ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A Los Angeles-based artisan waffle and ice cream shop quietly closed all three of its Jacksonville-area franchise locations two years after debuting in Northeast Florida.
Dolly Llama Waffle Master recently shuttered its dessert shops at 830 A1A North, No.16, at Tournament Plaza in Ponte Vedra Beach; 170 Fountains Way, Suite 4, at The Fountains at St. Johns in Saint Johns; and 11025 E Town Parkway, #204, in The Exhange at eTown in Jacksonville.
Owned by separate, unrelated local franchisees, the three shops were the only Dolly Llama locations in Northeast Florida. Now, only the Winter Garden store remains in the state, the Dolly Llama website shows.
However, another gourmet bubble waffle and ice cream concept has replaced two of the three closed stores.
Neither Dolly Llama corporate officials nor the local franchise owners could be reached for comment immediately.
Dolly Llama Waffle Master is known for offering two styles of made-to-order waffles — Bubble and Belgian OG Liege — plus about 16 flavors of ice cream, including four that are vegan, as well as nine sauces and 19 toppings. In addition, milkshakes and ice cream by the scoop round out the menu.
The Ponte Vedra Beach shop was the first to open in Florida and on the East Coast as the California-based chain expanded its footprint nationwide in September 2022.
Franchise owners Josh and Wendy Popkin brought The Dolly Llama with them when they moved to Ponte Vedra Beach from Los Angeles, where the concept debuted in 2017.
About 10 months later, the second Dolly Llama opened at The Fountains at St. Johns in July 2023. The third opened in January at The Exchange at eTown. Both came from franchisees Stacy and Anthony Searcy of St. Augustine who told the Times-Union at the time that they planned two more Dolly Llama shops in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine areas.
Mochi Cafe replaces two Dolly Llama locations
Mochi Cafe ― a similar but separate gourmet bubble waffle, ice cream, and dessert shop concept ― has replaced Dolly Llama at eTown and Saint Johns.
The new dessert shop "is an original business and not affiliated with Dolly Llama," owner Nengah Mustika told the Times-Union via email. "While we've kept some popular products from the previous Dolly Llama stores, such as bubble waffles and ice cream, we've expanded our offerings and made significant changes to differentiate ourselves," Mustika said.
"We're focused on creating a unique experience with locally developed recipes, including our own bubble waffle mix, and introducing new items like Japanese Mochi Cake, Indonesian Martabak, and other unique breakfast/lunch items," he also said.
Specialty waffles listed on the Mochi Cafe online menu include:
- Caramel Delight: A waffle with Salted Caramel ice cream, Kinder Bar, animal cookie, and chocolate sauce
- Cinnamon Caramel: A waffle with Horchata ice cream, Speculoos Cookie, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and caramel sauce
- Cookie Brownies: A waffle with Ultimate Cookie Monster ice cream, strawberries, and brownies with condensed milk.
Mustika also said he's expanding the menu to offer coffee, breakfast/brunch fare, and pastries.
Mustika is co-owner of Pandan Leaves Asian Bistro, 725 Skymarks Drive, Unit 6, at River City Marketplace near Jacksonville International Airport. The bistro offers Indonesian stir fry noodles, Korean bulgogi, Japanese sushi and Thai curry among other popular Asian fare.
