USA TODAY International Edition
Pop- Tarts pays sweet homage to fast food
For one week only, pop in and order faux tacos, pizza, burritos
NEW YORK Even if you love Pop- Tarts, the notion of making them into faux versions of pizza, tacos, burritos or chili-topped 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 PopTart 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 Pop- Tarts 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 sweet- tooth 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 Pop- Tarts, 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 actually more crepes than the Mexican favorite and will come in three varieties: S’mores, Nutty Caramel Banana and Chocolatecovered Strawberry.
“We have this creative menu that helps re- imagine Pop- Tarts,” says Angela Gusse, marketing director for Pop- Tarts. “We’re al- ways 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.