Pop Goes the Waffle Goes Pop Goes the Waffle Closes Gulfport Cafe

By Cameron Healy

Pop Goes the Waffle said its final goodbyes to its Gulfport cafe, but reassured customers that they can buy waffles at various Tampa Bay food truck events.

After opening Pop Goes The Waffle’s cafe location in March 2022, founder Sara Fludd announced it was time for the “waffle cafe’s doors to close” on Instagram Jan. 16. The business opened its Gulfport cafe for the last time on Jan. 22.

The economical challenges such as the cost of goods and inflation are to blame for the decision according to the business’s Instagram post. The business plans to use the building as its “production facility.”

“For now we will continue with our wholesale operation and food truck events,” Fludd told The Gabber.

On the final weekend of Jan. 2122, customers swamped the cafe buying waffle biscuit sandwiches, liège waffles, waffle doughnuts, and freezer-ready six-packs of flavored waffles.

“We were (happily) slammed all weekend,” Fludd wrote on Pop Goes the Waffle’s Instagram on Jan. 22. Fludd continued by thanking all the supportive customers who came to say goodbye, and her team for helping her make her dreams come true.

The waffle company began in 2017 to provide Tampa Bay with their sweet and savory waffles. According to the “about” page on Pop Goes the Waffle’s website, the start of the business dates to a Mother’s Day present. A Belgian waffle iron led Fludd to “push the boundaries of waffleology, creating many of the menu concepts featured today.”

However, this isn’t the end of Pop Goes the Waffle; it’s simply a new beginning. Customers can buy PGtW’s authentic liège waffles through Blossom, the waffle food truck at Tampa Bay events. Pop Goes the Waffle plans to make an appearance at St. Pete’s Localtopia festival on Feb. 18 as well as Reggae Rise Up on March 16-19.