A bakery in Tennessee was flooded with 'thousands of requests' after being name-dropped by A-list actor Ryan Gosling.
Gosling appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers on March 18 to promote his new film Project Hail Mary but paused mid-interview after spotting a familiar face in the wings.
Donna Richards, a wardrobe dresser for Saturday Night Live, was standing offstage when the actor noticed her and revealed she had been sneaking him pop tarts from her sister’s bakery.
Gosling double-checked with Richards before giving the shoutout to her sibling’s business, The Cake Shop in Tallahassee.
'They make the most incredible pop tarts,' he said. 'You have to order these pop tarts.'
He went on to share how the baked goods, which are shipped from Florida to Richards, fueled him while hosting SNL.
The unexpected plug quickly paid off, with Richards’ sister Linda telling WCTV the bakery was overwhelmed.
‘I did not know that was coming. It was a total shock. I was blown into another universe,’ the shop owner said.
'It’s on fire. The phone rings off the hook. I have thousands of requests,' she added.
Linda added that on just one busy day following the mention, she sold more than 100 pop tarts.
Along with a steady stream of customers, orders have poured in from across the country, according to the outlet.
She is now asking customers for patience as the small business works to keep up with the surge in demand following Gosling’s endorsement.
The shop offers a variety of flavors, including blueberry, cinnamon, and peanut butter and jelly, though the actor’s favorite is strawberry.
‘Everybody has something they want at any bakery, right?’ Linda said. ‘Whether it's a cookie or a cupcake — for me it's monkey pie. It's just everybody's thing, and that’s what it is evidently for him.’
Customer Ian Osterhaus said he stopped by to try the viral treat after his father sent him an article.
‘I was like, "Tallahassee pop tarts? I need some." I’m so excited,’ he said.
Linda’s shop has been open in Florida for more than 25 years and offers a wide variety of baked goods, including cookies, cakes, eclairs, brownies, lemon bars, and more than 20 flavors of cupcakes.
