The sign is gone and the lights are off at Cookie Plug's Holland Plaza bakery in Virginia Beach, the only brick-and-mortar store the cookie chain ever opened in Virginia. A closed sign now hangs on the front door, while inside, supplies, trays and canned beverages still sit untouched.
The Virginian-Pilot visited the Holland Road store on Oct. 16 and found it shuttered, with the exterior sign removed entirely, according to The Virginian-Pilot. The Cookie Plug food truck that first brought the brand to Hampton Roads, however, remained parked in the store's lot, per the same report.
Franchise owners Mike and Doreen Walters opened the 1,000-square-foot shop at 4308 B Holland Road in Holland Plaza Shopping Center in May 2025, marking Cookie Plug's first Virginia location. The bakery chain, which started in California, served Iced Up Phatties — ice cream cookie sandwiches — and filled cookies, the outlet's report notes.
From Food Truck to Storefront, Then Silence
The Virginia Beach operation actually started well before the bricks and mortar. The Walters launched a Cookie Plug food truck in January 2024, building a loyal local following that they later used to justify opening the permanent shop. That truck served 16 flavors of the chain's extra-thick cookies, called Phatties, including varieties named Pixie, Bam Bam and Purple Haze.
Attempts to reach the Walters for an explanation of the closure have not succeeded. Mike Walters did not respond to a private message sent Oct. 19, and the Cookie Plug franchise had not responded to an email by Oct. 21, the news organization reported. Phone numbers previously associated with Cookie Plug were no longer in service, per the same account. Mike Walters did, however, allude to a new business venture on his personal Facebook page, the outlet's reporting notes — though what that venture is remains unclear.
Cookie Plug's own Facebook page was last active on Sept. 18, and the Virginia Beach shop was not listed on the company's website bakery-locations list as of Oct. 16, according to the report.
Plans for Further Expansion
When the store opened, Doreen Walters said the franchise planned to open four more locations across Hampton Roads, according to pilotonline.com's earlier coverage. Separately, a Thalhimer post promoting the grand opening touted plans for additional Cookie Plug locations throughout Virginia.
The Virginia Beach closure fits into a broader pattern playing out across the cookie-chain industry. Franchise Times reported that Cookie Plug had grown to as many as 34 locations in early 2025, but its website later listed just 13 stores. The trade publication also noted that store closures have hit multiple cookie franchises, including Crumbl, even as Crumbl itself expanded from 690 franchised units at the start of 2023 to 1,101 by the end of 2025 — underscoring how uneven the sector's fortunes have been. One restaurant industry analyst cited by the outlet said it is not surprising to see a highly niche segment like specialty cookies thin out.
Other Cookie Plug Locations Have Faced Similar Struggles
Virginia Beach is not the only market where Cookie Plug's footprint has wobbled. In Santa Barbara, California, a Cookie Plug franchise near the Fiesta Five was still operating as of April 2025, even as its future at that location appeared uncertain, according to KEYT. And in Nevada, a South Reno Cookie Plug location closed permanently amid a reported rent increase, with the franchise's owners saying another family had bought the franchise and intended to reopen it in Elko, per 2 News.
For now, Hampton Roads cookie fans are left with a locked storefront and a food truck still sitting in the parking lot — a quiet end, at least for the moment, to Cookie Plug's first run in Virginia.
