcake market.

The girls have decided they need to update and upgrade their packaging, and they need the right designer to make it happen. They hire the over exuberant, single-named, Jade. No one is better...but working with him isn't easy on Lori. As things get organized with the new packaging, things get more and more dis-organized on Kathie's desk.

The Cupcakes empire is growing. As Lori struggles with leaving Max for the first time, she and Heather head to Toronto to meet with a real estate agent to find locations for the first of their out- of-province Cupcakes stores! Meanwhile, back in Vancouver Kathie is sick which means Brian is left in charge!

Heather convinces a very reluctant Lori to try out a new line of man-cupcakes, to attract a male demographic. Baker David whips up the new "Beefcakes" in Maple Bacon and they are a hit with men on the streets, but will they sell in the stores?

Expanding and franchising definitely has it struggles - at the Thurlow store Lori and Heather see that amongst the Divas and Mint Conditions sits a "Pure Passion" cupcake. This is not something on the regular Cupcakes menu. Franchising is all about being the same, consistent - a brand! How should the girls deal with these independent thinkers? Is it "my way or the highway?"

When Heather and Lori notice inconsistencies in store product - they think it might be time for a change. A trial run using a central baking location leads to high hopes for the use of a commissary. But what does this mean for the bake staff? And, while their business is going through changes - Heather and Lori's friendship feels like it's changing as well.

When Lori and Brian decide to try to out-prank each other, daily life at Cupcakes can literally seem like fun and games. But, will one of them take it too far? Meanwhile, the bake staff uniforms are no laughing matter. It's time for an update. So, discussion has begun over a change in design and of course with any new design challenge comes Jade, his exuberance, and his demands... and cost.

There's no question that cupcake sales ebb and flow throughout the year. In the fall and winter sales are slow, slow, slow. When the girls' CFO tells them it's now or never for getting their low season income up, they take on two radically different income increasing plans - a private "princess party" leaves the bake staff and the bakery in chaos but a pop-up shop at Holt Renfrew "takes the cake"!

With low foot traffic and a consistent monthly loss it looks like Lori and Heather may have made a bad choice in locations and have purchased one store too many. After a last ditch effort to increase community awareness isn't the success they'd hoped, the girls are faced with the decision of closing Edgemont... or the flagship store on Broadway.

Cupcakes newest franchisees for the Victoria location threaten to pull out, frustrated that their store's build has been delayed while Lori plays hardball with the mall on their lease. Lori and Heather plan a trip to Victoria to finalize the deal, but a pregnancy-related emergency pulls Heather away and leaves Lori to face the problem on her own.

Lori tries to convince Heather it's time to slow down in this her last month of pregnancy just as the Park Royal franchisee, Ron, decides to sell his store. Ron has never been the right fit for Cupcakes but his decision to sell leaves Heather and Lori wondering, will they be able to find a "right fit" franchisee that can make the location a success?

Heather and Lori have finally found the perfect Toronto location for their first store but they'll lose out on the location if they don't sign on fast. This means Lori will have to get to Toronto and suss it out on her own and possible miss the birth of Heather's son. Will Lori chose to help the business and secure this storefront - or will she sacrifice the opportunity to be there for her friend?