If you ever waited in line for a $5 cupcake or detoured out of your way to use a Cupcake ATM, this one’s for you: Sprinkles Cupcakes is officially done.
As of January 1, the once-everywhere cupcake chain has closed all remaining stores and vending machines nationwide. Sprinkles Cupcakes confirmed it wrapped up operations at the end of 2025, taking roughly 15 storefronts and several commissary kitchens offline. As of today, every location of the formerly coveted brand is dark.
The shutdown appears to have come fast—and not just for customers. Employees across multiple cities say they were notified just a day before stores closed, setting off a wave of angry posts and comments on social media. Several workers said they were kept on through the holiday rush only to be laid off immediately afterward. The company hasn’t publicly addressed severance or notice policies.
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Sprinkles launched in 2005, when cupcakes were suddenly cool again, thanks in part to founder Candace Nelson and her Beverly Hills bakery. The brand’s clean design and rotating cast of flavors generated early buzz, including an Oprah shoutout. Soon, Sprinkles was a household name.
Then came the Cupcake ATM in 2012. These pink, glass-fronted machines dispensed cupcakes 24/7 and made Sprinkles feel unavoidable in places like The Grove in Los Angeles, Disney Springs and busy shopping districts across the country. That same year, Nelson sold the company to a private equity firm and stepped away. (She’s had no operational role since.)
Nelson addressed the closure in a post on December 31, calling it surreal and saying it wasn’t how she imagined the Sprinkles story ending. She added that her thoughts were with the employees affected by the shutdown. Officially, the company cited “financial conditions due to unforeseen business circumstances” as the reason for closing, a reversal from recent website messaging that teased future expansion, including a forthcoming Bay Area location.