Dessert cafe 50sixone has gone into liquidation, but is it the end of the freakshake craze?
Dessert cafe 50sixone has gone bust. Is this the beginning of the end of the $35 milkshake?
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Could the demise of dessert cafe chain 50sixone be the beginning of the end of our OTT milkshake craze?
The first cafe opened with a bang in Hyde Park in 2016, with indulgent milkshake and ice cream creations. Remember the 24k gold-laced ice cream pop?
Probably not, unless you were one of the few who paid $55 for it.
To the amazement of many, 50sixone continued to attract line-ups at its King William Rd destination, as sweet-toothed Millennials vowed to experience the Insta-famous desserts – and then post about it themselves on social media.
As the number of stores grew, so too did the milkshakes.
There are 13 “Insta-Famous Shakes” on 50sixone’s online menu. The cheapest is the $21 Oreo Glad to See Me? – an Oreo biscuit-flavoured shake topped with a zeppole (Italian-style doughnut), Oreos and cream.
The Route 66, $35, is a Milo and Malteser flavoured shake poured into a choc-rimmed glass and layered with cream, a chocolate doughnut, wafers, marshmallows, Maltesers and a mini cheeseburger.
The 24k gold returned, this time in pebble form, sprinkled atop a Nutella thickshake with two zeppole, a Kinder Surprise, ice cream and a mini jar of Nutella. That one also costs $35 – around the same price, or more, than a main course at many of Adelaide’s well respected restaurants.
Canberra cafe Patissez sparked the over-the-top milkshake craze with their “freakshake” in 2015.
But 50sixone wasn’t the only place to get on board.
Fans can still get a taste of the extreme at venues including Chuck Wagon in North Adelaide, where “crazy shakes” cost between $18 and $20.
Signature shakes at St Louis, which has several stores across metropolitan Adelaide, cost $16.90. Toppings include the likes of churros, an ice cream cookie or brownie.