American cookie store chain
Crumbl Cookies (branded simply as Crumbl, stylized as crumbl) is a franchise chain of bakeries in the United States and Canada that specializes in cookies. Based in Utah, it was founded in 2017. As of August 2024[ [update]], the company has 1071 stores across the United States. The chain maintains a strong presence in social media, to which "The New York Times" has attributed the business' growth.
History and operations.
Crumbl was founded by cousins Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan in 2017 while Hemsley attended Utah State University in Logan, Utah. Hemsley and McGowan utilized A/B testing methods to come up with their final milk chocolate chip cookie recipe. Due to the religious beliefs of the company's founders (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Crumbl decided not to offer coffee or coffee-based flavors and continues to refuse to do so.
In 2022, Crumbl sued Crave Cookies and Dirty Dough, two fellow cookie companies, in the United States District Court for the District of Utah, alleging that the defendants had "unique ties" to Crumbl and had a "confusingly similar ... marketing and business model".
In November 2023, Crumbl rebranded with a new logo, color scheme, and visual identity. The new logo consists of the word "crumbl" in black on a custom typeface called Crumbl Sans, removing the word "cookies" and the baker symbol. The brand's pink color was enhanced to appear warmer and richer. The rebrand, created by brand identity designer Turner Duckworth, was part of a strategy to diversify Crumbl's product range and appeal to a broader market.
On December 21, 2023, Crumbl acquired Pleasant Grove, Utah-based pie company Crust Club, founded in 2016 by partners Tyler and Valerie Kukahiko. Crumbl spokesperson Beth Baty said that the concept resonated with co-founders Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley.
On September 29, 2024, an unofficial Crumbl Cookie pop-up store was hosted in Sydney, Australia. Approximately 840 cookies were purchased in Hawaii on Tuesday, brought back to Australia, and refrigerated until the following Sunday, where they were sold for AUD$17.50 (US$12). Crumbl chose not to pursue legal action, instead announcing that they would speed up plans to open stores in Australia.
Reception.
The company relies heavily on social media to promote its products; according to "The New York Times", whether the products themselves are "the best or the worst" is immaterial to their popularity, as the online "debate is good for business". "Vox" described it as a "manifestation of hyper-consumption fueled by a conveyor belt of micro-trends that come and go at an ever-increasing pace".
Mashed.com noted in August 2021 that Crumbl had garnered unfavorable reviews from TikTok users for the quality of cookies customers were receiving through delivery. The article cited four videos of poor-quality cookies that did not arrive as advertised, with one such negative review receiving over 400,000 likes within 21 hours.
"Honolulu"'s Emily Smith tried six Crumbl cookies, writing in a 2022 review, "The price is reasonable considering that these are very large cookies packed with flavor. All the cookies looked delicious and visually pleasing. If you love sugar, I recommend trying Crumbl at least once." "Vox"'s Whizy Kim said the cookies were "fine", but "nothing memorable".
Growth.
The company has experienced rapid franchising, which has been attributed to its presence on social media. The company's following on TikTok reached 1.6 million within six weeks in February 2021, and as of 2024[ [update]], they have over 14 million combined followers between TikTok and Instagram.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Crumbl Cookies expanded to 100 locations by August 2020 and 149 locations across the United States by July 2021. By the end of 2021, the company had grown to over 300 stores in the country, and by July 2022, grew to over 400 locations in 45 states. In 2023, the franchise expanded to Canada with 4 locations: two in Alberta and one each in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Mississauga, Ontario. By June 2024[ [update]], the company had over 1,000 locations in all 50 states. In October 2024, the company announced on social media its plans to expand to Australia.
Labor law violations.
In December 2022, the U. S. Department of Labor fined 11 Crumbl Cookie franchises across six U.S. states for violations of child labor laws impacting 46 workers who were minors. Violations included assigning underage employees to shifts that exceeded the permitted hours and to tasks involving "potentially dangerous ovens and machinery". The parent company issued a statement apologizing and affirming their commitment to "a safe and welcoming work environment". Crumbl reported to Axios that they were "deeply disappointed" when finding out about the violations. The Crumbl franchisees were fined $57,854 in total for the violations.
References.
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