Crumbl Cookies

Crumbl Cookies 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 September 2023, the company has 918 stores across the United States. The chain maintains a strong presence in social media, to which The New York Times has attributed the business's 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.

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".

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".

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."

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 2022, they have over seven 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, the company had over 1,000 locations in all 50 states.

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.

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