Massive line forms for Loblolly Bakery king cakes, and not everyone walked away a winner
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Massive pre-opening line formed; over 100 people queued for 75 king cakes.
- Sales limited to one cake per customer; many left empty-handed as stock ran out.
- Loblolly will run pop-up sales and supply local wholesaler Hard Rock Cafe.
With Carnival season in full swing, Loblolly Bakery brought its hand-made king cakes from Hattiesburg to the Gulf Coast for the first of a series pop-up sales.
The sale began at 10:30 a.m. outside The Downtowner, with 75 cakes ready to be sold in four flavors: Mississippi Blueberry Cream Cheese, Loblolly Cream Cheese Classic, Crescent City Cinnamon and Deep South Praline. Loblolly’s coordinator of logistics Andrew Stair said the line started before they could even set up their stand. “We were driving down this line, and we just saw probably 50 people stacked to the back,” Stair said. “It’s very exciting to see. Love that people love king cakes.”
By the time the sale officially started, over 100 people were in line for a chance to buy a king cake.
For Tyler Metz, a customer who waited 30 minutes in line to buy a king cake, the Loblolly cakes are among the best in the area. “It’s definitely No. 1,” Metz said.
Despite each person being limited to buying one cake, many still left the sale without the chance to buy one before they sold out. According to Stair, the Hard Rock Cafe in Biloxi is a wholesaler for Loblolly and will also be selling king cakes throughout the season.
Loblolly also plans to continue the pop-up sales each week throughout Carnival season in different areas along the coast. “The whole idea is to spring it up in a random place, get the cakes and boxes out everywhere,” Stair said.
Those who want to keep track of when the pop-up sales happen next can do so on Loblolly’s Facebook page.
