Walt Disney Global is shedding but every other third-party eating possibility, because the once-popular Sprinkles Cupcakes swiftly closed all of its retail storefronts, together with the only at Disney Springs. Right here’s what we all know concerning the dying of the candies store that fueled the cupcake craze and as soon as drew long traces at WDW.
Sprinkles Cupcakes introduced it’s shutting down its company-owned bakeries national, “after considerate attention.” The chain referred to as it a “very tricky choice to transition clear of working company-owned Sprinkles bakeries.” Sprinkles additionally operates a mail-order trade and sells merchandise at make a selection shops, reminiscent of Entire Meals, which is continuous presently.
This marks the tip of an generation for the dessert empire that was once as soon as a viral sensation. Sprinkles was once so standard that it turned into a staple at Disney Springs with the reimagining and growth of Downtown Disney over a decade in the past. Its closure has induced a backlash from former and present workers, the latter of whom got no realize earlier than shedding their jobs.
On social media, workers reported that they have been handiest given sooner or later of realize earlier than shedding their jobs. Others indicated that they realized the scoop via media rumors of the impending closure. Sprinkles has now not indicated what, if anything else, might be introduced to staff on the now-shuttered places.
A number of social media reviews recommend that “not anything” is the solution. That retail workers have been notified the day before today that they now not had jobs with simply sooner or later’s realize and no severance, with their shops closed completely as of January 1, 2026. Some accused Sprinkles of performing deceitfully in now not saying the closure upfront in order that the chain may retain workers throughout the busy vacation season earlier than laying them off and not using a realize as soon as that closing rush subsided.
The Sprinkles storefront at Disney Springs is one such location that has swiftly ended operations, with an indication out entrance indicating that it’s now not open these days along side blacked out home windows.
The webpage for Sprinkles at Disney Springs nonetheless exists, however lists “no instances to be had” for these days via March 2, 2026–as a long way out because the calendar is going. The reliable Sprinkles Cupcakes site likewise nonetheless exists, and has choices for national transport, however navigating to the places spits again a 404 web page now not discovered message.
Walt Disney Global has now not launched a observation concerning the closure of Sprinkles. Clearly, given the abrupt nature of the closure, there isn’t but a substitute tenant coated up. An excessively equivalent tale performed out with Giant River Grille & Brewing Works at BoardWalk in January 2024, and that location continues to be vacant.
It must be more straightforward to fill an empty storefront at Disney Springs given the upper foot visitors, however we nonetheless wouldn’t be expecting anything else for a couple of months. It’s a reasonably small store and arrange as a bakery, so the simple substitute/retrofit choices are reasonably restricted. Then again, it has a really perfect location and beautiful out of doors seating house.
My “vote” can be for McConnell’s Ice Cream. I do know there’s overlap with Salt & Straw, however that chain has change into a bit of tedious (even supposing a number of of its flavors are incredible). McConnell’s is just right ole shaped decadent and scrumptious ice cream with 0 gimmicks.
Sprinkles was once based in 2005 via Candace Nelson, opening its first location in Beverly Hills. The bakery chain opened its first retailer outdoor of California in 2007, in Dallas, Texas. Sprinkles expanded to a number of states around the U.S., together with Florida, and opened extra places in California.
The logo made headlines in 2012 when it introduced what it billed as the arena’s first Cupcake ATM, a headline-grabbing gimmick that additional fueled the national cupcake craze. The Cupcake ATM allowed Sprinkles to promote cupcakes even after storefronts have been closed, and may hang 400 cupcakes at a time. On the peak of its reputation, the Cupcake ATM was once restocked all over the day to verify freshness. The Cupcake ATM even bought dog-friendly cupcakes.
In a while thereafter launching the Cupcake ATM, the corporate’s founder bought Sprinkles to a non-public fairness company.
In a submit to Instagram, Nelson shared an emotional response to the “surreal” information, pronouncing she didn’t suppose this was once how the Sprinkles tale would finish even supposing she bought the trade to a non-public fairness team in 2014. “Even if I bought the corporate over a decade in the past, I nonetheless have this kind of private connection to it,” she mentioned.
“This isn’t how I assumed the tale would pass. I assumed Sprinkles would continue to grow and be round eternally,” Nelson added. “I assumed it was once going to be my legacy.”
Sprinkles Cupcakes opened at Disney Springs just about a decade in the past, again on Might 15, 2016. This was once on the peak of the chain’s reputation, and the candies store had day by day working hours from 10 a.m. to nighttime. The Cupcake ATM was once open day by day from 8 a.m. to two a.m. Supply was once additionally to be had inside of a 100-mile radius by means of on-line and speak to ordering.
I have in mind our first talk over with to Sprinkles Cupcakes again in Might 2016. Even if it was once now not opening day, we nonetheless encountered an extended line for the store. That was once a not unusual prevalence again within the first few years that the chain was once open. It was once a equivalent tale out at Disneyland, the place every other Sprinkles Cupcakes storefront round Christmas 2016.
I will’t recall encountering a line that prolonged outside at Sprinkles at any level since 2019. Possibly across the vacations?
Sprinkles Cupcakes was once just like the Gideon’s Bakehouse of its day. This isn’t to mention that Gideon’s will undergo a equivalent destiny in 5-10 years, simply that it was once as soon as insanely standard and was once the rationale some vacationers made the commute to Disney Springs.
I’ve different ideas about Sprinkles Cupcakes, however will chew my tongue. “Don’t talk unwell of the lifeless” and all that. I will be able to say that Sarah was once keen on the chain at one level, liking it now not for the trendiness however the high quality and reasonably blank elements used.
(In all probability that’s my factor–I couldn’t care much less what’s in a dessert. They exist as decadent indulgences, and if gnarly chemical substances and different awful-for-me issues are the most productive approach to that finish, so be it!)
The writing has more than likely been at the wall for some time for Sprinkles Cupcakes at Disney Springs. Its counterpart out at Disneyland closed over two years in the past. Prime hire plus decrease quantity plus upper element and exertions prices isn’t precisely a successful recipe.
I don’t stay alongside of meals traits neatly sufficient to indicate to a particular date and even yr when the cupcake fad was once performed out, but it surely turns out like the fad peaked inside of a yr or two of Sprinkles opening at Disney Springs, and began demise down pre-COVID.
By means of that time, gimmicky doughnuts, outsized ice cream sundaes, sizzling rooster, gigantic cookies, artisanal scoop retail outlets, and extra had all displaced cupcakes as the recent price ticket meals. A few of the ones different traits are nonetheless going robust, while others have likewise since pale out.
It’s unhappy to peer the Sprinkles tale finish this fashion, however I will’t assist surprise which different eating places will undergo equivalent fates within the future years. Each national and, particularly, at Walt Disney Global. All over the place, there’s the problem of upper exertions and element prices colliding with shoppers who’re feeling the squeeze of inflation and slicing the figurative fats from their intake budgets.
However there’s every other distinctive wrinkle to this at Walt Disney Global, the place there (anecdotally) seems to be a long way much less discretionary spending on meals. Visitors have made Lightning Lanes their ‘non-negotiable’ and feature reduce spending on desk provider eating places (as we’ve mentioned at period, ADR availability is considerable) and extra. We’ve theorized that this explains the Cutbacks to Coral Reef, and that extra may loom at the horizon.
In the meantime, Gideon’s Bakehouse continues to be going robust–to the purpose that it’s opening a 2d location at Walt Disney Global–so in all probability it’s extra about ideas that resonate with visitors and high quality merchandise, and not more a systemic factor. We nonetheless care for that the easier repair at Coral Reef can be to the menu, now not the working hours. However there are surely different places that strike us as prone, it doesn’t matter what adjustments are made.
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Your Ideas
What do you call to mind Sprinkles Cupcakes final for just right? Disenchanted within the information, or have been you “over” the cupcake craze? Shocked via the scoop or now not? Any explicit chains or ideas you’d like to peer substitute Sprinkles? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Listening to your comments about your stories is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas or questions under within the feedback!
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