Kinky’s Dessert Bar Makes a Name for Itself

In the early afternoon of February 15 my roommate sent me a link to an Instagram post from @secret_nyc. It depicted cupcakes that looked like nipples and vulvas, and a penis-shaped waffle with glaze coming out of the tip. The post promoted a new bakery, Kinky’s Dessert Bar, which had been open for less than 24 hours on Orchard Street but seemed to have already made a name for itself.

When I asked customers there they all told me they found out about Kinky’s the same way — social media. It’s not surprising when you realize that August DeWindt, one of the founders, has over three million followers on TikTok. She was early to hop on the TikTok train at the beginning of the pandemic and in the past two years has amassed a following by telling people there’s food at home and teaching them how to cook.

August and her husband John started working on the idea for Kinky’s before the pandemic. The pair had already opened two other food businesses together: Fluffy’s, which makes two inch tall pancakes, and John’s Juice, which makes, and this may surprise you, juice. The DeWindts’ other two businesses are seasonal pop-ups with occasional appearances at markets and festivals.

The two first came up with the idea for Kinky’s on a trip to Taiwan. “We saw that they were doing the penis waffles,” says August, “and we kind of jokingly said to ourselves, ‘You know what, that would be a great business.’ And that’s how I started.” They developed their idea into a kink-friendly safe space for adults. But of course the focus is still on the food: “We wanted to do something that was more than just the waffles, so that’s why we expand the menu to cupcakes, and cookies that all have like different sexual images on them.”

“Empty Spaces”

Kinky’s is the first brick and mortar store that August has opened. Despite having two successful businesses, finding a place to open created a major problem. August and John started looking for a place for Kinky’s before COVID but met with little success. “A lot of landlords wouldn’t take us seriously,” says August. “Then once COVID hit, you know, there’s a lot of empty spaces here in New York. We were finally able to secure a spot.” They signed their lease last July.

Along with providing an opportunity to open, COVID also helped August gain a name for herself online. “I got on TikTok during the pandemic, because our other businesses were shut down because they’re seasonal, and outdoors,” says August. “I wanted to share my love of food with everyone and recipes that my account just blew up.” Her TikTok, @theres.food.at.home, focuses on using ingredients you already have in your kitchen to make new recipes.

After the lease was signed it was time for the DeWindts to create a space that embodied their goals. “We did most of the creative work inside of this space,” says August. “We curated the colors, the art, everything.” John says that one of his favorite parts of opening has been “seeing people’s reactions to the bathroom because it’s pretty like trippy.” The bathroom is all black with a red light and painted like a sex dungeon adorned with paddles, whips and erotic imagery.

When it came to finally launching the business, social media again played a major role. August posted a video of her new business of TikTok and the video went viral. But August and her PR manager, Magdalena Spirydowicz weren’t leaving anything up to chance. Spirydowicz helped plan a preview for influencers on all platforms. Hope Johnson (@hopeeatsnyc) says she was hosting an influencer event at her house to promote her own catering business and “one of them got an invite and we all went after.”

Unsurprisingly, Kinky’s opening day was tagged on Instagram by influencers around New York. “In many ways, today social media presence is more important than having a phone number or even a website,” says Spirydowicz.

While social media has helped launch Kinky’s into the public eye, it also has its drawbacks. After launching a TikTok specifically for Kinky’s August ran into some problems. “TikTok has very strict community guidelines, and every time I tried to put up a video it was getting taken down, she says. “So we have to strategize on how we want to run that page.”

Nevertheless, the businesses has been booming since day one. August says they’ve needed to hire more staff to keep up with quality production after only being open two weeks. She currently has about 20 people working for her. John says the experience has been exhausting and stressful but “I guess that’s like part of like bringing something new and something exciting.”

August’s ultimate goal is for Kinky’s Dessert Bar to become a New York staple known not only for its decor, but its quality food. But at the end of the day it’s also about make a safe environment to talk about something taboo. “We wanted to make it sex-positive,” says August, “ because sexuality is something that everyone should be able to explore.”