Pop- Tarts pays sweet homage to fast food
For one week only, pop in and order faux tacos, pizza, burritos
Even if you love Pop- Tarts, the notion of making them into faux versions of pizza, tacos, burritos or chilitopped french fries might not have your taste buds dancing with anticipation.
But even if the concoctions sound disgusting, take heart. They’ll only be around for a week.
Kellogg’s, which opened a breakfast cereal bar in New York last July, is going to convert it into a shrine for the humble Pop- Tart all this week. A Pop- Tarts Cafe, as it will be known, won’t just be handing out the famous rectangular morning pastries. Rather, it’s going to make them into various dishes — all include PopTarts as an ingredient — and hope tourists and locals will be willing to plunk down $ 8 to $ 12 to try them. They are, in fact, sugary treats made to pay sweettooth homage to the real thing.
In a city famous for its pizza, Kellogg’s is going to introduce the Personal Pop- Tarts Pizza. It will have a crust made of Brown Sugar Cinnamon PopTarts, with a strawberry filling taking the place of the marinara sauce and frosting serving in place of cheese. The “pepperoni” is dried fruit slices.
The Pop- Tarts Burritos are in fact more crepes than the Mexican favorite and will come in three varieties: S’mores, Nutty Caramel Banana and Chocolate- covered Strawberry.
“We have this creative menu that helps re- imagine Pop- Tarts,” says Angela Gusse, marketing director for Pop- Tarts. “We’re always looking for new ways to reach out to fans.”
The Pop- Tart emporium, open Tuesday to Sunday, could lick some Pop- Tarts myths. Gusse says that, while the majority are eaten at breakfast, they have become an anytime snack. “Our fans will eat them anytime — day or night,” she says. Only about half are toasted, she says.
Pop- Tarts were first sold in four flavors in 1964. Today, there are 30 flavors, including seasonal ones such as Pumpkin Pie.
Somehow, Pop- Tarts just seem to lend themselves to publicity stunts. In 1998, Kellogg’s created the largest- ever Pop- Tart — 25 feet by 35 feet. It took 545 pounds of flour, 495 pounds of fruit filling and 800 pounds of icing to create.