An local favorite known for producing art work with sugary delicacies has abruptly shut its doors.
Sugar Rush Bar, a popular ice cream and milkshake parlor located on 414 All Saints St., officially closed before the Christmas holiday weekend leaving those with a sweet tooth devastated by the news.
This is the shop’s second location that has closed. The Bannerman Road location closed during the COVID pandemic in 2020.
Owner Juan Severini posted: “Thank you Tallahassee for accepting this dream since the beginning.” But many were shocked by the news of the store’s closure.
Tiffany McNabb, who had been the store’s general manager, said she received an email about the closure and how she was immediately “relieved of duties.” She relayed the news to the rest of the eight-person team in an impromptu FaceTime call.
McNabb, who consistently referred to Sugar Rush as “her baby,” was with the team since 2018 , working her way up from a team member to general manager. During that time, the aspiring pastry chef said she developed many of the items on the menu, including milkshakes, the prized “ice cream fried chicken” and sundaes.
Both McNabb and Severini agreed that, though they had a loyal number of patrons, December was consistently their slowest month.
A number of factors led to the closure of the shop, which originally opened inside Donut Kingdom and reestablished itself as a separate venture. Severini, 30, said he took a moment of reflection which helped him come to the realization that he needed to reprioritize his family.
“Businesses are like babies and they need constant attention all the time and when the main person is just not there, things change,” Severini said. He left Tallahassee a year ago to be closer to family in Miami.
The now empty location off Railroad Avenue is expected to be attractive to other vendors. “It’d be nice to see that place continue to run and be a nice part of the community,” Severini said.
Once word of the closure circulated on the Tallahassee Foodies Facebook group, fans of Sugar Rush and McNabb came to her support. They encouraged her to consider opening a shop of her own, which she said she’s thinking about.
“My favorite memories are really the customers,” McNabb said. “To be a part of other people’s memories has really made me feel special and really makes the job so much fun.”
Democrat staff writer Kyla Sanford can be reached atksanford@gannett.com.
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