Publix has stopped selling hurricane-themed cakes and fans think it’s ‘lame & anti-fun’

Publix’s hurricane-themed cakes are no longer.

The cakes, often decorated with icing depicting the storms on radar and with words of encouragement like “Leave Florida alone” or “Go away Dorian,” have received mixed reviews on social media, and the grocery chain said the cakes are against its policy.

Maria Brous, director of communications at Publix, said in a statement to TODAY.com that the company’s associates “make every effort to support our customers during weather events.”

“Oftentimes, this includes finding ways to delight them with their favorite Publix items as they prepare for uncertainty. For these requests in particular, it is our company policy to not produce bakery cakes that would make light of a natural disaster,” Brous said.

A similar statement is posted on Publix’s website, and the chain added it was working to take care of its customers, associates and communities as they prepared and responded to Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida in October 2022.

Publix did not respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com clarifying when the policy went into effect. Still, some social media users appeared to just find out about the news in recent days, and some customers were not pleased with the chain’s decision.

“Publix announcing they’re done doing hurricane cakes in Florida is truly an end of an era,” one X, formerly known as Twitter, user wrote.

“Lame & anti-fun,” another person wrote in a post on X.

“@Publix we need to speak to a manager! Lol. What’s next? No alcohol during the cone of concern?” another person said.

One user summed it up: “Cmon @Publix Chicken Tender Subs and Hurricane cakes make riding out hurricanes a pleasure.”

Despite the less-than-pleased takes on the decision, the chain has received backlash in the past for selling the cakes ahead of Hurricane Dorian’s landfall in 2019.

“@Publix bad look, guys. We need to move away from hurricane parties, toward go-bag-water-flashlights-and-shutters checklists,” one X user wrote in 2019.

“They’ll be great to eat if you still have a home left!” another person quipped at the time.

The store also faced mixed reviews when pictures of Hurricane Irma-decorated cakes surfaced on social media in 2017. But as these sweet confections are a thing of the past, we won't be seeing any as this year’s hurricane season approaches.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com