After a viral tweet about shrimp tails unearthed inside a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch took the Internet by storm, Shuckin’ Shack CEO Jonathan Weathington knew that the brand had to capitalize on this media sensation and launched a version of its own: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shrimp. 

“There are few things as terrifyingly unwelcome as finding unexpected items in our food,” says Weathington. “It can be a make-or-break moment for restaurants, especially. That being said, as we heard about the story and watched the flurry of tweets unfold, we decided to have some fun with it. Mostly, we were curious if it would even taste good.” 

The result: double battered fried shrimp made with buttermilk, flour and Cinnamon Toast Crunch and served with a side of Sweet Thai Chili sauce. While the creation was purely experimental and not meant for sale, interested customers can now experience the taste for themselves as a secret off-menu item available for a limited time at the brand’s Wilmington, North Carolina location. All other customers can enjoy the next closest thing to Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shrimp, in the form of Sharkbite Shrimp – the brand’s fried shrimp appetizer served with a sweet and spicy “Sharkbite” dipping sauce.

“At Shuckin’ Shack, we are all about having fun with our food,” says Weathington. “While the initial story was certainly off-putting, the flavor profile of pairing Cinnamon Toast Crunch with shrimp is unexpectedly good. No one wants shrimp tails swimming around in their cereal but we thought it might be fun to see what (purposefully made) fried cinnamon shrimp would taste like! Who knows, if there’s enough demand – maybe we’ll give General Mills a call about a collab.”