Sprinkles Cupcakes is living up to the hype that surrounds it as it prepares for its grand opening to the public this TODAY, April 28th! The cupcake shop is tucked directly between Lulu Lemon and Sur La Table right in the middle of Hyde Park Village!
What separates Sprinkles Cupcakes from its competition is its devotion towards baking and making their menu items in house, and their desire to source from local vendors. Allie Brown the General Manager told us, that since the inception of Sprinkles in Hyde Park Village, using a local vendor for their dairy is a key to differentiating from competition and supporting the local community. Knowing we love Everything Local, we were on board with all of these great local aspects that Sprinkles offers. All ingredients come into the shop raw and all cupcakes are hand frosted, which is a delicate process. A key to the success of Sprinkles Cupcakes nationally is the way they implant themselves in communities and are able to connect, which makes Hyde Park’s family-friendly atmosphere a desirable location.
When you walk in, there is seating to the left and the walls are covered in the infamous Sprinkles’ dots that dot their cupcakes. Some have Sprinkle’s sayings, information about Sprinkles, and some are interactive. We were surprised to hear that Sprinkles Cupcakes is not just a cupcake shop, they offer assorted cookies and brownies, a variety of ice cream flavors, and an espresso machine that we’re told is famous for its red velvet mocha. Yum! During the week, they have eight daily flavors with additional rotating flavors, and seasonal flavors, and each cupcake is hand iced and a dot is placed on top as a finish.
One way Sprinkles will lure its customers back is through their “Sprinkles Perks” program. There are three levels: vanilla, dark chocolate, and red velvet, which all differentiate slightly depending on how frequently you visit the cupcake shop. Little perks include skipping the line, a free cupcake on your birthday, or a referral bonus for how you can take advantage of the rewards. However, if you are unable to make it to the store, they do offer delivery and pick up options; which are different depending on the menu item (ice cream can be delivered, cupcakes cannot). The famous Sprinkles ATM will also be added to this location within the next month or so.
While we were about to leave, I was also informed of an awesome initiative Sprinkles Cupcakes already has in the Tampa Bay community. The waste at the end of the day is collected by employees and donated to St. Peter Claver Catholic School in Tampa. Although they are opening this location in Hyde Park and one location in Orlando coming soon, expansion is not out of the question, and hopefully for the remainder of South Florida’s sake, they continue expanding.
The best part, the GM, Allie, and I were teammates at the University of Delaware four years ago on their swimming team. Crazy how small the world is. So go say hey and tell them NHIE sent you!
But first, a #SprinklesSelfie 🙂
-Clay
Disclosure: I received this complimentary experience through a Hyde Park Village partnership in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
NHIE Guys 