Restaurants

Trendy bakery chain famous for its viral ‘cupcake ATMs’ abruptly closes

A trendy bakery known for its “ATMs” that dispense cupcakes has shuttered all its U.S. locations including seven in North Texas.

Candance Nelson posted on Instagram on Jan. 1 confirming the closure of the brand she founded in the early 2000s.

Sprinkles Cupcakes eventually grew to 21 stores in seven states, plus 25 cupcake ATMs.

“I sold Sprinkles in 2012 and have no ownership or operational involvement in the company,” Nelson’s post said. “Still, it’s surreal to see this chapter come to a close — and it’s not how I imagined the story would unfold.”

Nelson opened Sprinkles Cupcakes in 2005 out of Beverly Hills. Then in 2007, the first location outside of California opened in Dallas. And in 2012, the Sprinkle’s Cupcake ATMs launched, serving customers their signature dotted cupcakes.

Sprinkles Cupcakes launched during a boom in the cupcake trend. Foodies credit the sudden popularity to a scene from “Sex and the City” when lead character Carrie Bradshaw visits Magnolia Bakery in New York City and eats a cupcake with bright pink frosting. But more recently, cupcakes have cooled.

Where did Sprinkle’s Cupcakes close in North Texas?

Dallas-Fort Worth had two brick-and0mortar stores along with five cupcake ATMs that are all out of operation now:

  • Dallas’ Preston Center store at 4020 Villanova St.
  • Plano’s Legacy West store at 7500 Windrose Ave.
  • The Galleria in Dallas (ATM)
  • Southlake Town Square (ATM)
  • The Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth (ATM)
  • Gaylord Texas Resort in Grapevine (ATM)
  • DFW Airport’s Terminal A (ATM)
The Cupcake ATM opened today, and while there were certain technical difficulties for the first day, lines of people waited to try out the new machine. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
A woman takes her order of cupcakes after using a "Cupcake ATM" created by Sprinkles bakery on March 25, 2014 in New York City. Andrew Burton Getty Images

Other cupcake bakeries in Fort Worth

You can still get your fix at these local stores.

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Ella Gonzales
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.
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