Evan Michael Woods
Forget being a kid in a candy store. Welcome to a cereal store.
More accurately, a cereal bar, the first of its kind in the Tarrant area. Opened earlier this summer by local entrepreneur Devon Wordlaw, Roadrun’r Exotic Cereal Bar offers bowls of cereal in both straightforward and wildly imaginative varieties. If you want a bowl of Frosted Flakes, Wordlaw can do that. Or if you want a bowl of Frosted Flakes decked out with gummy bears, whipped cream, powdered sugar, caramel, ice cream, and chocolate sauce, Wordlaw can do that, too.
You can also mix and match cereals, some of which are imported from other countries, such as a chocolate caramel version of Cap’n Crunch, and most varieties of milk are available.
Cereal bars have become a thing in other parts of the country, especially in Los Angeles and New York, where people wait in line for hours for bowls of their favorite breakfasts. The trend is now hitting Texas. In addition to Roadrun’r, a cereal bar recently opened near Houston.
Wordlaw says they draw people who are nostalgic for the past, but they’re also trendy. “Cereal never goes out of style,” he says.
Roadrun’r’s menu isn’t made up of cereal only. There are sinfully sugary and beautifully crafted specialty milkshakes, towering with your favorite cereal and toppings, and made-to-order waffles, too. Many of the recipes were dreamed up by Keara Toombs, a Chicago native who recently moved to the North Texas area.
“I love being creative, and Devon said, ‘Be as creative as you want,’” she says. “So, yeah, I kinda go a little wild sometimes.”
Evan Michael Woods
Similar to Kith Treats, a popular New York cereal bar, Roadrun’r shares a space with a retail shop that sells street wear, skateboards, and tennis shoes. Customers are welcome to peruse the retail side or grab a seat at Roadrun’r’s colorful bar.
“It’s a lot of families who come here, so we thought it’d be a good idea to combine the two concepts,” Wordlaw says. “Kids always need new clothes, right?”
This is the first venture for Wordlaw and his partners, and it’s already off to a good start. Wordlaw says several of Roadrun’r’s crazy-cool cereal concoctions have gone viral, creating long lines on weekends. “We weren’t sure if a cereal bar would work here, because no one in this area has done one before,” he says. “There was no real gauge. We’ve been excited and surprised about how well we’re doing. I know my mom’s proud of me.” 1201 West Arbrook Blvd., Arlington, exoticcerealbar.com
